A Guide to On Set Etiquette

A Guide to On-Set Etiquette


Below is an industry standard guide of what to expect, and how to behave on a film
set. Whilst some points may seem obvious, it is easy to be caught out by others.
Call Times
Your Call Time is the time by which you must be on-set and ready for filming. The Production Company will either tell you your Call Time when they first contact you about the job, or they may ask you to ring them back later to find it out once the
filming schedule is finalised.
Punctuality
 When you are given your call time write it down and make sure you turn up on set on time. Production companies have complex schedules to film specific scenes at specific times and they will not wait around for you. If you are late the production crew will not be happy and your job will likely be given to someone else and you will not get credited. In film, time is definitely money.
Make sure you have enough time to get to the film set and don’t rely on internet route finders for accuracy. If using public transport, check the timetables and catch the earlier bus or train. Also don’t assume that public transport will be regular for very early starts or late finishes.
Clothing
Make sure you take something warm to wear during the long breaks between filming
because you might not have somewhere warm to wait.
On Arrival
On arrival sign in with a member of the production staff to let them know you've
arrived. Make sure you know in advance who this person is. If you don't sign
in, the production company has no way of knowing you have arrived and your job
may be given to someone else.
Waiting Around
If filming is not ready to begin, find out if there is somewhere for the Background
Artistes to wait. You may have somewhere warm and comfortable to wait for filming
to start but, if you are on location, you could only basic cover form the elements.
There may also be long waiting periods between filming but please be patient.
Chain of command
> the Director is in charge but will only be occupied with the Actors and the DP. Please make sure that any questions or comments are directed up the chain of command and then through the DP to get to the Director if neccesary.