From four-hour epic films to 30-second commercial slots, a lot happens behind the camera of any video production. In fact, even small video production crews must include a few critical members for the shoot to be successful. Let’s look at those roles and what each person does to make the magic happen.
Understanding the Video Production Crew List
Pretty much any successful marketing campaign these days needs to contain some type of video content. Whether that content is short-form videos for social media sites, commercial-like spots for your website or local TV, or even long-form infomercials, each project needs to be treated as a professional production.
This means that you need to establish a crew that can help design, stage, edit, and deliver that production within a specified period. This includes critical roles such as producer, director, and sound editor, among others. Depending on the size and length of the video content, critical members of your crew could grow to include many more.
The Most Important Roles to Fill on a Small Team
For many businesses looking to produce short-form web or commercial content, the crew requirements are relatively small but still incredibly important. Let’s look at each of these critical roles, what they do, and what to consider when filling them.
Producer
The first and most essential role for any film production is the producer. Acting as a supervisor that takes your video from the pre-production planning stages to post-production and release, the producer is wholly invested in every step of the filming process. The producer is responsible for balancing the needs of art with logistics and budget. Therefore, choosing an experienced and vetted producer who has worked within your industry and/or the video form you wish to create is one of the most critical elements of success.
Director
Where the producer oversees the overall completion of the video, the director’s responsibility is the artistic and practical vision of the video and bringing that vision to life. Directors shepherd videos through the creative process by focusing on that element alone, which separates their role from the producer. However, some producers can also serve as directors if they can separate the project’s needs from the creative vision that may not always match with time, budget, and other elements.
Cinematographer
The cinematographer, also known as the director of photography, is responsible for setting a piece’s visual tone. Especially in short-form online videos, where many users may not have sound on while viewing, the role of the cinematographer is incredibly important, as they are responsible for designing a visual production that draws viewers in and keeps their attention. The cinematographer is also responsible for many practical elements of filming, including blocking shots and managing camera and lighting crews.
Hair and Makeup
Hair and makeup, which may require a single individual or a team, is also known as “the vanities” in the film world. However, ensuring that your actors have proper hair and makeup is anything but vain — it’s essential. Hair and makeup artists ensure that actors are camera-ready, sometimes drastically helping alter or enhance the look of actors to ensure that they fit the model of their character. While small film crews may not need a whole hair and makeup department, finding one or two artists who understand the vision of the video and work well with the director’s artistic vision can make all the difference.
Sound
A well-rounded video, particularly a commercial, needs to not only have sound, but also a sound experience that matches the visuals and actors. Your head of sound, sometimes referred to as the audio technician, will work both during and after filming. To start, they will adjust sound levels and rig microphones for ideal capture. After filming, they will work to hone sounds, add effects, and blend sound and video to produce a smooth, cohesive viewing experience.
Filling the Gaps in a Smaller Crew
Aside from the main roles listed above, there are several other roles that a good film crew must fill to function, from camera operators to actors to grips. However, these positions are often easier to fill through outsourcing or open calls. Many folks in the film industry are happy to work on small crews and fill in multiple roles if given the chance. However, the strength of the producer, director, cinematographer, vanity, and audio departments will dictate the strength of the people working underneath them, which is why filling these critical roles first and having a personal hand in their assignment is so important.
Turn to the Video Production Experts at Elevation Ten Thousand
If you are unsure of where to start when it comes to filling the gaps in your small production crew, don’t hesitate to ask for help. At Elevation Ten Thousand, our experienced video production team includes professionals with extensive experience serving in all critical production roles from production to audio engineering. We can help you choose the crew and design the video content you need and want to elevate your brand. Contact us today to learn more.
