In my salad days, when I was working in films for both the small and big screens, my daughters and I always stayed in our seats at the local movies as the credits rolled down the screen at the end.

My youngest, Jillana (now a lawyer and professional actor’s agent), and I sat there annoyed at the massive exiting while the credits were running, and shouted at the “leavers.”

“Come on, folks! Those are important names — they’re the people that worked behind the scenes to get this movie finished!”

So, for your edification, I have listed a few of those professionals you probably missed on your way to your car.

I am assisted here in the precise details in this column by my son-in-law, Rick Sieloff, a longtime film professional with a full life on Hollywood sets.

OK, moving from show to show, Rick is sometimes an on-set dresser — the liaison between director and production designer, trying to keep the vision of the art department intact while filming. Think this not an important job? They’re all important to Rick.

Lead man: This was Rick’s job on “Grey’s Anatomy” for 11 years, providing logistics and manpower for the art department, to get the job done.

Here are a few others:

Best boy: A best boy is a crew member on a film set who manages the electrical or grip departments. (Some best boys are girls.)

Gaffer: In charge of lighting and rigging. Best boys are second in command to the gaffer, who is in charge of electricals. Best boys are responsible for the technical side of lighting.

Property master: In charge of anything the actor interacts with. Call Alec Baldwin and ask him. Leave a message. For example: You need a sword for “House of the Dragon?” The property master gets it. Need a gun for “Sugar” star Colin Farrell’s new show? (They may need four in case one gets misplaced.) Almost any item an actor uses gets lost. He or she needs extras in case they leave it in the bathroom or lose it. Actors tend to lose stuff. A saddle or a vintage holster for Netflix’s “The Harder They Fall”? The property master gets it.

Script supervisor: A very busy person in charge of continuity of dialogue and set. Script supervisor is a member of the film crew who oversees the continuity of the motion picture including wardrobe, props, set dressing, hair, makeup and the actions of the actors during a scene.

Craft services: In charge of water/drinks and snacks to keep people from getting angry. This includes all of the above and Jean Smart on Max’s “Hacks.”

Set medic: For Band-aids, Tums, tampons and other sundries. No longer provided by a doctor called “Kildare.” Or “Ben Casey.”

Special effects: For things that go BOOM, as well as other mechanical things, i.e., elevator doors and actor’s guns. Slamming dressing room doors not included.

Camera loader: Now that most things are shot digitally, it’s mostly about changing batteries on cameras. Cecil B. DeMille, Billy Wilder and Alfred Hitchcock would have loved the time saving of that.

Boom operator: Operates the long stick with a mic on the end, as well as little mics on actors.

You saw a lot of this old-time stuff, and how it worked or didn’t work, in “Singing In The Rain.”

I hope that I, and my Hollywood family, have brought you up to date. Stay tuned.

J.P. Devine is a Waterville writer. 

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