Your first day on set: etiquette in 20 rules

By James Jones, founder of Granary Digital · Updated 5 November 2026

On a first day, be early, keep quiet, stay out of shot and ask before you help. Those four habits cover most of what a production expects of a newcomer.

The rules draw on the ScreenSkills set etiquette guide, with some added from our own experience of running shoots. They are general guidance, and the production's own rules always come first.

Before the day

1. Read the call sheet the night before. Check your department's call time, the location and the parking, and who you report to.
2. Arrive about fifteen minutes early. Lateness slows the whole day, and the early minutes are the best time to find the toilets and the catering.
3. Carry the call sheet, a notebook and a pen. Write down names, times and anything you are asked to do.

On set

1. Switch your phone to aeroplane mode or off. Silent is not enough, because even a silent phone can interfere with sound equipment.
2. Respect the red light. If the light by the set door is flashing, a recording is in progress. Do not go through the door until the light stops flashing and goes off.
3. Stay silent from "Rolling" to "Cut". Do not talk between takes unless it is urgent. Do not whisper either, because the microphones pick up everything.
4. Stay out of shot. Stand behind the camera where you can, and ask if you are not sure where to stand.
5. Keep food and drink off the set. They can damage electrical equipment and stain props. Eat and drink away from the set.
6. Do not talk to the actors. Unless it is your job or you are passing on a message, leave the actors alone. Do not ask for photos or autographs.
7. Do not touch the props. Props and set dressing stay exactly where they are for continuity, unless handling them is your job.
8. Ask "Can I help?" before helping. Some tasks need training, and some are already covered by someone else.
9. Learn a radio before you press a button. If you are given one, ask a runner or the 3rd AD to show you how it works.
10. Do not block the screens. The producers, the director and the heads of department watch the monitors near the set, so do not stand in front of them.
11. Keep your camera and phone away from the set. Do not photograph the set or the people on it unless the production says you can.

Being useful

1. Move quietly, and set kit down gently. Sound carries in a studio, and a dropped stand ruins the take.
2. Tell someone where you are going. When you leave the set area, say so to your runner or your head of department.
3. Bring your own water. Take food only at the catering point, not from the set.
4. Report any injury or damage at once. However small it looks, tell the first aid officer or your head of department, so the record is right.
5. Do not post about the set. Do not share photos, locations or details online unless the production has agreed it.
6. Say thank you at wrap and leave the place as you found it. Check that you have not left kit or rubbish behind.

Dress for the day

Wear comfortable trainers or boots and layered clothing, with waterproofs in your bag. Many days include standing still while the crew resets, followed by a quick walk to the next set. Layers help when the studio is warm under the lights and the car park is cold.

Common mistakes

Common first-day mistakes are arriving late, carrying a phone on silent, and walking into shot to fetch something. Helping before you know what the job is also causes trouble. Ask first, and the crew will be glad you did.

If you are booking one of our spaces, the arriving for a shoot at the barn page covers the building, the parking and the room set-up. For a booking with crew, the film crew hire page explains how the team is arranged.

Sources

• ScreenSkills, Set etiquette easy-read guide, read 5 November 2026