C R EWING UP
different ways, doing four different things with his body, looking in four different directions . . . you needed a Script Supervisor. If you shot on film and the picture and sound slates don’t match . . . you needed a Script Supervisor. (And if you need further evidence of how important they are, Wikipedia has a full page dedicated to what a Script Supervisor is responsible for, onset and off.) Production Designer/Art Director
Again, here’s a position that gets forgotten on many shorts. Why it’s important: If I’m watching your film and all I notice is the mismatched avant-garde paintings on the wall behind the actors who are making loud passionate love . . . you needed a Production Designer. If I’m watching your film and in one scene there is a huge bouquet of flowers on the table and when we cut back to it it’s disappeared, because a grip moved it during lunch and forgot to put it back and you are too busy to remember it was there originally, you needed a Production Designer. But most importantly, they can be invaluable when it comes to helping you set a visual tone to your film. Do your best to get one on board. Hair, Makeup Artists, and Costume Designer
Most hair people can do makeup and vice versa, which can save you money, but not all of them do both, so make sure to ask. However, if you know you’ll need a significant amount of either necessary before you can roll camera, hire two separate people, otherwise it’ll take forever to get your actors on set. If you think you can just get your friend who’s pretty good with her own hair, makeup, and wardrobe, think again. Why it’s important to hire professionals: If I’m watching your film and at the beginning of the scene the actor is wearing a sleeveless dress and when we cut back to her she’s put a sweater over it—you needed a Costume Designer (on shorts it’s often simply called Wardrobe). If I’m watching your movie and the female actor who has just finished
95