7 Ways To Motivate Your New Film Crew

The film industry is always buzzing with new crew members, actors, technicians, etc. So, why not have an effective and unique approach on how you can motivate your crew to work and create great movies? 

As a filmmaker, you’ll have to dig deep into yourself, and be open to exploring other professional areas. That means getting along with everyone in the film crew, and being open to ideas from them. So, here are 7 tips on how you can effectively motivate your new film crew: 

1. Establish Relationships

First, make yourself approachable to every member in your crew. Having good chemistry with at least the majority of your crew makes a world of difference, since it establishes positivity in the realm. Allow people to come to you, if they have any questions or concerns. And, most importantly, allow people to do their best – no one is perfect. 

2. Organization And Respect

It’s important to have an organized and respectful way about you. First, organize by planning:

• Regular meetings with cast and crew
• When you and your crew members can take breaks or time off
• “Me” time for yourself

Also, be respectful to everyone in your crew. This allows your crew to perform at their best. 

3. Ensure The Crew Can Use Their Equipment

No matter what, all filming equipment must be working properly, and shouldn’t give crew members any problems while filming. You can allow people to test the equipment and confirm that everything is working properly. Since you’re filming a movie, you and the crew can’t afford to film with inadequate equipment. 

4. Get Along With The Actors

Now, actors vary in personality. No matter their personality, you should be able to get along with the cast. Even filmmakers (about 98% of people in film schools) will tell you that they can be anxious whenever they work with actors. However, actresses and actors are usually very open and emotional, mostly because their job involves exploring many different facets of the human psyche and relationships.

So, when working closely with actors, don’t be afraid to approach them with any questions or concerns. Plus, learn how to find a mutual language, so that you can connect with them better. 

5. Be Loud And Clear… But Not Condescending

Let’s face it: no one like a bossy person. Therefore, when leading your film crew, it’s okay to voice your opinions and concerns, but don’t push too hard. 

6. Create A Positive Environment

People like feeling excited coming to work every day – the same is true for crew members when they show up on set to work on your film. Therefore, it’s important to create a positive environment for them to be in every time they show up for work. Again, be open to ideas and concerns, so that people can be heard and appreciated. Plus, realize that some people might have more experience on certain things than you do.

And, if you have any creative people in your crew, then that’s even better. You can then establish a creative team that can help you make your film studio more fun and positive for you and the crew to film in. You can also have your creative team post photos and videos on the happenings going on in the studio on social media to show off the fun atmosphere.

7. Have Faith In The Crew

Finally, it’s important to trust and rely on your crew, even during the rough patches during production. Now, the film industry might be packed with competing studios, you can still have confidence that your crew will help you deliver on a great movie. Remember: your crew is made up of many departments, which contribute a lot in producing your film. You’re all in this together! 

Conclusion

As you can see, it takes more than being a filmmaker to realize that filming a movie takes everyone onboard your crew.  Sure, you and the team will run into rough patches every once in a while, during production, but that doesn’t mean that your crew should suffer for it, even if you’re working with interns and novice film crew members. 

So, filming a movie requires proper planning, as well as a well-motivated crew that’s willing to work with you. And, while everyone in the crew might have varying film and life experiences, those shouldn’t stop you from provided great motivation techniques for the crew and making production more fun and positive for everyone.

Kristin Herman is a writer at OX Essays and State of Writing. She is also a contributing writer for online publications, such as Paper Fellows. As a marketer, she helps companies improve their marketing strategies and concepts.