How To Become a Script Supervisor

How to become a Script Supervisor

What is a Script Supervisor?
Script Supervisors unite the production team. They oversee all filming and ensure that each scene can be easily edited together during post-production.

Sounds easy? Think again. The majority of film and TV productions are not shot in chronological order due to huge cost and efficiency boundaries. Although, there are some Directors who have braved the logistical nightmare: Stanley Kubrik (The Shining), Alejandro G. Iñárritu (The Revenant) and John Hughes (The Breakfast Club).

How To Become a Hair & Make-up Supervisor

How to become a Hair and Make-up supervisor

What is a Hair and Make-up Supervisor?
Working to production requirements, the Hair and Make-up Supervisor oversees the continuity of hair and make-up throughout the duration of the production. The Supervisor will also co-ordinate the design, application and the storage of products. Usually, they are employed from pre-production to the end of production.

Key Skills

Hairdressing
The supervisor must be confident in a variety of hairdressing skills and techniques. Basic requirements include the ability to cut, straighten, wave and apply non-permanent colour. Depending on production requirements the Supervisor should also be skilled in applying extensions, facial hair and wig setting.

How To Become a Wardrobe Supervisor

How to become a Wardrobe Supervisor

What is a Wardrobe Supervisor?
There are two parts to a Costume Department, the Running Wardrobe and the Making Wardrobe, all of which is overseen by the Costume Designer. The Making Wardrobe incorporates the design and creation of the costumes during pre-production. The Running Wardrobe, overseen by the Wardrobe Supervisor, includes the maintenance and organisation of the costumes during the production.

Wardrobe Supervisors manage a team of Costume Assistants, Designers, Standbys and Dailies and are responsible for the wardrobe budget. They are also responsible for hiring Costume Dressers and day workers. Consulting the continuity book, they work with the team to decide and discuss details such as which costumes will be needed for each scene and the number of costume changes per shooting day.

How To Become a Junior Researcher

How to become a Junior Researcher

What is a Junior Researcher?
Junior Researchers work within the Film Team, usually reporting to the Producer, who in turn reports to the Executive Editor. Junior Researchers are often tasked with creating new concepts and original ideas, and are expected to take initiative, triggering new research proposals. As such, it is imperative that Junior Researchers remain up-to-date with industry news, utilising a variety of media sources. Their remit also includes the writing of briefs for reporters and film makers and reviewing narratives. Researchers must be aware of and understand regulations that impact their work, identifying and assessing sources for legal compliance and copyright requirements.

How To Become a Producer

What is a Producer?
A Producer is the individual that starts the entire production process of a TV series, play or film – they are the person responsible for finding a story a home and seeking out investors willing to fund the entire process, which will be crucial to the development of the story.

How To Become a Location Scout

What Is a Location Scout?
A location scout is essentially the director’s eyes and ears, and helps to develop the narrative by seeking out the perfect location. This is accomplished through finding a place that seamlessly follows the story at hand. The locations may vary from local suburban areas, to tropical islands in a foreign country.

The crucial thing to always keep in mind is the director’s intentions for the film, and the producer’s budget. If you sway too far out of the guidelines set by the producer then you risk bankrupting the film, or being told you aren’t fit to scout for that particular company. As a scout it is your responsibility to ensure that you are making the suitable decisions needed to help in the development process for the film, and to avoid pushing for a location that you have taken a particular liking to, despite it not having much relevance to the plot.

How To Become a Director of Photography

How to become a Director of Photography

What is a Director of Photography?
At the top of the Camera Department, the Director of Photography (or DoP) is in charge of giving the film its own visual style and identity, coherently with the Director’s creative vision.

The DoP is responsible for coordinating the camera crew, including Camera Assistants and Trainees, as well as the Gaffer, who takes care of the lighting, in order to respect their idea of the visual theme of the production.

How To Become a First Assistant Director

What is a First Assistant Director?

First Assistant Directors (1^st ADs) act as the intermediary between the Director and the cast and crew, but they are also responsible for coordinating the whole production activity and providing the production office with regular updates from the shoot.

After going through the script, together with the Director, the First Assistant Director is in charge of creating the filming schedule, which has to take into account the availability of cast and crew involved, script coverage, budget and all other details of the production, making the 1^st AD a key person in any production. For the rest of pre-production, Firsts oversee and check that all the necessary duties and tasks to prepare and organise shoots have been carried out.

How To Become a Costume Assistant

How to become a Costume Assistant

What is a Costume Assistant?

A lot of film productions, depending on the genre and the setting, rely on their costume department for an accurate representation of the setting, period and story. For this reason, the department involves many different roles and a variety of tasks that need to be smoothly carried out during pre-production.

Costume Assistants take care of lots of smaller, daily, or last-minute tasks to help Costume Designers complete their job with the best possible result. This entry-level job is also the perfect way to kickstart a career in the Costume Department.

Costume Assistants help Costume Designers break down the script, in order to identify all the costumes needed by different characters throughout the story. They also assist in research into clothing styles, design and fabrication methods.

How To Become a Line Producer

How to become a Line Producer

What is a Line Producer?
Often hired almost immediately by the Producers and Executive Producers, Line Producers are responsible for the financial side of any Film or TV production. The name of the job originates from the difference between below-the-line and above-the-line cost of productions.

In order to do so, they break down the script into a shooting timetable, determining how long each shooting will take and all the relative expenses. Once the timetable is complete, they compute a provisional budget so that the producer can start raising funds for the film to go into pre-production.

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