WHAT DOES A GREENSMAN DO? (In the Entertainment industry. What Does A Greensman Do?)

Jungle Tree Set / Photo Credit: Cheatsheet – Getty Images

WHAT DOES A GREENSMAN DO? (In the Entertainment industry. What Does A Greensman Do?)

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What Does A Greensman Do?

Greensmen are specialist advisors who are hired depending on the production budget and script requirements. They liaise with Production Designers, and use foliage and greenery to transform a location to fit script requirements, or to build a landscape in a studio. Projects vary enormously depending on individual production requirements. Greensmen may have to outfit a conservatory, landscape the lawns of a period mansion, or create alien swamps.

During pre-production Greensmen are briefed by the Production Designer. They plan how best to execute the designs, and what materials are needed. Greensmen may need to carry out research into the appropriate habitats, plants and foliage for the production. They source and select the plants and materials. They transport them to the location or studio, and build the designs.

Greensmen may have to conceal unwanted location features, known as 'greening out'. Or they may landscape the area. Greensmen may recreate natural environments in studios, or work with the Art Department to create sets where some of the landscape is artificial. This might involve mechanized trees, artificial rocks, rubber plants, silk trees and flowers etc.

As well as being responsible for all foliage and greenery on set, Greensmen also deal with any organic surface treatments, such as sand or forest litters. They may also work with other materials within the landscape (stone walls, wooden fences, etc.). Greensmen must be present during the shoot to ensure the continuity and to care for any plants that need regular watering or feeding. After the shoot, Greensmen dismantle the environment, and return the plants and materials to their sources.

Greensmen work long and irregular hours, in all kinds of weather and terrain. On large-scale productions, Greensmen may oversee a team which includes Greens Foremen*, Standby Greensmen*, and Nurserymen*.

When Marlon Brando clutched his heart and staggered to the ground in The Godfather, surrounded by his cherished tomato plants, did you ever spare a thought to wonder who actually maintained the Don’s famous garden? It was the work of a greensman, the member of the film crew with a green thumb who procures, places, and looks after any vegetation on the film set. Working with real or artificial landscaping, the greensman works to make a lowly patch of dirt look like the Garden of Eden and a mundane Hollywood backlot look like an alien rainforest.

Duties

First and foremost, a greensman— so-called whether male or female—is a horticultural expert, a set dresser with a specialized skill. He or she uses that expertise to create landscapes from the ground up, to decorate interiors with plants and flowers, or to beef up lawns and gardens with extra plants to suit the requirements of the production designer and the script. The main responsibility is to obtain greenery, which can be live or artificial; after obtaining the appropriate plants, the greensman then places them according to specifications; finally, the greensman maintain the vegetation throughout the shoot, making sure that it retains its appearance, color, and health so that continuity is preserved.

In preproduction, greensmen meet with the production designer to plan the designs and how to execute them, and do research into habitats and plant hardiness. Preproduction also includes the procurement and transportation of the vegetation itself and the necessary materials to maintain it: soil, fertilizer, tools. On location, greensmen take on traditional landscaping duties and “greening out,” or concealing unwanted parts of a location or studio. Sometimes they work with members of the art department to create artificial rocks, plants, trees, or flowers, as well as creating soils and forest litter and other elements present in conventional landscaping. Maintenance continues throughout the shoot, watering and feeding the plants; after shooting, the landscaping and artificial environments are dismantled. Once the plants and materials are returned to the appropriate sources, the job is done.

Skills & Education

A career as a greensman may not require a college degree, but it requires an extensive skill set, including a keen attention to detail, understanding of the filmmaking process, physical strength and stamina, and most of all, excellent horticultural knowledge and abilities. Greensmen are an important part of the art department, and as such have creative skills that allow them to create extremely realistic environments with their vegetation and other materials. Collaborating with the production designer and members of the art department from fabricators and sculptors to painters makes communication skills necessary, and greensmen are part of teams that require not only the ability to take orders but to give them. Besides expert knowledge of plants, gardening, landscaping, and tree surgery, greensmen commonly have masonry skills, woodworking abilities, and experience making artificial foliage. Many are licensed to drive trucks, forklifts, and Bobcats and have certification to work with hazardous materials.

What to Expect

Greensmen can expect to get dirty and work hard; some consider this the dirtiest job in the film industry. You will rarely get a break during shoots and will often be among the first to arrive and the last to leave; irregular and long hours are common, as well as working in inclement weather. The duties will vary greatly depending on the budgets and requirements of productions: You may have to provide daisies for the planter in front of the main character’s apartment, redo the landscaping on the expansive grounds of a Victorian mansion, or turn a planetarium into an alien environment using a combination of real and fake vegetation. Expect to provide your own tools and pair of gloves; the only thing you really cannot expect as a greensman is to keep clean, but that’s just part of the job.

Sources, References & Credits: Google, Wikipedia, Wikihow, WikiBooks, Pinterest, IMDB, Linked In, Indie Wire, Film Making Stuff, Hiive, Film Daily, New York Film Academy, The Balance, The Numbers, Film Maker, TV Guide Magazine, Media Match, Quora, Creative Skill Set, Investopedia, Variety, No Film School, Daily Variety, The Film Agency, Best Sample Resume, How Stuff Works, Career Trend, Producer's Code of Credits, Truity, Production Hub, Producers Guild of America, Film Connection, Variety, Wolf Crow, Get In Media, Production Beast, Sony Pictures, Ella Laryen,

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Jungle Tree Set / Photo Credit: Cheatsheet – Getty Images