- One of the things I really like to do on Pro Video Tips and elsewhere is try to help people with some of the many practical aspects of filmmaking that aren't covered in textbooks or film school. So, in keeping with that goal, I wanna share my advice for one of the biggest challenges many of you will face on your first big project, and that's managing your crew. The cold reality that many new filmmakers discover is that although they may have spent hours thinking about and mastering the technology and methodology of filmmaking, often times, those are the easiest things to control and master.
Perhaps the hardest thing to master on any production at any budget level will always be the people. If you truly wanna be successful as a filmmaker, even more so than the technology, you will have to learn to master the many people you will need to help you make your project. By mastering people, what I'm really referring to is developing solid people skills and really mastering ourselves, which essentially means learning how to deal with a wide variety of very real and complex human personalities, conflicts, and emotions within your crew and within yourself.
So, now I'm gonna break down seven tips for better managing your crew. First and foremost, it's extremely important that you understand that directing is a position of leadership. Apart from the requisite skills of technical filmmaking, planning, and budgeting, no matter how much talent you have, or how much prep you put in, you still have to command one of the most challenging aspects of filmmaking and that's being a leader. Being a manager, a supervisor. Commanding a group of individuals to all be on the same page at the same time and functioning in unity to achieve your creative vision.
It's so much easier or simpler to command shots, equipment, and words on a page than it is to command people. As a leader, you have to first possess the maturity to put the production before your personal needs. Know how to be diplomatic and resolve, or better yet, avoid crew conflicts. You have to possess the wisdom to know when to let something slide and to know when to stomp it out forcefully right then and there. You have to possess the kindness to be compassionate with other people's mistakes, but still have the harshness to discipline or fire people whenever it's necessary.
You have to have the courage to take responsibility for your decisions, even when they're wrong, and at the same exact time, you need to have the grace to be humble and share the credit for everything that goes right. Unfortunately, crew dynamics and leadership aren't really subjects that are covered much in film school or touched upon in too many film books. It really is a sink or swim lesson that most filmmakers will only learn from helming a crew, unless they somehow have previous experience as a manager or supervisor to a large group of people.
Nevertheless, leadership is a quality that you ultimately must develop to be successful at filmmaking. While there aren't many books on the subject, I do wanna recommend two film books that I found particularly helpful in this area. The first one is Christine Vachon's producing primer, Shooting to Kill and the other is What They Don't Teach You at Film School by Camille Landau and Tiare White.
Author
Updated
5/12/2015Released
4/15/2014Skill Level Intermediate
Duration
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Introduction
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Intro to Pro Video Tips2m 5s
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1. The Great Polarizer Spectacular
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Ten polarizer tips4m 6s
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2. Lav-Hiding Techniques
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Hiding lavs in collars5m 16s
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Hiding mics in hair2m 17s
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3. Checking Out the Canon C100
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Canon C100 overview11m 33s
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Looking at the Atomos Ninja12m 20s
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4. Safety On Set
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Ten tips for set safety10m 28s
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5. Traveling with Your Gear
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Packing a truck9m 18s
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6. Putting Together a Lens Kit
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Normal lenses1m 54s
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Wide lenses3m 5s
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Telephoto lenses4m 53s
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Super zooms2m 54s
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Macro lenses2m 45s
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7. Tools to Help You Judge Exposure
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The importance of exposure1m 31s
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Using waveforms5m 3s
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Using histograms6m 53s
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Using zebra stripes3m 55s
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8. Understanding Shutter Speed
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Shutter speed overview3m 18s
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9. Budgeting
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10. Batteries
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Working with batteries10m 11s
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11. Audio Settings
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External audio settings4m 2s
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Audio input menus9m 31s
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Audio output menus4m 6s
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12. The Beauty of Backlighting
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Introduction to backlight1m 18s
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Types of backlight3m 51s
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Exposing for backlit shots5m 31s
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13. Mic Booms
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Booming techniques13m 28s
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14. Feeding Your Crew
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Feeding your crew5m 42s
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15. Working with Prime Lenses
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16. Working with Green Screens
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Mounting the green screen1m 39s
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Lighting your subject2m 21s
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17. Tripods and Monopods
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Working with monopods3m 15s
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18. Shooting a surf video
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Choosing a camera3m 2s
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Dealing with lens fog1m 44s
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Mounting your POV camera3m 20s
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Interview with Tony Cruz6m 4s
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19. Lens Mounts
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Introduction to lens mounts1m 24s
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Canon mounts2m
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PL mounts1m 59s
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Nikon mounts1m 24s
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Micro 4/3 mounts1m 50s
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20. Lighting Ratios
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Comparing ratios2m 52s
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Measuring light ratios3m 19s
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21. Ten Looks in Ten Minutes
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Ten Looks in Ten Minutes10m 25s
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22. Camera Height and POV
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23. Lighting an Interview Subject
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24. Making Your Subject Look Better
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25. Cookies
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Types of cookies4m 6s
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26. Shooting Sports Footage
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Wrapping up1m 5s
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27. Bouncing Light
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Tips for using bounce light8m 34s
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28. Shooting a Video Portrait
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Video portrait intro1m 51s
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Video portrait camera work13m 32s
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29. How to Get a Film Look
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Shooting at 24p3m 2s
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Using depth of field1m 37s
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Lighting for a film look1m 18s
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Using filters2m 31s
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30. Professional Car Rig Mounts
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Attaching a side mount rig12m 58s
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Mounting a speed rail rig10m 54s
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Hood suction mount4m 27s
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Car rig safety tips2m 57s
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31. Camera Techniques To Manipulate Size
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32. Lighting Techniques for Car Shots
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33. Air Travel with Gear
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What to do at the airport4m 39s
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Getting on the plane2m 59s
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34. Working with Editors
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35. Avoiding Scam Film Festivals
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Common Budgeting Mistakes
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37. 10 Filmmaking Lessons
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38. Dealing with Moire
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Avoiding moire6m 46s
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39. Adding Production Value to Your Shoots
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Great audio and sound design2m 44s
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Keep your shots steady2m 32s
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Keep your camera moving2m 29s
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Location, location, location2m 15s
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Hiring a colorist3m 38s
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40. Shooting an Interview by Yourself
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Using a second camera2m 53s
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41. How to Make a One Camera Shoot Look Like Two
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42. Shooting Scenes with Windows
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Dealing with exposure issues2m 55s
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43. How to Adjust SMPTE Color Bars
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Adjusting SMPTE color bars4m 35s
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44. Stealth Filmmaking Tactics
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Recording audio discreetly1m 25s
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Running interference1m 24s
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45. Dealing with Production Issues
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46. Using an Interrotron
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Why to use an Interrotron3m 50s
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47. How to Get Beautiful Shallow Depth-of-Field
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48. Media Management Tips
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Tips for managing your media9m 41s
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49. Tips for Renting Equipment
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Tips for renting equipment1m 25s
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Do your homework2m 39s
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Test the gear out4m 13s
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Stay covered, with insurance2m 48s
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50. Editing on the Road
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51. Shooting with Mirrors
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52. Heat Wave Effect
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53. Shooting Live Events
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54. Coverage Strategies for Live Events
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Shooting for the cut5m 20s
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Bonus: Final edited video2m 50s
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55. Audio Strategies for Live Events
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Plugging into a mixing board5m 52s
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Mic'ing the instruments1m 46s
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Mic'ing the speakers1m 55s
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Using a shotgun mic2m 38s
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56. Managing Your Crew
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Learn to delegate2m 12s
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Hiring is half the work2m 53s
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Goodbye1m 35s
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Video: Seven tips for better managing your crew