During filming, there's always going to be a significant amount of hustle and bustle. You will have to know what each person's job is and how to ensure that everything gets done on time and within your budget. Here is an overall breakdown of the various disciplines:

• Executives. This title can represent myriad positions. Executives typically are individuals who have some decision-making power. This could be studio or production company personnel whose power varies depending on the position or attitude of the parties involved.

• Hands-on personnel. This group includes all the individuals who are making the movie. At the preproduction level this could be as small a group as the writer, director, and producer. As the production progresses, this would include various department heads such as the production designer, art director, wardrobe director, location manager, best boy, and so on.

• Office staff. Under no circumstances should these individuals be ignored, as they are of supreme importance to the filmmaking process. Office staff includes all types of assistants, support staff, receptionists, typists, production assistants, and so on. These individuals keep the wheels turning by accomplishing all kinds of tasks, such as making sure schedules are distributed, messages are sent and received, and script updates handled.

• Postproduction crew. These individuals are the specialists who come in after the major film work is done. At that point, this crew of editors, sound designers, composers, visual effects artists, and second unit crews start working their magic.

At any given time on the set or location, there will be dozens of individuals crossing paths, shuffling everything from paperwork to props. The better organized you are in preproduction, the better organized every department and individual will be when it comes time to begin filming.