Greensmen are the crew members on set who are in charge of looking after the plants and other landscaping materials. Typically, a greensman works with plants from television or film sets. His services could be used for both indoor and outdoor theater, depending on the production and location. Greensmen, also known as greenskeepers, do not typically receive formal greensman training, but they frequently have horticulture training and experience. A job as a film set greensperson can range from working as an apprentice for an experienced greensman to signing up with an employment agency that provides various workers for the film industry.
A greensman is in charge of looking after and maintaining all of the set’s greenery. He takes care of flowers, ferns, bushes, trees, grass, and any other type of flora that a set requires, whether real or fake. Greensmen’s responsibilities often extend to other materials because they are in charge of developing the additional landscaping that surrounds the plants. A greensperson, for example, might be in charge of arranging the rocks in a garden or the stones that line a park’s walkway. He could also be in charge of the sand in a beach scene.
A greenskeeper is often in charge of more than just maintaining the plant life and landscaping tools on a golf course. Some greensmen are in charge of building the plant part of a set’s scenery from the ground up, depending on the production. As a result, the greenskeeper is in charge of selecting plant life and other landscaping materials, as well as positioning them in aesthetically pleasing ways. It’s common to think of the greensman as an extension of the production’s art department in this situation. He must be aware of certain facts, such as the type of flora native to the story’s setting and how that flora would appear under normal conditions.
In most cases, there is no formal, official training that an aspiring greenskeeper can receive in order to become a licensed greenskeeper. Even so, a greenskeeper requires a specific set of skills. He could learn it as an apprentice to other greensmen or while working in a related industry. Someone who has worked in a greenery or greenhouse, or for a landscaping company, for example, might do well as a greensman on a movie set. Even someone with a “green thumb,” or a passion for gardening and landscaping, may be qualified to work as a greenskeeper.
Getting a job for a greensman isn’t always as simple as looking through the classified ads or sending out resumes. These methods are certainly viable options, but they may necessitate a few additional steps. Because greensmen work almost exclusively on film sets, having a connection to the industry is advantageous. A greenskeeper may start out as a movie extra to familiarize himself with the sets and get his foot in the door. Other times, he’ll sign up with a staffing agency that helps local film companies find temporary and permanent workers.