Logistics: time: personnel

Availability of personnel

What does availability of personnel refer to?

Availability of personnel is whether or not a certain person is available for a job, for film projects this covers a very large range of people on the film crew. From actors to equipment operators, the availability of all these people is important to the project as a whole. However the availability of certain people is more important. Such as the main actor/actor's, without them the majority of the scenes can not be filmed and they can not be replaced because they are on set. This is not a problem with people behind the scenes because it doesn't have to be the same person. However there are a few people who are as important as the actors who are behind the scenes like the director and the head of photography. Without them the project could fall apart. Other people who need to be available are people who specialise in using certain equipment. Such as a crane, without them time will be wasted finding a replacement or waiting for them to be available because specialists are hard to find. 

How is a film cast and crewed?

The way a actor is cast can vary depending on the significance of the role and the director. Some directors have a certain actor they want to play a certain role and sometimes they get the role specifically written for said actor. If the director doesn't have a specific actor or they only need supporting actors or extras the casting director will set up auditions. A easy way of getting people to audition is by putting up a post on a website for auditions for films. An example of a website that is used for auditioning is www.backstage.com, using the internet for auditions is easy because it is a quick way of finding the exact type of people you want to play a role.

A film crew is different from the cast because they are already a group of people who know how to produce a film or a motion picture before they are hired by a production company. Whilst the cast are not a group until they are hired by a production company. There are many parts of a film crew including production, lighting & camera, production sound and art department.

What are the impacts of not securing key personnel?

Not securing key personnel can be very damaging for the project as a whole. Depending on the person it could risk the project as a whole being cancelled or pushed back. If it is someone very important throughout the whole production period like a director then the second director will take control till they are available. However if it is a main actor then there isn't much that can be done until they are available. If it is a long period of time then deadlines won't be met and backers might back out and the project would have to be cancelled.