Film Crew Handbook (In Arabic)

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Intoduction

The production of any visual and/or audio project begins with an idea. Yet bringing that idea to life—turning it into a finished work that reaches the public—does not rest solely on the originator. Executing a project requires teamwork built on harmony and coordination among specialists in various fields, each with a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities. This prevents overlapping of tasks and confusion that can lead to unproductive chaos, wasting time, effort, and the funds invested to deliver the best possible result on screen.

This text will outline the departments of a media production crew—focusing on film production—and provide a concise explanation of the most important positions and their titles, as these have evolved continuously over the past century of filmmaking.

These titles have been compiled from several sources. We first relied on the terms commonly used in the Arab market—many of which stem from theater or TV drama production, and some from French terminology adopted in the 1960s. Second, we referred to U.S. cinematic terms introduced into the Saudi market by students returning from film schools abroad (from the 1980s to today), most of whom studied at American universities and adopted U.S. film terminology. Third, we drew on real-world production experience in the U.S. and the Arab world from 2005 to 2022.

The Crew

The team behind any visual or audio production—film, television, or media—is known as the crew. The term covers all creatives and technicians working to complete the project, including all off-camera staff. It is said in the industry that the word “crew” entered cinema over a century ago because many early technicians came from maritime trades. At the time, sets were lit with sails, lanterns, and ropes in ways reminiscent of ships and boats.

Today, the crew is generally divided into two main categories separated by an “invisible line”: Above-the-Line and Below-the-Line. Because this industry emerged in Western countries, many job titles have no direct Arabic equivalent. Most Arabic translations are literal, producing awkward terms that don’t reflect the actual functions. In fact, these two terms came from accounting offices: “above the line” meant everyone paid a fixed fee for the entire project (the core creative team), while “below the line” meant those paid by the day or by the hour (technical craftspeople). A clearer way to name them is:

• Above-the-Line: Creative roles

• Below-the-Line: Technical roles

Each category consists of specialized departments led by a Department Head.

Beyond these two broad categories, crew members are divided by phase, scale, and nature of the project. A production team can be as small as two or three people or as large as a thousand. Most professional feature films employ 300 or more crew members, sometimes exceeding 600, across all stages from development to production to distribution.

Creative Roles (Above-the-Line)

This category covers everyone with creative input on the film—director, producer, writer, director of photography, and others. Typically, these individuals join the project early, from concept or script stage through pre-production and on to release and distribution. Their names usually appear in the opening credits as well as the closing credits. Globally, their compensation is set by project and budget rather than by day or hour, and many negotiate a share of profits depending on their role and contract.

Members of the creative team hold the authority to shape the story and visuals, adding their personal imprint in ways that affect the concept, style, and identity of the final product. For this reason, they must read and understand the entire script. Replacing any of them can be extremely difficult, as their contribution reflects years of knowledge, culture, and craft.

The director and producer(s) head the creative category, exerting creative control over all aspects. They must agree who has “final cut” rights to the finished film, bearing in mind that distributors, channels, or studios may demand final approval of the movie or parts of it.

Technical Roles (Below-the-Line)

This category is headed by the Assistant Director (not to be confused with the Director’s Assistant) working with the Production Manager or Line Producer. These are the technicians and craftspeople—camera crew and assistants, lighting and grip teams, makeup, hair, costume, sound crews, production assistants, and more.

Internationally, they are paid by the day or by the hour under labor laws or contracts. In most cases, they are not required to read the full script because their work focuses on executing the creative team’s vision during their assigned period. Still, professionalism and precision are vital: failure by any one department to deliver on time or to standard can derail the schedule and cost the production dearly—especially on complex or expensive scenes.

Although their work may end when their portion is complete, their contribution is indispensable. Most technical crew members take instructions from their Department Head and must perform their specialized tasks each day at the highest level.

Key Creatives

“Key creatives” are those whose expertise and distinctive creative contribution drive the film—typically the writer, director, and producer. The entire crew on set works to realize their envisioned image and sound based on an understanding of visual and audio storytelling.

The “Holy Trinity”

Some call the director, production designer, and director of photography the “holy trinity” of cinema. Together, they invent and execute the film’s visual style: color palette, lighting, camera movement, and actor performance—all of which culminate on the silver screen where the audience passes final judgment.

Harmony among these three is essential to a film’s success. Early filmmakers (in the early 1900s) often credited three separate directors: a Director of Actors, a Director of Arts, and a Director of Photography. While titles and tasks have evolved, the importance of this triad remains in every professional production.

Work for Hire

“Work for hire” means doing creative work for payment under an agreement where the client owns the result: “Who pays owns the work.” This does not negate the creator’s right to be credited for their function (a moral right), but ownership stays with the payer unless otherwise agreed. For example, if a producer hires a writer to create a screenplay for a fee, the producer owns the copyright.

Creative Aknowladgment

It is crucial to present the creative team’s names correctly in the opening credits and in proper order and language (unlike the inconsistencies often seen in Arabic-language series). They should not be mixed with the technical crew, whose names appear in the scrolling end credits starting with the first and second assistant directors, production manager, cast list, then department by department (post, art, logistics, etc.).

Accuracy and organization are pillars of any media project, and every detail should be documented from concept through distribution.

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