Ep. 56 How to assemble the best crew to make your documentary film

Who do you need on your crew?  What are the essential roles that have to be filled at any shoots you set up?  That’s what we’re digging into today so that by the end of this video you’ll know exactly who to hire and what you need them to do.

To make the best film, you need a good crew! Cinematographer, director, lighting, sound, there are so many roles to fill. So, it's time we talk about your production and who you will need on your crew! 

Depending on the nature of your film, your crew can come in many shapes and sizes - so I'm going to deep dive and cover a lot!

I hope this is helpful.

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:03

Hello, hello filmmakers. Are you ready to get into your production? Because today we are going to talk about the big job of crewing. Who are you going to have crew your film? Whether you're a budding filmmaker or a seasoned professional, assembling the right team for your project is absolutely essential. Now, if you're ready to hire your crew, then you have come a long way on your filmmaking journey. But as always, if you're not quite ready for this next step, you can go back and listen to all of the previous episodes, and they could really provide you with some inspiration and ideas to keep you moving forward until you are ready to take the next step into production. It's a big thing about filmmaking. It's tenacity. It's taking one step at a time and building momentum. If you hit a roadblock, you just have to turn your mind to another part of the process to keep things moving in a different area while you resolve the issue at hand. And that's how you stay motivated and moving towards finishing your film. So don't let the whole production stall over one setback. So if something's keeping you from getting into production, try and figure out what that is and try and see if there's a different area of your film you can work on until you're ready to take that big dive. But I am digressing because today we're talking about crewing, who you need and where and when. What are the essential roles that have to be filled at any shoot that you set up? So by the end of this episode, you are going to know exactly who to hire and what you need them to do. And why am I telling you about this? Well, I am glad that you asked. I'm Sue Collins. I'm your host on the Moonshine Moonshot podcast on making movies that matter. And I'm part of the team behind Moonshine Agency, an impact film production house producing multi-award-winning films that have a positive social impact. Impact films are films that are basically designed to take an audience from passive viewing into being an active participant. In other words, it gets them doing something, getting them involved and being part of a solution. And I have recognized that to craft films is a really challenging process. And when I was just starting out, it was actually very hard to find information and learn about filmmaking without doing formal study or without being under the wing of a mentor. So avoiding the pitfalls, being pigeonholed, running out of funding, or simply not understanding the business side of the industry has meant that over the years I have seen many people, and I'm talking about people with a lot of talent, they simply give up or move on to more stable work. My hope is to see the industry thrive here in Australia and beyond. And I recognize that to do that, I have to be more open with skills sharing. So I've decided to share more of what I've learned through many years of filmmaking through this podcast, The Moonshine Moonshot. And I also have online courses over at the Moonshine Communications Academy. So make sure you check out the Academy, particularly the resource section where you can access free downloads like check sheets and ebooks. And if you haven't come across them already, there are some really good online courses available through the Academy, such as Define Your Ideal Audience, which helps you to figure out who your project is best suited to well before you even roll camera, and that is gold for when you get to marketing your movie. So crewing. Well, one is the loneliest number. Are you working alone? Planning to do all the filming, interviewing, directing, lighting, sound, and location management all by yourself? Well, if that's the case, my hat is off to you because it's a really tough gig to pull it all together all by yourself. But sometimes that is what you've got to do to get the ball rolling. Perhaps your funding hasn't come through or your budget is just too tight to hire some help. And that's okay. You gotta do what you gotta do to make your movie. But if it is possible, I do think having at least one other person work with you on shoots is a massive advantage. It comes down to what you're trying to do on any given shoot. So if you have lots of time to set up the lights, the microphones, and get everything organized before your talent arrives, then yes, you could potentially do it by yourself, especially if you're only using one camera and it's a very simple setup, then you know it's not unrealistic to do it by yourself. But having someone else on your crew means that you can check lighting and sound, you get set up a lot quicker, you can pack up a lot quicker. And if you have someone else to monitor the sound or the cameras, then you can really focus on the task of directing and interviewing. So anytime you can have a second pair of hands, I absolutely recommend doing it. But as I said, it's filmmaking. You do what you've got to do to get your film made. And if that means you're the one man band, then go for it. So remember as well though, when you've got multiple cameras, multiple microphones, and talent, it can get really complicated very quickly. So I think the best way to juggle all of these tasks. Personally, I like to have three on the crew. And the roles that that typically would cover then is someone on sound, focused completely on sound, someone on the camera or cameras, completely focused on the cameras, and another person directing and managing the talent. And I did leave out lighting there, so obviously someone of those three has to look after the lighting as well. But they're the key things that have to get sorted on any shoot. The essentials are the camera, sound, lighting, and actually interviewing your talent. So it's okay for a crew member to wear more than one hat. So, for example, you might be the director and the cinematographer. Then your sound person might also be managing the lighting. Or you might be monitoring sound yourself while you're doing the interview and your crew will look after the camera and the lights. It's about making sure all of the roles are covered and that everyone is confident with the roles that they are performing and that they know what the expectations are. Biggest word of warning is do not assume your lighting person will be willing to pick up a camera or that your sound person is okay to do the lighting. You have to discuss all of this when hiring them for the roles. I've been on shoots with crew who are very single-track minded. They stay in their lane and they will not pick up gear that does not belong to them. And you know, all of these things are all well and good in the settings, depending on where you've hired people for, because some shoots you really need that. You need people to stay in their lane because it gets very complicated when, you know, they start fiddling with things that, you know, are somebody else's department. But when it's a documentary crew and it's a really small crew and you're on a location, you really want people on your team that are just get in, get the job done kind of attitude. Everyone helps each other out and you work as a cohesive team. But that's about making sure everyone is clear on their role and responsibility. And once you've nailed that and everyone has totally across what your expectations are, then you're on your way to a really great shoot day. Another thing that I will just mention too with crewing for documentary is you don't want too many people. So three I've found is a really good number. Four is okay depending on the location and what you're actually filming. But three is usually a good number where the talent doesn't get overwhelmed by staring, you know, past the cameras to this room filled with people. But it also means you've got enough resource to really do a good job on the day. And that comes down to also creating the best workspace. So this is actually the next point. After sort of figuring out, you know, the makeup of your crew, how do you create a great workspace? Look, it's important to hold this concept close during any shoot day because space is important. And though a larger crew can make things easier on the technical side, one downside is that it could have a negative effect on your talent. As I was just mentioning, having a lot of cameras pointing at your talent is daunting enough for them on their own. But then if you have 10 crew staring at them from behind the camera, hanging on their every word, it's probably going to make them pretty nervous. So I'm exaggerating because you'd be extremely unlikely to have a crew of 10 people on your documentary shoot. But even three people can be a lot if you're working in a small space. And something else that can happen is onlookers if you're filming outdoors. And also co-workers if you're interviewing in an office environment or friends and family that just want to watch on. It's really important you manage who's hanging around while you're filming so that your talent doesn't become overwhelmed. The way your crew behave is also going to have a massive impact on your shoot. So when you're hiring, try to screen your prospective crew in the same way that you would conduct a job interview. You know, ideally meet them in person, but perhaps you're crewing for a shoot that you've got going on interstate or overseas. So do it by Zoom by all means, if that's the best option. But you should also check their references or reviews if they've got them and just get a sense of who they are and what they're like to work with before you hire them. The reality is you actually never really know until you have them on the day and you see them in action. So if you're lucky, you're going to hire really great people that conduct themselves on set with outstanding professionalism, but occasionally you might get somebody who is less than ideal, and having to manage them can become a big task in and of itself. And this is where your people management skills will really come into an important element of their own. Now we highlighted a prime example of this on the Moonshine Moonshot Companion episode on YouTube. Mike and I were talking about how we filmed in Washington, DC. It was very early in my career as well. Um, and we were filming a lot of high-level people who work in cancer control, and it was a sort of a boardroom setup, and so there was about eight or nine people sitting around a boardroom table. And so we needed the extra support of a soundie because it was just too much going on for us to effectively film all of this ourselves on the day. So we hired a local filmer and a local sound recordist, and the soundie actually came with the the camera person that we hired, so we didn't really screen them in quite the way we might have normally. And this soundie um just kept ducking out for cigarettes. So kind of awkward when you're filming people who work in cancer control and one of your crews outside the front window smoking half the day. But you know what? It wasn't the best look. It didn't really reflect well on us as filmmakers. Um not much we could do about it. We got through it, the film got made, we made some really good, long-lasting relationships with a lot of those people as well. So in the end, it wasn't a disaster or anything, but it's just a good way to emphasize the types of things that can go wrong on a shoot. So you do need to be a little bit careful about who you hire and um what their background is, so you know it's not going to jeopardize your filming on the day. So, in short, what I'm emphasizing is the importance of creating a really good work environment for you, your crew, and also your talent, because how your crew behave and engage with your talent will also affect your end product. So make sure they're really respectful of the people that you're interviewing as well. And a crew that are not acting in a professional manner can make your talent uneasy, nervous, or just might have them questioning what they've got themselves involved with, which is not a good way to build rapport. Anyway, I feel like I've really hammered in that point. So I hope that was really clear. The biggest thing is look, keep calm, carry on. It's the cheesy saying I know that we all cringe at, but it's a saying for a reason and it's an important philosophy when trying to manage a film crew because laughter might be infectious, but so are nerves. So when it comes to nerves, there's no one strategy that works for all people. So it's really important that you learn what helps to keep you on your game. And whatever that is, use that to come into the space with confidence and calmness that allows you and the rest of your crew to flourish. Because if it feels like everybody's in a safe space with safe hands in a professional work environment, the shoot is gonna run really well, regardless if you're a nervous wreck on the inside. So if you've got to do 10 minutes of meditation before you walk out on a shoot, you've got to find time and you're gonna make that happen. Or if you need to go for a run the night before or the morning of, or whatever your technique is to keep your nerves in check and feel confident, just make sure that you know you're prepared and you're ready before you arrive on shoot day. So you wanna know the trick to being professional. If you're really wanting to make sure you come across as a professional, there's one very neat trick that everyone can do, and that is be prepared. Preparation is the key, and that's why the Moonshine Moonshot series exists. So that when shoot day comes around, you have all the resources and knowledge to lead your crew with absolute confidence. So assuming that you've done that, you should have all the tools that you need for your shoot because in the end, there's no right or wrong way to crew your film. It really is dependent on your production, your resources, and your goals as a filmmaker and what it is you're trying to film on the day. And I probably should have mentioned that as well. Just because you hire someone for one week of shooting doesn't mean you have to hire that same person for your entire production. So you can be flexible. Hire what you need when you need it. If you're looking for more, there's plenty more to come. So in the next episode, we'll be talking about the importance of getting consent from your participants. Now, trust me, the last thing you want to do is create a whole documentary and then find out someone's not willing to participate in your film anymore, and you're back in the edit suite. So I am talking through next week all the things you can do to avoid that nightmare scenario. So that probably wasn't the best way to make you feel enticed to come back and listen to it, but it is a really important episode, and it's one, there's some really simple things you can do just to make that all run smoothly. So until then, make sure you are following on Facebook or Instagram, and of course, DM me or send me an email to support at moonshinecommunicationsacademy.com if you want to get in touch and hit subscribe on whatever platform you're on. And I am looking forward to speaking to you again next Tuesday.