Television crew positions are derived from those of film crew, but with several differences.
Pre-production
Work before shooting begins is called the pre-production stage. The crew in this stage include the casting director, costume designer, director, location manager, make-up artist, researcher, screenwriter, set designer, and television producer.
Casting director
The casting director casts actors, and so is usually one of the first crew members on the project. In fact, during the initial casting call, the executive producer and casting director are often the only crew members.
Costume designer
The costume designer makes all the clothing and costumes worn by all the Actors on screen, as well as designing, planning, and organizing the construction of the garments down to the fabric, colours, and sizes. They greatly contribute to the appearance of the production, and set a particular mood, time, feeling, or genre. They alter the overall appearance of a project with their designs and constructions, including impacting on the style of the project, and how the audience interprets the show's characters.
Director
The television director is usually responsible for directing the actors and other filmed aspects of a television production. The role differs from that of a film director because the major creative control usually belongs to the producer. In general, actors and other regular artists on a show are familiar enough with their roles that the director's input is confined to technical issues. The director is responsible for all creative aspects of a production. The director typically helps hire the cast (and possibly crew). The director helps decide on locations, and creates a shooting plan. During shooting, the director supervises the overall project, manages shots, and keeps the assignment on budget and schedule. Though directors hold much power, they are second in command after the producer. The producer usually hires the director (unless the director is also the producer). Some directors produce their own television programs, and, with formal approval of the funding studio, enjoy a tighter grip on what makes the final cut than Directors usually have.
Associate director (AD)
An associate director (AD) in television production is usually responsible for floor directing in the studio and ensuring that the sets, props and technical equipment are safe, ready to use and positioned correctly before filming. Associate directors are also responsible for communications with the audience and any guests, for example ensuring they are seated in good time, and assisting the Director with production. In scripted television series, an associate director occasionally serves as an episode's director, in which case someone else substitutes for the AD. Until the mid-2000s in the United States, associate directors were usually credited as technical coordinators, for most sitcoms were shot on film. Drama programs don't usually use ADs.
Location manager
The location manager finds and manages film locations. Most pictures are shot in the controllable environment of a studio sound stage but occasionally, outdoor sequences call for filming on location.
Make-up artist
A professional make-up artist is usually a cosmetology beautician, and applies makeup to anyone who appears on screen. They concentrate on the area above the chest, the face, the top of the head, the fingers, hands, arms, and elbows. Their role is to manipulate the actor's on-screen appearance to make them look younger, older, larger, etc. Body make-up artists concentrate on the body rather than the head. Make-up itself is substances to enhance the beauty of the human body, but can also change the appearance, disguise, or costume someone. Make-up artists, hair stylists, costume designers, and dress technicians combine their efforts to transform actors into characters, presenters, etc.
Production designer
The production designer is responsible for the production's visual appearance. They design, plan, organize, and arrange set design, equipment availability, and control a production's on-screen appearance. The production designer is often called the set designer, or scenic designer. They are trained professionals, often with Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees in scenic design. The set designer collaborates with the theater director to create an environment for the production—and communicates details of this environment to the technical director, charge scenic artist and property master. Scenic designers create drawings and scale models of the scenery. The set designer also takes instructions from the art director to create the appearance of the stage, and design its technical assembly. The art director, who may also be the production designer, plans and oversees the formation of settings for a project. They must be well versed in art and design styles, including architecture and interior design. They also work with the Cinematographer to accomplish the precise appearance for the project.
Researcher
Researchers research the project ahead of shooting time to increase truth, factual content, creative content, original ideas, background information, and sometimes performs minor searches such as flight details, location conditions, accommodation details, etc. They inform the director, producer, and writer of factual information—technical, cultural, historical, etc.—that relates to events that the production portrays.
Set designer
The scenic designer collaborates with the theatre director and other members of the production design team to create an environment for the production, and then communicates details of this environment to the technical director, production manager, charge artist, and property master. Scenic designers create scale models of the scenery, artistic renderings, paint elevations, and scale construction drawings to communicate with other production staff.
Television producer
In the entertainment industry, a television producer (compare to film producer) is generally in charge of, or helps coordinate, the financial, legal, administrative, technological, and business aspects of a production. In television, a television producer can be given one of the following titles:
Associate producer The associate producer performs limited producing functions under the authority of a producer; often in charge of the day-to-day running of a production. Usually the producer's head assistant, although the task can differ. They frequently form a connection between everyone involved in shooting (the production team) and the people involved after filming to finalize the production, and get it publicized (the post-production team). Occasionally, credit for this role goes to the product's financial backer, or the person who originally brought the assignment to the producer.
Assistant producer (AP) In the UK, assistant producer is the closest role to that of a film director. An assistant producer often doubles as an experienced researcher, and takes direct charge of the creative content and action within a programme. The title of television director is usually reserved for dramatic programming, productions and most similar to films, or those who control a multi-camera set up from the gallery.
Co-producer Typically performs producing functions in tandem with one or more other co-producers (working as a team, rather than separately on different aspects of the production).
Coordinating producer The coordinating producer coordinates the work of two or more producers working separately on one or more productions.
Executive producer
The executive producer supervises one or more producers in all aspects of their work, and sometimes initiated the production. They are usually the ultimate authority on creative and business aspects of the production. If the title is designated correctly, the executive producer arranges the project's financial backing and maintains a sound production budget. On scripted programs, the showrunner receives an executive producer credit.
Line producer
A line producer supervises physical aspects of the production (not the creative aspects), including personnel, technology, budget, and scheduling. The line producer oversees the budget. This involves operating costs such as salaries, production costs, and everyday equipment rental costs. The Line Producer works with the Production manager on costs and expenditure.
Segment producer Produces one or more components of a multipart production.
Supervising producer Supervises one or more producers in some or all aspects of their work; usually works under the authority of an executive producer.
Additionally, more senior members of a television show's writing staff are credited as producers, with the specific title dependent upon the seniority and rate of pay for the writer. For example, a writer credited as a "co-executive producer" will typically receive a higher salary and be considered more senior than a writer credited as a "producer", who will in turn be higher "ranking" than a writer credited as "co-producer."
Writer
The Writer creates and moulds an original story, or adapts other written, told, or acted stories for production of a television show. Their finished work is called a script. A script may also have been a contribution of many writers, so it is the Writers Guild of America's (WGA) task to designate who gets the credit as 'the Writer'. 'Written by' in the credits, is a Writers Guild of America assigned terminology that means, "Original Story and Screenplay By." A screenplay or script is a blueprint for producing a motion picture, and a teleplay is the same thing for a television show. Writers can also come under the category of screenwriters. Screenwriters (also called script writers), are authors who write screenplays for productions. Many also work as script doctors, changing scripts to suit directors or studios. Script-doctoring can be lucrative, especially for better known writers. Most professional screenwriters are unionized, and are represented by organizations such as the WGA.
Head writer
A head writer oversees the writing team on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, and in sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits. In prime time series, an executive producer fills this function.
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scenarists or scriptwriters create short or feature-length screenplays for films and television programs.
Script editor
Story editor
Story editor is a job title in motion picture filmmaking and television production, also sometimes called supervising producer. A story editor is a member of the screenwriting staff who edits stories for screenplays.
Production Everything that happens as part of shooting the film is part of the production stage. The crew in this stage include the cinematographer, production manager, technical director, boom operator, gaffer, dolly grip, key grip, and stunt coordinator.
A1
In television and live event production, the A1 is the primary audio engineer responsible for the technical design and operation of associated sound systems (e.g. mixers, microphones, intercom, IFB, RF equipment, PA/monitoring, music/sfx playback, multi-track recording, and more). Generally speaking, the A1 supervises all audio crew members during build, rehearsal, and show phases of any production. Ultimately, the A1 will have routed, recorded, and mixed all sound sources heard during the program broadcast.
A2 The A2 helps get microphones or other audio devices to the right place or to the right person An audio assistant (A2) positions and interconnects audio devices, such as microphones and intercoms, from the television production truck to the venue. Typically, larger productions use two or more A2s.
Boom operator