Careers A–Z
Every grade on a UK unit, written by somebody who held it.
A working description of each job on a British film or high-end television production: what the person does at eight in the morning, what they are good at, and every route into the grade.
Each role page is written or checked by somebody who has done that job on a UK set, using UK terminology and UK grades. Where a job is called two different things — and most of them are — both names are on the page.
The anatomy
Every role page answers the same seven things.
So you can compare two grades instead of reading two differently written adverts.
| The heading | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The informal name and the formal grade, paired. A clapper loader is a 2nd AC. A focus puller is a 1st AC. A best boy is the gaffer’s second. A spark is an electrician. Knowing both keeps you from looking lost on a call sheet. |
| Level | Where the grade sits: trainee, assistant, mid, head of department. Including what usually comes before it and what usually comes after. |
| What you do | The day, not the job description. What you carry, what you decide, what happens if you get it wrong, and the parts nobody warns you about. |
| What you are good at | The real requirement. Some of these grades need composure more than technical knowledge; some need arithmetic; some need to be the calmest person in the room at four in the morning. |
| Tools of the trade | The kit, the software and the paperwork you are expected to be able to handle, and what you can reasonably learn on the job. |
| Who you work with | Your department, the people above and below you in it, and the other departments you deal with constantly. Half of this industry is knowing whose problem a thing is. |
| Routes in | Every way people arrive in that grade: runner, trainee scheme, department entry, transfer from another industry, family, luck. The degree route is listed where it exists and is explicitly marked non-essential, because for most grades on this list it is. |
On qualifications
A degree is a route, not the route.
There is no grade in the list below that legally requires a degree, and there are heads of department across every one of these departments who do not have one. Some routes are helped by a course — anything in post, VFX and script, in particular. Most are not.
What every route has in common is that somebody had to be able to vouch for you. That is the thing worth building, and it is cheaper than a degree.
The departments
What is on the list.
Roles are added as they are written and checked. Where a grade below has no page yet, it is on the list rather than invented.
| Department | Grades under it |
|---|---|
| Camera | Camera trainee · 2nd AC (clapper loader) · 1st AC (focus puller) · Camera operator · Director of photography · DIT · Video assist operator · Steadicam operator · Drone operator · Stills photographer |
| Lighting and electrical | Trainee spark · Electrician (spark) · Genny operator · Desk operator · Best boy (gaffer’s second) · Rigging gaffer · Gaffer |
| Grip and rigging | Grip trainee · Grip · Dolly grip · Crane technician · Key grip · Rigging crew · Scaffolder |
| Sound | Sound trainee · Sound assistant · Boom operator · Production sound mixer · Playback operator |
| Art department and construction | Art department trainee · Art department assistant · Draughtsperson · Standby art director · Art director · Supervising art director · Production designer · Set decorator · Prop master · Standby props · Dressing props · Graphic artist · Construction manager · Carpenter · Painter · Plasterer · Scenic artist |
| Costume, hair and make-up | Costume trainee · Costume assistant · Standby costume · Costume supervisor · Costume buyer · Cutter and maker · Costume designer · Make-up trainee · Make-up artist · Hair stylist · Prosthetics artist · Hair and make-up designer |
| Special effects | SFX trainee · SFX technician · Senior SFX technician · SFX supervisor · Armourer · Workshop crew |
| Production and assistant directing | Runner · Floor runner · Production secretary · Assistant production coordinator · Production coordinator · Production manager · Line producer · Producer · Production accountant · 3rd AD · Crowd 2nd AD · 2nd AD · 1st AD · Script supervisor · Location assistant · Location manager · Unit manager |
| Post and VFX | Post production runner · Assistant editor · Editor · Post production supervisor · Online editor · Colourist · VFX coordinator · Compositor · Matchmove artist · VFX supervisor · Dialogue editor · Foley artist · Re-recording mixer |
| Not a craft, still essential | Health and safety adviser · Intimacy coordinator · Stunt coordinator and performers · Unit medic · Animal handler · Marine coordinator · Unit driver · Facilities and catering · Studio and stage crew · Rental house technician · Access coordinator · Cultural and faith adviser · Sustainability coordinator · Unit publicist |
The path
The role, the training that reaches it, and somebody who did it.
A grade on this list, the course that trains for it, and a person who went on to hold it. Three things that belong together and are usually read apart. Where there is no course yet, the row says so.
| Department | The training that reaches it | Somebody who did it |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | Camera Department, and Shooting on 35mm | Annie Latham, Joe Madigan and Joshua Clark. Where they went |
| Lighting and electrical | Lighting and Electrical | No destination published yet |
| Grip and rigging | Grip and Rigging | No destination published yet |
| Sound | Production Sound | Tom Worrall. Where he went |
| Production and assistant directing | Production Office, and Set Ready | Ateeb Malik, trainee to Technical and Production Lead. The record |
| Post and VFX | No course yet | A post and VFX trainee, plates screened on a virtual production stage. The record |
| Art, costume, special effects and construction | No course yet. The role pages stand on their own | No destination published yet |
Every grade is crewed on the Production Simulation Week as well, which is where most people work out which department they actually want.
Next
The grade, the language, and where to go for the rest.
The Careers A–Z tells you what a job is. The glossary tells you what people are saying while they do it, and the directory tells you who else can help — unions, screen agencies, funders and support organisations, none of whom are us.
