What’s a Gaffer? - What people do in a film crew part 2

April 29, 2008

In my last article I described the various members of the Production Staff of a film project. In Part Two we will go on to discover the other members of a film crew and find out what they do. In this part we will look at the members of the project that make the “look” of the film.

The Art Department in a major feature film can often number in the hundreds of people. Usually it includes several sub-departments: the main Art Department, with the Art Director, Set Designers and Draftsmen; sets, supervised by the Set Decorator; Props, under the control of the Propmaster; Construction, headed by the Construction Coordinator; Scenic, lead by the Key Scenic Artist; and Special Effects.

The Production Designer is responsible for creating the physical and visual appearance of the film. The sets, costumes, properties (props), and character makeup departments all work as a unit. The Production Designer works closely with the Director and the Cinematographer to achieve the ‘look’ of the film.
Within the Art Department is a sub-departmen called the Art Department. This can be confusing, but this department consists of the people who design the sets and create the graphic art.
The Art Director reports to the Production Designer and directly oversees artists and craftspeople, such as the set designer and set decorator, who carry out the production design.

The Set Designer is the draftsman, usually an architect, who creates the structures or interior spaces called for by the production designer.
Assistant art directors consists of the first, second and third assistant art directors and they carry out the instructions of the art director. Their work often involves measuring locations, creating graphics and paper props, collecting information for the production designer and drawing sets. Sometimes a set designer is also the first assistant art director; in this capacity, he or she manages the work flow and acts as the ‘foreman’ of the drawing office.

The Set Decorator is in charge of the decorating of a film set (much like an interior decorator), which includes the furnishings and all the other objects that will be seen in the film. He or she works closely with the production designer and coordinates with the Art Director. In recognition of the Set Decorator’s importance, the Academy Award for Art Direction is given jointly to both the production designer and the set decorator.

The Buyer is the number two person in the set department, below the set decorator. The buyer locates, and then purchases or rents the set furnishings.

The Lead Man is the foreman of the sets crew and it is often referred to as the “swing gang.”

The Set Dressers apply and remove the furniture, drapery, carpets and everything that is found on location, even doorknobs and wall sockets. Most of the swing gang’s work occurs before and after the shooting crew arrives but one set dresser remains with the shooting crew and is known as the On-Set Dresser.

The Property Master, more commonly known as the Propsmaster, is in charge of finding and managing all the theatrical property that appears in a film. The Propsmaster usually has several assistants.

The Props Builder builds the props that are used for the film. Props Builders are often technicians skilled in construction, plastics casting, machining and electronics.

The Armourer is a specialized props technician who deals with firearms. In most jurisdictions this requires special training and licenses.

We now come to the Construction Department. The Construction Coordinator oversees the construction of all the sets. The Coordinator orders materials, schedules the work and supervises a large crew of carpenters, painters and labourers. On some sets the Construction Coordinator is called the Construction Manager.

The Head Carpenter is the foreman of a “gang” of carpenters and laborers. He works closely with the Set Department and Construction Coordinator.

The Key Scenic Artist is responsible for the surface treatments and appearance of the sets. This includes special paint treatments such as aging and gilding, as well as simulating the appearance of wood, stone, brick, metal, concrete, stained glass–anything called for by the production designer. The Key Scenic Artist supervises the crew of painters and is often a Master Craftsperson.

The Greensman is a specialised set dresser dealing with the artistic arrangement or landscape design of plants and flowers, sometimes real and sometimes artificial (usually a combination of the two). Depending upon the scope of the greens work in a film the greensman may report to the Art Director or may report directly to the Production Designer. If a significant amount of greens work is required in a film the “Greens” may be a sub-department with its own large team and hierarchy (Greensmaster, Greens Supervisor, Foreperson, Leading Hand, Laborers). Specialists from other areas of the Art Dept. (Fabricators, Sculptors, Painters/Scenics) may also be drafted to work exclusively on Greens.

Make-up Artists are beauticians that apply makeup to anyone appearing on screen. They concentrate on the area above the chest, the face, the top of the head, the fingers, hands, arms, and elbows. Their role is to make an actors on screen appearance look more youthful, larger, older, or in some cases monstrous. There are also Body Makeup Artist who concentrate their abilities on the body rather than the head.

The Hair Stylist is responsible for maintaining and styling the hair of anyone appearing on screen. He or she works in conjunction with the Makeup Artist.

The Costume Designer is responsible for all the clothing and costumes worn by all the actors that appear on screen. He or she is also responsible for designing, planning, and organizing the construction of the garments, down to the fabric, colors, and sizes. The costume designer works closely with the director to understand and interpret “character,” and consults with the production designer to achieve the overall look of the film.

The Costume Supervisor works closely with the Costume Designer. In addition to helping with the design of the costumes, he or she manages the wardrobe workspace. He or she is responsible for supervising the construction or sourcing of garments, the hiring and firing of support staff, the budget, paperwork, and department logistics.

The Key Costumer is employed on larger productions to manage the set costumers and to handle the star’s wardrobe needs.

The Costume Standby is present on set at all times. It is his or her responsibility to monitor the quality and continuity of the actors and actresses costumes before and during takes. He or she will also assist the actors and actresses with dressing. This person is also known as a ‘Set Costumer’.

An Art Finisher may be employed during the pre-production stage to “break down” garments. This specialized job includes making new clothing appear dirty, faded and worn. On large productions a Buyer may be employed to source and purchase fabrics and garments.

That gave us a look at the people behind the scenes who create the visualization for a film. In our next part we will look at the crew behind the camera, the ones who get it on film for you!