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Running a film set

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CApture
Production
Running a film set

CApture

CApture

It’s the night before the first day of your shoot and you have no idea what to expect. You have your call sheet – it’s been sent to everyone – you know on paper and in your head what you have to do, but how is it all actually going to play out? No matter how far along in your career you might be, this question of 'how's it going to play out' never gets old. In this activity I’m going to run you through a typical shoot day, so you know what to expect!

– Genevieve Clay-Smith

Running a film set

Select the following questions to reveal Genevieve Clay-Smith's responses about what to expect on filming day.

What is a typical shoot day like?

The typical start to your first shoot day is early, because it takes time to get into the groove. The first shot of the day is always the hardest and takes longest to achieve.

So, let’s say you want to ‘turn over’ at 7am in the morning, it might be earlier if you need to film a sunrise. This means recording your first take at 7am. Cast and crew will need to arrive at 6am, always an hour before turn over. The cast will go into make-up and costume whilst the crew set up for the first shot. Meanwhile, there's breakfast being served so people aren't hungry.

After each take, you’re double checking the continuity is right. You need to make sure actors are wearing the right costumes for the scenes and that props are being reset at the end of a take. You do this with your script supervisor who is there to assist you with looking out for continuity issues and recording best takes on their marked-up script.

Once you get your last shot of the day, you call ‘wrap’ and cast and crew pack up. Depending on how things went, you’re going to have a meeting with your DoP and first assistant director to look at how the shoot is going to run tomorrow and anything you need to take into consideration.

What should students be aware of during the shoot day?

Once you do turn over and start shooting, you are regularly cross checking what you’re filming with your shot list, making sure you’re getting everything you need. The first assistant director is there to help keep you on time, so if you’re taking too long to get a shot, they will tell you to speed things up or drop a shot. Always be prepared to drop shots and find different and more time efficient ways of getting coverage that will tell the story.

Is there anything you normally do before you start filming?

Before your first shot, the first AD does a safety briefing, citing WHS standards, emergency meeting zone in case of a fire, where the toilets are and a brief overview of how the day will run. An Acknowledgement of Country is also best practice.

Do you film scenes in the same sequence as they will appear in the finished film?

There are many reasons to shoot out of sequence, generally it is a logical choice to shoot certain scenes together. For example, if scenes 1, 4 and 10 are all set in the green room, it makes sense to shoot them all together before moving all of the equipment to shoot scenes 5 and 8 in the garden.

How long is a typical shoot day? Do you take breaks?

It is important that you don’t go over a 10-hour shoot day, especially if people are volunteering. Respect the time and be professional. Since you’ve all be on set since 6am, wrap time is at 4pm.

So, if you’ve been shooting for 5 hours, it’s time for lunch. Lunch is served for a minimum of 40 minutes. Usually the director, DoP and first assistant director will get ready for the next shots and talk through how the day is going. This may include which shots are coming up, which shots may need to be dropped, pushed to tomorrow or combined. At the end of lunch, cast are given make-up touch ups and the crew goes back to their positions. You roll up and start filming!

Genevieve Clay-Smith's top tips for a successful shoot day

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Select the following circles to reveal one of Genevieve Clay-Smith's tips for a successful shoot day.

Tip #1

Have a first assistant director on board to keep everyone on track when it comes to time. Time management is key to ensuring a successful shoot.

Tip #2

Have a script supervisor to log the what shots you took to capture the scene, how many takes it took to shoot each shot and which takes were best. This will make editing easy and give you peace of mind that you are getting everything you need. Your script supervisor will look out for continuity errors.

Tip #3

Be adaptive and flexible. You can not predict the weather or human error, things go wrong. Do some scenario planning and be ready for anything such as shooting in a different order or creatively problem solving on the spot.

Tip #4

Communicate clearly. No one knows what you are thinking. Be sure to tell people what you are thinking of doing and why. If you say, “Quick I want to film that bird over there!”, your cinematographer might not be on board, but if you explain that you can use that shot to intercut between your character’s desire for freedom and the next scene, the cinematographer will be more likely to come on board.

Tip #5

Value and respect people’s time. Chances are you do not have a budget to pay everyone, so respect that and make sure they get home on time, and that they are fed, watered and thanked. Do not tell everyone they are staying an extra hour five minutes before wrap time. If you really need an extra hour, ask people individually if that will be OK and if they can not you need to work out another plan.

Tip #6

Have each HoD do a check list of the things they are responsible for and do a check list for yourself. Go over these lists before you film in a production meeting.

Tip #7

Have fun. Filmmaking is about working with a team to tell a story. Create a culture on your film set that values people and their contribution to ensure everyone feels comfortable and supported.

Tip #8

At least 2 days before the shoot day the call sheet goes out. You need to proofread this to make sure everyone’s call time is correct and that the schedule makes sense.

Activity – running a successful film set

Person with clapperboard in front of a camera

Using the information above, answer these questions in your logbook.

What are the most important aspects to running a successful film set?
How does your role(s) contribute to a successful short film?
Why is filming out of sequence a good idea?
What organisational strategies are you going to use to make sure your production and post-production processes run smoothly?
What can you do to problem-solve issues as they arise?

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