Communication, Teamwork and Professional Behaviour
This domain checks the soft skills that decide whether a crew hires you again: set etiquette, chain of command, radio discipline and workplace conduct.
Chain of command on set
The producer controls money and logistics; the director controls creative decisions; the first assistant director (1st AD) runs the floor and the schedule; heads of department (DoP, gaffer, sound recordist, art director) manage their own crews. Instructions travel down this chain; problems travel up it.
Set calls and walkie-talkie discipline
- "Standby" means be ready; "rolling" means camera is recording; "speed" means sound is recording; "cut" ends the take.
- Announce the slate: "Scene 12 Apple, take 3."
- On the radio: identify yourself, keep it short, say "copy" to confirm, never gossip on an open channel.
- Shout "hot points" or "striking" when moving or switching on a lamp.
- Call "quiet on set" during takes; use hand signals when silence is required.
Professional behaviour
Arrive before your call time, dressed for the job, with your kit charged. No personal phone use during takes, no photographs or posts from set without permission, and keep scripts, budgets and client details confidential (NDA). Respect everyone regardless of role; the POSH Act, 2013 makes sexual harassment a zero-tolerance matter in every Indian workplace. If you do not know something, say so and find out - never guess about safety or money.
Worked example
As a production assistant you are asked for a 2K fresnel that is not on the truck. Reasoning: acknowledge the request, confirm the specification, escalate to the gaffer or production manager, offer a checked alternative, log the change and inform the 1st AD because the schedule may shift. Improvising an unverified substitute risks safety and continuity.
Traps that cost marks
- Going over the chain of command to look helpful.
- Saying "yes" to a task you cannot do safely.
- Sharing call sheets or client information publicly.
- Using the radio channel for complaints or chatter.