UK Film & TV Crew Departments and Roles

Every department on a UK film or high-end television (HETV) production, and the 359 roles used within them, compiled from real UK unit lists. Whether you are working out where you fit, or who you still need to hire, start here — then find the people on UNIT LIST, the UK crew network for film and HETV, now over 1,800 crew strong.

What UNIT LIST does

UNIT LIST is a crew network built specifically for UK film and high-end television, rather than a general job board with a film category bolted on. The departments and roles below are the ones it actually uses, which is why a search returns a Crowd 2nd AD or a Standby Art Director rather than approximate matches.

• A profile built around credits. Your filmography, department, roles and the productions you have worked on — the things a head of department actually hires on.
• Availability. Show when you are free, so productions find people who can actually take the job rather than people who cannot.
• Search that matches how crewing works. By department, role, location, credits and availability, because that is how a HOD thinks about filling a position.
• Jobs that reach people. Post a role and it goes out to crew in your country as a push notification, instead of sitting on a page waiting to be found.
• The Slate. Upcoming productions, so you can approach a job before it is advertised — which is when most crewing is actually decided.

There are over 1,800 crew with profiles on UNIT LIST. Members include crew with credits across the major studios, and Oscar nominees, BAFTA winners and Emmy winners.

Joining is free, and so is posting a job.

How a UK crew is structured

UK productions are organised into departments, each run by a head of department (HOD). The HOD hires the crew within their own department, which is why most crewing happens by recommendation inside a department rather than centrally. Knowing which department a role sits in, and who leads it, is the practical starting point for finding work.

Feature films and high-end television crew up in much the same way, so UK crew move freely between the two. HETV refers to television drama produced above a cost-per-hour threshold that qualifies for UK tax relief.

Getting in: the entry-level roles

Nearly every department has grades that take people with no credits — usually titled Trainee, Runner, Daily or Assistant. The normal route in is to start in one of these and progress within the department. These are the entry points, department by department:

• Accounts — Accounts Assistant
• Art Department — Art Department Assistant
• Assistant Directors — Floor Runner, Key Set PA, Set PA, Base PA, Crowd PA, Cast PA
• Assistants — Director's Assistant, Producer's Assistant, Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant, Cast Assistant
• Camera — Camera Trainee, Video Assistant, Video Trainee
• Casting — Casting Assistant
• Costume — Senior Costume Assistant, Costume Assistant, Junior Costume Assistant, Costume Prop Trainee, Costume Runner / PA, Costume Trainee
• Electrical — Lighting Trainee
• Grip — Grip Trainee
• Hair & Makeup — Hair & Makeup Trainee
• Locations — Location Assistant
• Production — Production Assistant, Production Runner
• Props — Props Trainee
• Prosthetics — Prosthetics Trainee
• Sound — Sound Trainee
• Special Effects (SFX) — SFX Trainee
• Studio — Studio Assistant
• Sustainability — Sustainability PA

Departments and roles

42 departments, 359 roles.

For productions crewing up

If you are the one hiring, the difficulty is rarely that no one is available — it is that the people you have not worked with before are invisible to you. A production can search UNIT LIST by department, role, location, credits and availability, shortlist from the results, and message crew directly.

The directory lists over 1,800 crew, from entry-level grades through to heads of department. Members include crew with credits across the major studios, and Oscar nominees, BAFTA winners and Emmy winners.

Posting a role is free and takes about a minute. The post goes out as a push notification to crew in your country, and interested crew message you through the app, so a position is filled by people who put their hand up rather than by whoever you happened to remember.

Common questions

What departments are there on a UK film or TV crew?

A UK film or high-end television production is organised into departments, each led by a head of department (HOD). This guide lists 42 of them, from Camera, Electrical and Grip through to Prosthetics, Marine and Intimacy Co-ordination, with the roles used inside each.

How do I get into the UK film industry with no experience?

Almost every department has an entry-level grade that takes people without credits — usually titled Trainee, Runner or Assistant. The usual route is to start in one of those, build credits, and progress within the department rather than moving between them. The entry-level roles for each department are listed on this page. Building a profile with your credits on UNIT LIST is how you become findable to the people hiring for those grades: it is free, and heads of department search it by department and role.

What is a HOD in film and television?

Head of Department. The person responsible for a department on a production, who hires and runs the crew within it. Most crew are hired by their HOD rather than centrally, which is why knowing the department structure matters when looking for work.

What does HETV mean?

High-End Television. A UK tax-relief classification for television drama produced above a set cost-per-hour threshold. HETV productions crew up in essentially the same way as feature films, which is why UK crew move freely between the two.

Where can I find film and TV crew jobs in the UK?

UNIT LIST is a UK crew network for film and high-end television, with over 1,800 crew listed. Crew list their credits, department, role and availability; productions search that directory and post jobs straight to it. Jobs posted go out to crew in your country as a push notification, so a role does not sit unseen. It is free to join and free to post a job.

How do productions find crew in the UK?

Most crewing still happens through personal recommendation inside a department, which works well if you are already known and is close to impassable if you are not. UNIT LIST exists to make that network searchable: a production can filter by department, role, location, credits and current availability instead of relying on who they happen to have worked with before, and can post a role directly to crew rather than hoping it reaches them.

What is the difference between a 1st, 2nd and 3rd AD?

The Assistant Directors department runs the floor. The 1st AD runs the set and the shooting schedule, the 2nd AD runs the call sheet and cast logistics from base, and the 3rd AD works on the floor supporting the 1st. Larger productions add Key 2nd, Crowd and Floor variants, all of which are listed here.

Do I need to be in a union to work as film crew in the UK?

No. UK film and television crew are not required to hold union membership to work, unlike some other territories. Many crew are BECTU members and productions may have union agreements, but membership is not a precondition of being hired.