Film Set Etiquette Tips
Your shoot day is finally here and you're practically oozing with excitement, but before you step foot on set, it's important you know proper set etiquette. So let's go over some of the do's and don'ts of being on a film set.
First off, be on time. It's extremely inconsiderate to be late to set, especially when you don't communicate that you'll be late. When you're late, you're holding up the entire production. So all of the cast and crew are waiting on you. If you know you're going to be late, try to reach out to the assistant director and or producer and let them know ASAP, so they can move the schedule around to accommodate for it.
Next up don't cross in front of the camera. Crossing in front of the camera is generally considered bad form on set, as usually the director of photography, camera operator, and director are all trying to look at the frame. However if you really must do it, make sure you say "crossing" when doing so to give them a heads up. Our next point is "points." Whenever you're carrying long and pointy equipment, such as C stands, boom poles, or even props, it's customary to yell "points" So everyone around you knows to watch out. This is especially useful when turning tight corners or entering through doors.
Now let's step into the next step and talk about wearing proper shoes. When you're on a film set, it's super important to wear the right shoes and not just for arch support reasons. There's plenty of heavy equipment onset that could easily get knocked over and cut those little piggies right off. So make sure you wear proper close toed shoes on set, not sandals. And pro tip, If you want to be even more protected wear boots with steeled toes.
Next and super important is don't touch equipment that isn't part of your department. For makeup, wardrobe, and props this could cause complications, such as things being misplaced or broken, thus causing delays in production. For the camera department, mishandling camera equipment could result in expensive accidents. But most of all, for the lighting department, it could be potentially dangerous and deadly to handle lighting equipment without the proper knowledge. This could result in electrocution, electrical fires, and even death. Now this rule is often broken low budget indie film sets because everyone's wearing different hats and trying to help out. However, I highly encourage you to ask the department head first before touching equipment to make sure it's okay.
Next up, respect your authorities. The director and assistant director, or AD for short, are the authority figures onset and disrespecting their authority can cause the production to crumble, schedules to fall behind, and safety to be thrown out the window. So make sure you don't interrupt them and always listen to the AD and the director. And speaking of directors, if you're not the director, don't give feedback or direction to the cast. I've seen indie sets where the director is trying to give direction to an actor and an overzealous crew members starts blurting out their own ideas. This can confuse an actor and it also disrespects the director. Directors put a lot of time and energy into thinking about the film, so your new idea might derail their whole plan. That being said, however, as a director myself, I generally welcome ideas from the crew, but I specifically request that they come to me with their ideas in private, away from the actors so that they can maintain a clear singular voice for direction.
And finally, let's discuss unpleasant discussions. If you have a creative difference or argument on set, resolve it privately away from the cast and crew. Morale is a real factor, and crew members are usually working hard and long hours. On top of that, actors are usually trying to maintain a specific emotion or vibe of a scene. To help keep morale positive, try to resolve negative and stressful conversations in private. So now that you know proper set etiquette, you'll be sure to avoid any embarrassing faux pas.
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