Overview of the role
The supervising carpenter breaks down the drawings from the art department into working drawings for individuals and pairs of carpenters, then supervises the work of the carpentry department on behalf of the head of department (HOD) carpentry. They liaise with the HOD to plan and organise the daily work of the carpenters, working to deadlines and prioritising tasks.
The supervising carpenter is responsible for either overseeing the carpentry shop or creation of products and scenery on stages or sets. They are the first point of contact for the carpentry department for other departments, such as plastering, set decorating, art department and props.
Download the PDF version of this skills checklist: supervising carpenter skills checklist.
Core responsibilities
These core responsibilities are provided as a guide and are not exhaustive. The exact responsibilities in a particular job will vary depending on the scale / budget band / genre of the production.
- Liaise with the HOD to interpret the brief for the work to be carried out
- Establish the scale of production, number of sets, scale of sets, build timescale, locations, shooting schedule and strike schedule
- Break down drawings and confirm specific jobs to be completed
- Calculate labour, time and materials requirement for your allotted sets and request what you require from the HOD carpenter, the construction buyer, the HOD stagehand, HOD rigger and metal workers
- Break down the production schedule to plan the timescales for required tasks
- Allocate work to the appropriate team members, requesting specific crew where possible
- Monitor work to ensure jobs are running smoothly and mitigation is provided by production for any budget changes
- Monitor multiple sets to ensure finished work meets production requirements
- Highlight potential issues to the HOD and construction manager liaising with other departments to find solution
- Delegate to the chargehand carpenter the stage and workshop set-up requirements
- Inspect the workshop on and by the set, ensuring that required tools and equipment are ready and available for easy use, and safety is maintained
- Agree procedures for checking and communicating information with colleagues, including accidents or emergencies, identifying obstructions and environmental considerations
- Requests deliveries of materials, restocking when necessary to avoid disruption to works deadlines
- Oversee housekeeping duties, liaises with stagehands to ensure areas, especially external areas, are kept clean and tidy
- Liaise with the studio / location manager re the positioning of skips for waste management and recycling of materials
- Check and confirm the disposal procedures for hazardous waste and materials with HOD stagehand
- Confirm the stage is clear of any carpentry materials or tools at the end of a set build and is ready to hand over to the shooting crew
- Identify specialist carpentry tools and powered equipment for the work activity
- Complete pre-start inspections and performance checks, ensuring tools are operated following the manufacturer’s instructions and safety regulations
- Liaise with the HOD to correct and deal with defects in tools and equipment
- Check action is taken to avoid accidents and damage to property and personnel
- Liaise with the practical electrician to ensure power tools and battery chargeable tools are PAT tested every 6-12 months to maintain electrical safety
- Check safe handling techniques for tools and powered equipment are being used
- Check ventilation requirements are met and personal protective equipment (PPE) is being used
- Use personal protective equipment (PPE) as required in line with health and safety requirements
- Break down drawings for the carpenters, usually to hand drawn A4 with materials
- Establish communication channels for the carpentry department
- Establish working relationships with other departmental supervisors and the art director
- Check that all members of the team understand the requirements and specific activities they are responsible for
- Monitor team performance to ensure that requirements are being met, bringing in extra members as required
- Devise a work plan to provide training for new members in the department
- Provide advice and guidance as appropriate to enable work to be completed
- Adapt and make decisions to work arrangements to suit production schedules and individual crew needs
- Interpret the documentation for the set build or products to be created and the work to be carried out
- Identify and plan the work with the HOD, checking and agreeing the sequence of work activity with other departments
- Work with other departments to ensure the sets are created in the correct sequence and are completed safely
- Liaise with the chargehand carpenter if used, to ensure the preparation work required has been carried out, is checked, and is in line with production designs
- Liaise with the chargehand carpenter if used, to check and confirm that the finished work meets production requirements
- Check and confirm waste or recyclable materials are disposed of in accordance with regulations and the production sustainability policies and processes
- Work in compliance with health and safety legislation, regulations, and protocols at all times
- Ensure health and safety protocols are being followed, in particular, for crew working at height
- Agree action to address health and safety breaches or repeat offenders with the HOD carpenter or construction manager
- Ensure all crew dress appropriately and use required personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Familiarise self with latest versions of risk assessment method statements (RAMS)
- Identify and report any close calls, accidents or breaches to health and safety, rectifying issues to prevent reoccurrence when applicable
- Help crew members to report any safety items used so they can be replaced
- Identify team medic, location of hospital, and mental health first aider, if there is one
- Log close calls or accidents in the accident book
- Assist victims of, or witnesses to, bullying or harassment and report to HOD
- Confirm that risk assessments for the work of their team have been undertaken and their team complies with health and safety legislation and procedures
- Consider working hours for their team and ensure nobody is working longer hours than deemed safe
Skills
Check out role specific skills, transferable skills and attributes for the role of supervising carpenter.
- Breakdown and allocate plans and requirements for the carpentry workshop or on set
- Share the HOD’s vision and effectively manage tasks and operations
- Assist with training of carpenters and apprentices
- Communication: building rapport and interpreting other’s requirements and communicating requirements to other departments and colleagues
- Team-working: collaboration within own and with other departments, liaising with the plastering, painting, stagehand, set decoration team, props and camera teams
- Problem-solving: contingency planning and ability to resolve issues while shooting so that productions remain on schedule
- Resilience and enthusiasm: adapt positively and quickly to changing work priorities and patterns, ensuring deadlines continue to be met. Proactive and explores new ideas and non-standard ways of working which will enhance and deliver the best results for the production
- Productivity: organises work effectively and achieves required results within deadlines. Demonstrates the drive and energy to get things done in pressurised situations and escalates appropriately when necessary
- Ethics and integrity: honest and principled in all of their actions and interactions. Respectful and inclusive of others, and meets the ethical requirements of their profession
- Flexibility: willing to both listen and learn and to accept changing priorities and working requirements and has the flexibility to maintain high standards in a changing production environment