Step-up toolkit · 2 of 5
Run a team.
You were good at the job. Now the job is getting the best out of other people. It's a different skill, and you can learn it.
Watch first
4They play here. Each one is also a lesson in the free step-up path.
1:26:06Leader of the pack: Running a set as a directorBFI · 1:26:06
3:48Tips to increase mental health on setThe Film and TV Charity · 3:48
23:38Why on-set safety and speaking up is our collective responsibilityWorkWise for Screen · 23:38
ScreenSkills HETV Skills Fund Leaders of TomorrowScreenSkills
Every morning
Brief your team
Five minutes at call time. Everyone hears the same plan.
- Today's scenes and the big moves
- Who's on what
- The hazards and who's in charge of them
- What changed since yesterday
- Anyone who needs to leave on time
Notes
Give notes people can use
- Say what you saw, not what they are: "the slate was late on 14C", not "you're slow"
- Give notes in private, praise in public
- Give the note once, then let them fix it
- Check the trainee knows what good looks like
Trainees
Bring a trainee on
Every HoD was a trainee once. Teach the job, not just the jobs nobody wants.
- Show them once, watch them do it, then let them own it
- Give them one thing to learn this week
- Tell them who to ask when you're busy
- Credit their work
Tone
Set the tone
Your department copies how you behave on a bad day. No shouting, no favourites, no jokes at someone's expense.
- Make it normal to say "I don't know" and "stop"
- Plan for prayer, fasting, childcare and access needs. Ask, don't guess
- Deal with bad behaviour the same day
- Know the production's bullying and harassment contact, and CIISA
Talk across
Talk to other departments
Most rows on set are two departments who didn't talk in prep. Go and see the HoDs your work touches, before the shoot.
Sources
Where this comes from
Checked 13 November 2026.
- ScreenSkills HETV workforce research, 19 March 2026 · Communication is a top-three skills gap (51%).
- The Whole Picture Toolkit · The Film and TV Charity's mental health toolkit for productions.
- CIISA · Report bullying and harassment outside the production.
- Faith Inclusion Toolkit · Our practical guide to faith on set.
The rest of the toolkit
3 of 5Crew up, and let people goWho you book, how you check them, and ending it fairly.
4 of 5Hard days, and keeping goingOverruns, kit failures, rows, and looking after yourself.
Step up on our unit.
Take the next grade on a FIF unit, with a HoD who knows the arrangement. Free.
Last reviewed 13 November 2026