Learn / How it all works
Reference · Explainers
Six questions nobody answers out loud.
The rules aren't secret. They're just rarely written down.
The six questions
If you're about to start your first dayHow a set works
The call sheet, who runs the floor, the calls, the day.
If you're making sense of a credit rollHow a film gets made
Development to delivery: who does what, and how long it takes.
If you're working out whose job it isHow departments fit
Eighteen guides: the job, the ladder, who you report to.
If you're sending your first applicationHow crews are hired, and how to get in
Why most jobs aren't advertised, and the routes that work.
If you're agreeing a rateHow the money works
Rate cards, union agreements, overtime and getting paid.
If you're costing a shoot on filmShooting on film
The lab, and budgeting stock and processing.
Sources. Checked against the Bectu rate cards, the Pact/Bectu agreements, ScreenSkills and the BFI. Every number carries its source and date. For rates we link to the Bectu rate cards. See also Budget and schedule on film, the Glossary and Careers A–Z.