Last Updated 2 hours ago
Working on a film set is a team effort. Unfortunately, not everyone acts like they’re part of a team.
Every department has its own responsibilities, equipment, priorities, and problems to solve. Camera needs to get the shot. Lighting needs to make it look good. Art needs to make the set look believable. Makeup and wardrobe need to keep the actors looking right. Locations needs to keep the production from destroying the place.
Everyone has a job to do, and most people are working under the same pressure to get through the day.
But there’s a difference between doing your job and making everyone else’s job harder.
Sometimes it’s the little things. Borrowing equipment and not returning it. Leaving chairs behind when the company moves. Expecting another department to carry your equipment because they’re standing nearby. Moving something without telling the people responsible for it.
Individually, these things might seem insignificant. Over the course of a 12-hour day, they add up.
And occasionally, they can create much bigger problems.
The best crew members aren’t necessarily the most experienced or technically skilled. They’re the people who understand how their actions affect everyone around them.
Here are some of the unwritten rules of working on a film set that can make you a better crew member, regardless of your department.
1. If You Borrow Something, Return It
This should be obvious. Somehow, it isn’t.
Film sets are full of equipment that gets shared, borrowed, moved, and temporarily repurposed throughout the day.
Need an apple box to stand on? Fine. Need a folding chair for an actor? No problem. Need a sandbag to secure something? Ask the appropriate department.
But when you’re finished, put it back where you got it, or return it to the person who gave it to you.
Don’t leave it sitting in a corner. Don’t assume someone else will collect it. Don’t decide that because it isn’t your equipment, it isn’t your responsibility.
I once heard a story from someone who worked on a major Hollywood television production that perfectly illustrates why this matters.
During filming, a makeup artist needed an apple box to reach a particularly tall performer for some final touch-ups. They borrowed one from the grip department, stood on it, finished their work, and walked away.
The problem? They left the apple box behind.
Later, during a stunt sequence, the apple box ended up visible in the shot. The grips hadn’t been told it was being used, and nobody realized it had been left there until it was too late.
Now, I heard this story secondhand from someone who worked on the production, so I can’t personally verify every detail. But it’s a perfect example of how a seemingly insignificant act of carelessness can affect an entirely different department.
The makeup artist needed the apple box for maybe a minute. Once they were finished, it was no longer their concern. But leaving it behind created a problem for everyone else.
And that’s really the point.
If you borrow something from another department, your responsibility doesn’t end when you’re finished using it. It ends when you’ve returned it.
2. Other Departments Aren’t Your Personal Labour Force
This is something that comes up regularly between departments, particularly when dealing with grip, lighting, art, and locations.
Someone from the art department needs a heavy piece of furniture moved. They see a couple of grips standing nearby and ask them to carry it.
Sometimes, they don’t even ask. They simply assume the grips will help because they’re physically capable of doing so.
Here’s the problem.
Being a grip doesn’t mean you’re automatically responsible for moving everyone else’s furniture.
The same goes for lighting technicians, camera assistants, production assistants, or anyone else who happens to be nearby.
Every department has its own responsibilities, and those responsibilities don’t disappear just because another department needs a hand.
That doesn’t mean you should refuse to help people.
Quite the opposite.
Film sets work better when people help each other. I’ve helped art department move furniture, carried things for locations, and assisted plenty of people outside my department.
But there’s a difference between asking someone for help and treating them as though they’re obligated to do your work.
There’s also a difference between a quick favour and something that takes a crew member away from their actual responsibilities.
If you need assistance, ask politely. Understand that the person might be busy, even if they don’t appear to be doing anything at that exact moment.
And if the task is substantial, coordinate it through the appropriate department heads.
A little respect goes a long way.
3. Don’t Leave Your Mess for Another Department
One of the most frustrating things on a film set is watching someone use equipment or a workspace and then walk away expecting somebody else to clean up after them.
Folding chairs are a perfect example.
I was recently working on a very small production shooting day exteriors in a local park. Hair and makeup grabbed a bunch of folding chairs so they could sit near the set throughout the day.
Fair enough. Nobody expects them to stand around for hours.
But when we finished shooting and moved on, they left every single chair behind.
Those chairs sat there for another six hours before anyone even noticed they were missing.
Think about that. The people who needed the chairs were perfectly capable of bringing them over, setting them up, and sitting in them all day. But apparently, putting them back when they were finished was somebody else’s responsibility.
And that’s exactly the kind of thing that drives other departments crazy.
Makeup, wardrobe, producers, directors, and various other crew members regularly need chairs on set.
There’s nothing wrong with that.
The problem starts when someone takes several chairs from a designated area, moves them somewhere else, and then abandons them when the production moves to the next setup.
Now there’s a collection of chairs sitting in the middle of the set, and someone from locations, or production ends up dealing with them.
Why?
Because the people who needed the chairs no longer need them.
That isn’t how shared equipment should work.
If you bring something into a space for your own use, take responsibility for it when you’re finished.
The same applies to tables, garbage, wardrobe racks, personal equipment, and anything else that gets moved around throughout the day.
You shouldn’t need another department to follow you around cleaning up after you.
4. Don’t Touch Equipment You Don’t Understand
There are plenty of situations where moving something a few inches seems harmless.
Maybe a light stand is in your way. Maybe a sandbag is blocking a doorway. Maybe there’s an apple box sitting exactly where you want to put your chair.
Before you move it, ask yourself why it’s there.
That sandbag might be securing a stand. That apple box might be supporting a piece of equipment. That light might be carefully positioned to maintain continuity between shots.
You don’t necessarily know what another department is trying to accomplish.
Moving something without asking can undo someone’s work, create a safety issue, or cause unnecessary delays.
This is particularly important with grip and lighting equipment, but it applies to every department.
Don’t move camera equipment because it’s in your way. Don’t rearrange props because you need somewhere to sit. Don’t unplug equipment because you need an outlet.
If something belongs to another department, ask before touching it.
And if you absolutely need something moved, find the person responsible.
It usually takes less time than fixing whatever problem you might create.
5. Just Because Someone Looks Available Doesn’t Mean They Are
One of the biggest misconceptions about film crews is that anyone standing around must not be working.
A grip leaning against a wall might be waiting for the next lighting setup. A camera assistant sitting beside the camera might be waiting for a lens change. A lighting technician might be watching a rehearsal to understand where the actors will move.
There’s a lot of waiting on film sets.
But waiting is often part of the job.
People need to be available when their department is called upon, and that doesn’t mean their time is automatically available to everyone else.
If you need help, ask.
But don’t assume someone has nothing to do simply because they aren’t actively carrying something.
And don’t get offended if they tell you they’re busy.
6. Respect Other Departments’ Workspaces
Every department needs somewhere to work.
Camera has carts, cases, monitors, and equipment staging areas. Makeup and wardrobe need space for their supplies and performers. Grip and lighting need access to equipment and clear routes to move it.
These spaces aren’t necessarily marked off with signs, but that doesn’t mean they’re available for anyone to occupy.
Don’t pile your belongings on a camera cart.
Don’t use an equipment case as a table.
Don’t leave coffee cups on someone else’s workstation.
Don’t block access to a grip cart because you found a convenient place to park a wardrobe rack.
And don’t turn another department’s working area into your personal storage space.
A film set is crowded enough without people making it harder for others to do their jobs.
7. Communicate When You Change Something
Not every problem comes from someone being lazy or inconsiderate.
Sometimes people genuinely don’t realize that a small change can affect another department.
Someone from the art department moves a practical lamp without telling lighting. A camera assistant shifts a piece of furniture to make room for a camera. Makeup asks an actor to step away for a touch-up just as lighting is preparing to take a reading.
These things happen.
The important part is communicating.
If you change something that could affect another department, tell them.
If you need to move something, ask first.
If you borrowed equipment and can’t return it immediately, let the person responsible know where it is.
Film production is complicated enough without making people guess what happened to their equipment or why something has suddenly changed.
Good communication doesn’t need to be formal.
Often, a simple heads-up is all that’s required.
8. Don’t Make Your Emergency Someone Else’s Problem
Every department has moments when something needs to happen immediately.
A costume needs fixing. A prop is missing. A light needs adjusting. An actor needs a final touch-up.
That’s normal.
What isn’t reasonable is consistently expecting other departments to drop everything because your department wasn’t prepared.
If you know you’re going to need equipment, request it ahead of time.
If you know a setup requires assistance, communicate that before everyone is ready to roll.
If you’re running behind, be honest about it.
Of course, genuine emergencies happen, and good crews respond to them.
But there’s a difference between an unexpected problem and poor planning.
Don’t make a habit of turning your lack of preparation into somebody else’s responsibility.
9. Help People Without Keeping Score
After everything I’ve said about respecting departmental responsibilities, there’s another side to this.
Don’t become the person who refuses to help anyone because something technically isn’t your job.
Nobody enjoys working with that person either.
If someone needs a hand carrying something and you’re genuinely available, help them, provided it’s something you can safely do.
If you see someone struggling with a task and you can safely assist, offer.
If another department is falling behind and you can make their day easier without compromising your own work, there’s nothing wrong with stepping in.
The best film crews develop a sense of cooperation that goes beyond individual job descriptions.
But that cooperation needs to go both ways.
People should help because they respect each other, not because one department has decided another department exists to serve them.
There’s a balance between being helpful and being taken advantage of.
Experienced crew members usually learn where that line is.
10. Think About the Next Person
This might be the most important rule on the list.
Before you walk away from something, take a moment to think about the next person who will have to deal with it.
If you leave a chair in the middle of the set, someone has to move it.
If you borrow an apple box and don’t return it, someone has to find it.
If you leave garbage behind, someone has to pick it up.
If you move a piece of equipment without telling anyone, someone has to figure out what happened.
Every little inconvenience you create becomes someone else’s problem.
And on a busy film set, those problems accumulate quickly.
Being considerate doesn’t require much effort. It just requires a little awareness of the people working around you.
11. Don’t Be the Person Everyone Dreads Working With
The film industry is smaller than you think.
You can be technically excellent at your job and still develop a reputation as someone nobody wants on set.
Maybe you’re constantly borrowing equipment without returning it. Maybe you’re rude to production assistants. Maybe you treat other departments as though their work is less important than yours.
People notice.
And when the next job comes around, those same people might be asked for recommendations.
Professional relationships matter in this industry.
Being reliable, respectful, and easy to work with can be just as important as knowing how to do your job.
That doesn’t mean you need to be everyone’s best friend.
You don’t need to socialize with every department or pretend to enjoy every person you work with.
You just need to behave like a professional.
Respect people’s time, respect their equipment, and don’t create unnecessary work for them.
It’s not complicated.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Make Someone Else’s Day Harder
Nobody expects every crew member to be perfect.
Things get forgotten. Equipment gets misplaced. People make mistakes, especially during long days when everyone is tired and under pressure.
That’s part of working in film.
But there’s a difference between an occasional mistake and a pattern of inconsiderate behaviour.
The best crew members understand that their job doesn’t exist in isolation. Everything they do has the potential to affect someone else’s work.
You don’t need to know how to operate a camera, rig a light, apply makeup, or dress a set to respect the people who do.
You just need to understand that everyone has a job, everyone’s time matters, and nobody should have to spend their day cleaning up after you.
Borrow what you need. Return what you borrow. Clean up after yourself. Ask before touching someone else’s equipment. And help people when you can.
Do those things consistently, and you’ll already be a better crew member than plenty of people who’ve been working in the industry for years.
