Industry Insight: Filmcrews

For nearly three decades, Filmcrews has had a front-row view of how New Zealand screen crews find work. The Auckland-based diary service works with crew across departments ranging from production and camera to lighting, grips, sound, wardrobe and locations, while also supporting people finding their feet in the industry.

That puts Sioux Ferguson-Macdonald in an interesting position to see what productions are looking for, which skills are becoming harder to find, and why some crew keep getting the call. We asked her how Filmcrews works, what she tells people starting out, and what she’s seeing in the industry right now.

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Filmcrews sits between productions looking for crew and freelancers looking for work. How does that work in practice?

Filmcrews prides itself on being a free service for any producer or production team looking to fill roles on a film set, in an art department or in a costume workroom. The crew simply pay us a monthly fee to manage their diaries on their behalf.
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Because we manage the diaries of a large number of experienced crew across many different skill sets, we can quickly provide productions with lists of people who are available, or almost available, for the dates they need. We also handle the juggling that is sometimes required behind the scenes to make those dates work and get the chosen crew onto the job.
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For production companies, it means one phone call or email can give them access to a huge range of crew without having to individually contact people just to establish their availability.

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When a production doesn’t already have someone specific in mind, how do you put forward suitable crew for each role?

Given the fact that crew pay us the same set fee each, Filmcrews has no preference as to which crew member gets pencilled or booked on any particular job. In fact, the fact that we are completely unbiased is one of the things that makes the system so valuable. This is a much fairer way for all crew to get the same opportunity to have their names put forward rather than operating like an actors agent, where a commission fee system sees the most profitable clients getting all the work.
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Simply put, if crew match the criteria given to us by the production, we put forward every available suitable crew member, in alphabetical order. The production then makes the decision about who they would like to approach.
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If they have a particular person in mind who can’t do the job because of a date clash or another commitment, we can provide alternative crew with similar or matching skills and equipment. If those names are unfamiliar to the production contact, we follow that up with current CVs and experience so they can make an informed decision.
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Our job isn’t to decide who should get the work. Our job is to give productions the best possible information and options so they can make that decision themselves.

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With crew now able to find work directly through their own networks, social media and online directories, what does having a diary service offer that simply being listed somewhere or relying on your own contacts doesn’t?

The big advantage is ease for both the production and the crew member.
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A production company can come to Filmcrews and potentially book everything from a runner through to catering with one email or phone call. If somebody isn’t available, we can immediately provide alternative options rather than the production having to work its way through a list of individual phone numbers.
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For crew, it means your phone doesn’t need to be ringing in your pocket multiple times a day while you’re on set working for somebody else. We manage the enquiries, pencils and bookings, and let you know immediately when something is confirmed. We can also coordinate assistants automatically for heads of departments at the push of a button.
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There’s quite a bit that happens behind the scenes too. If a job falls over or moves dates, we handle it and advise everyone involved without delay. If that change means a second pencil on a crew member can move up to first pencil, that production is contacted straight away.
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We also manage confirm-or-release requests, which can make a real difference to a crew member’s chances of securing the booking.
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And importantly, we act as a conduit between crew and production when the crew member simply isn’t available to answer their phone - whether they’re working, overseas, on holiday or sick. The diary keeps working even when they can’t.

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Filmcrews has an Emerging Crew category for people who are still building their experience. What do you look for when someone approaches you at that stage, and what makes you feel they’re ready to be put forward for professional work?

We encourage younger crew looking for experience, as well as people who may be new to Auckland or New Zealand, to send us a CV and tell us about any additional skills or experience they already have.
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At a minimum, regardless of which department they’re interested in, we expect them to have a driver licence and their own reliable transport. Film and television work doesn’t necessarily happen somewhere conveniently accessible by public transport, and the hours can be anything but conventional.
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From there, we try to learn as much as we can about what they want to do and what their expectations are, and then tell them a little about how it actually works in the real world!
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We provide information about the industry, along with practical tips and tricks for getting started. That includes advice about networking, useful contact lists, invoicing for freelance work, set etiquette and how to remain relevant while continuing to build their skills and experience.
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The idea is to help them become confident, employable crew members who continue building relationships and experience until they reach the point where they need a diary service to manage their day-to-day bookings.

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Getting your first opportunity is one thing; building a career is another. From what you’ve seen, what makes crew get called back again, and what are some of the common mistakes people make early in their careers?

We cover a lot of this with new crew through our Runner’s Guide and Seven Tips to Working in Film and Television documents, which are full of practical, go-to advice about working on set.
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But if I had to give one piece of advice to a crew member who still has their training wheels on, I would probably repeat this one over and over:
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Ask questions at the appropriate moment, keep your mouth closed when you need to, and keep your ears very open all day.
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You will learn an enormous amount simply by listening and observing the people around you. There will be plenty of time to offer your opinion once you have the experience behind you, or when somebody asks for it.
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I’ve seen many a newbie trip themselves up by becoming a little too confident, a little too soon.
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The crew who tend to get called back are the ones who are reliable, observant, willing to learn, easy to work alongside and who understand that no job is beneath them when they’re starting out. People remember the person who quietly gets on with what needs doing.

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Have you noticed any changes in what productions are looking for when booking crew in recent years? And is AI or new technology having any visible impact yet?

Productions are moving faster than ever and are constantly looking at ways of getting more for less, so we are always adapting alongside changes in crew roles, technology and equipment.
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A good example is what happened in the camera department with the move from film to digital. Traditional roles such as focus pullers and clapper loaders evolved alongside the technology into the 1st AC and 2nd AC roles we commonly refer to today.
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We’ve seen enormous changes in the camera department over the past 25 years, including the introduction and increasingly common use of drones, remote systems and now AI. We’ve also seen significant changes in the type of equipment being used by grips and, particularly, gaffers.
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Everything has become more nimble and fast-paced, and crew have had to evolve with it.
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As for AI, I think we would be naïve to believe it isn’t going to affect all of us in some way. The secret, in my view, is to learn to work alongside it and use the tools to enhance what we already do, rather than allowing them to destroy what we do.
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Our industry has always adapted to new technology. This is another evolution we’re going to have to learn to navigate.

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Where are you seeing the biggest skills gaps right now, and where are the opportunities for emerging crew?

Right now, I would say we’re seeing shortages of skilled 1st and 2nd Assistant Directors, lighting assistants, grip assistants and production coordinators.
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The difficulty is that these aren’t roles where you can simply identify a shortage and fill it with somebody off the street. They require experience, training and time spent learning how a department actually operates.
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That’s why we continually encourage heads of departments and experienced crew to give younger or emerging crew an opportunity, bring them into their departments and help train them.
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If we don’t actively bring the next generation through now, eventually there simply won’t be enough experienced people coming up behind the crew we currently rely on.
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For emerging crew, that means there are genuine opportunities, but they need to be prepared to start at the appropriate level, listen, learn, make themselves useful and build their experience properly. There really aren’t many shortcuts in this industry.