Who are all of those people on this move set?

[AmateurFilmmaker]

Who are all of the people in the hallway? Electricians? Key grips? Production assistants? Gaffers? Best boys? Sound people? Camera people? Editors? Why are they there? What are they working on? I ask this because I see a lot of people standing/walking/working around the production area behind the scenes, but have no idea --as of right now-- who they are and why they're particularly there.

Are productions always that jammed packed with people? Depends? Have you ever worked on ones with that many people? The same types of people? If so, what was it like? How long were they there? Often do they get interacted with? Interact with each other? Are they rarely supervised? Heavily? If that all depends, what does it depend on? If it doesn't, why doesn't it? Know of what it's like regarding other productions? What are they like? Are they jam packed with the same amount of people?

Here's the clip referenced:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcQl5rP5IeE

The people can be seen during the 00:28 and 00:33 mark the video.

 

[darty]

hi

i was not able to see the clip but i assume they would be either crew or "jafo's" (just another f####ing observer).

the size of the crew is dependent on the budget and amount of work to do.

everyone on the crew has a job to do but they dont do it all at the same time.

makeup usually start first and their work tapers of during the shoot to fixups from final checks.

gaffers , grips, camera dept are busy setting up but when the camera rolls they stand around
on standby for the next set up.

every one is watching the shoot looking for things that need to be checked.
eg makeup, lighting trims, dolly levels, continuity problems from things left on set etc etc

believe me everyone has a job and when it needs to be done it needs to be done NOW.

on the other hand they could be friends of the producer and are just taking up space
and getting in the way.......

i have worked on crews from 7 to 70 people it will depend on budget, believe me the producers are not going to book people
and pay them to just stand around and talk.

cameraderie depends on the length of the shoot long feature shoots when crew who depend on each other become like family
even on short shoots you end up working with the same crew members all the time.

the daily call sheets have the details, scenes, setups, day/night, props, specialist gear etc etc so every one is on the same page,
there isnt a lot of supervision after the initial daily brief because you should know what you are doing for the shoot
and if you dont EVERY ONE knows about it.....

cheers

ian dart....IMDB

 

[mlesemann]

Electricians? Key grips? Production assistants? Gaffers? Best boys? Sound people? Camera people? Editors? Why are they there? What are they working on?

All of the above except (probably) editors.
Also 1st & 2nd AD, 1st & 2nd AC, hair & make-up, wardrobe, script supervisor are the ones that come to mind immediately.

 

[Sweetie]

Who are all of the people in the hallway?

Bob, Bill, George and Jane.

How the hell are we going to know who they are and what they're doing from a video as detailed as this.

Are productions always that jammed packed with people?

No. Some have less, some have more.

Have you ever worked on ones with that many people?

How many was seen in the hallway? A dozen? Yeah sure, I've worked with that many people. More on some, less on others.

The same types of people?

Probably not. What were they doing again?

How long were they there?

As long as they're needed.

Often do they get interacted with?

I assume you mean [how] often? If so, as often as their job and specifics of what they're doing right there and then requires.

Are they rarely supervised?

Depends on the person and their job.

If that all depends, what does it depend on?

On what they are, who they are, what they're doing, what the requirements are at that particular point in time and so on. The needs of the shoot dictate a lot of these questions.

Are they jam packed with the same amount of people?

Depends. Same shoots with the same people will have similar requirements. Others have different styles. Some prefer teams, others large teams. It can also depend on the budget to what teams must do without.

 

[chrisColorado]

Hey AmateurFilmmaker,

All these answers are good - the point is, there are two ways to make a film:

1) With a ton of people like Hollywood does

or 2) With as few people as possible

To learn about who is there, I would read Lorene Wales' book, which you can find here: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Film-Digital-Production/dp/0205078621

I am editing this post to add that this book is the most valuable book I ever read on why Hollywood uses so many people. I originally couldn't get it either. Why spend that much money?