Carpenter
Carpenters are an essential position within any film production. At the simplest they may undertake furniture repair for other departments, at the best they will be required to construct huge and interesting sets.The work will vary a lot but also includes much repetitive work, particularly on larger productions, such as making ‘flats’ – flat panel wall elements that will later be used to comprise a set – or building rostrum which will raise the set floor of the studio floor. Carpenter film jobs are usually easy to come by but to progress requires a high tolerance for adaptation, long hours and a degree of creative impulse.
The work is common to most carpentry outside film with a few notable exceptions. Firstly sets require allowance for the movement and access of film crews and camera and for the collapsing and erection in kit set form. This means that sets are designed and constructed to include ‘break’ points that allow individual wall elements to be lifted out or ‘floated’ and other times are built complete in a different location than the shoot studio, and need to be moved in and quickly erected. In practice this means the methods of construction use much lighter timbers, and employ screws over nails in many instances.
The other variance from non film carpentry is the other trades that the carpenter must co-ordinate with. Rather than plumbers and electricians you liaise with sculptors and set dressers, instead of an architect you have an art director. As you develop skills within the field, you will learn the needs and concerns of each other trade and the technical requirements of camera crews. A favourite and coveted position to work towards is on set ‘standby’ carpenter, a job that gets you close to the action but which can be stressful when you are called upon to make changes whilst the director and crew are standing watching and waiting… but which has the perks of free food, and many hours of watching and not labouring, something which brings its own challenge of boredom!
If you want to break into film work volunteer on small amatuer films and theatre productions doing set building and equipment manufacture to develop your understanding of processes, and to demonstrate your enthusiasm for the field. Try and get the name of the art director or construction manager and get onto his phone list, like most film jobs persistance is the key because things can change moment to moment. If they have no work today, by tomorrow the scedule may have changed and suddenly they need 12 carpenters for a few weeks work.
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