Who Does What on a Video Shoot: 22 Roles Explained

A video shoot runs in three stages: pre-production, production and post-production. A full crew covers 22 roles across them, from director and producer to gaffer, colorist and subtitles. Smaller productions use a sub team, and the budget decides how big the crew can be.

There is always a question hanging for first-time companies that hire a creative agency in Brunei for a video shoot. What are we actually paying for?

Depending on the scale of the production, you are looking at either a full team or a sub team. Here are the roles to be familiar with, and the steps they work through. That, by the way, is what you're paying for.

Pre-production: where the video gets planned

Before anyone picks up a camera, a lot of people are already working.

The director leads everything, including the vision and how the story is told. The concept role helps make the creative brief, or analyses it, and translates it into the video idea. The scriptwriter then works with the director and the concept maker to produce lines for the talents, and the storyboarder turns the ideas into visuals so every idea has something to look at.

The producer coordinates location permits, permissions and talent, and makes sure the schedule fits with the rest of the shoot. The assistant director prepares the call sheet and liaises with the director and the director of photography.

The director of photography (DP) talks through angles, cameras, lenses and configuration with the director to get the shot, then produces a shot list so the shoot day is easier. The art coordinator plans the art and deco for every single shot on that list.

Our suggestion: if you are commissioning a video, a clear creative brief gives this whole stage something solid to start from.

Production: the shoot day itself

On the day, the director leads the shoot and watches the screen, and everyone reports to the director. The producer looks after crew welfare and talent welfare, supervises, and makes sure everything stays on track. The assistant director holds the call sheet and keeps track of which shot we are on.

On the camera side, the DP holds the camera the whole time and follows the pre-production documents closely. The assistant camera makes sure the DP only has to focus on getting the shot, which can mean switching lenses, cleaning and changing batteries. There can be more than one assistant camera.

For light and sound, the gaffer sets up and controls the lighting for the shot and liaises with the DP, and the grip helps the gaffer get the lighting done with the equipment. The sound operator handles the sound as the boom operator and the recorder, capturing audio during the shoot.

For the look, the art coordinator leads the art and deco of every shot and location, with an art assistant helping. The make-up artist (MUA) works on the talents according to the storyboard or concept.

Then there are the people who look after everyone else. The runner keeps track of the wellbeing of the crew and grabs the food, drinks and everything the team needs from off site. And the BTS team, an internal team, captures the whole process of the shoot, so there is material for the portfolio in the future.

Post-production: where the footage becomes a video

The producer checks with the team that the project is a go, and helps coordinate with the client if any assets are required. The director checks that the post-production team is working towards the vision.

The editor brings the footage into the editing app and does the sequencing, the effects and everything else. We usually shoot in RAW, which means everything looks flat at first, so the colorist colors the footage based on the feel of the concept.

The animator helps with animation, from small details to big ones. VFX covers video effects if needed, especially touch-ups for things that got messed up during the shoot, or extras added in post-production. The sound engineer adds depth to the video using sound effects or the audio the sound operator captured on set. Subtitles come last, after the final edit, with a check that everything is on time.

Why the size of the crew matters

All in all, a video production involves this many people. The common misconception is that you are only paying for the output.

When the budget is lower, there are fewer people, and therefore less impactful output.

Our suggestion: when you ask for a quote, ask which of these roles are on the crew.

Quick Questions About a Video Shoot Crew

Does a video shoot need all 22 roles?

It depends on the scale of the production. Depending on the scale, you are looking at either a full team or a sub team.

What am I paying for when I hire a creative agency for video?

You are paying for the people and the steps as well as the final video: the planning in pre-production, the crew on shoot day, and the editing, color, sound and subtitles in post-production.

What is the difference between production and post-production?

Production is the shoot itself, where the crew captures the footage and sound. Post-production is what happens after: editing, color, animation, VFX, sound and subtitles.

If you would like to see what a crew like this ends up making, have a look at our portfolio.