Set shorthand: your answer's in the manual. Zero tolerance for preventable questions — read the docs, save hours. Essential with camera firmware, grip, lighting rigs.
There's time pressure on set. The grip asks you how to calibrate the new LED bar. The AC wants to know which shutter angles are standard for 24p. The producers are pushing. You open the manual — and realize: the answer is right there, black and white, page 3. That's RTFM. Not meant rudely, but pragmatically: Before you ask, look it up yourself. It saves time, it saves energy, and it makes you more independent.
In film production — especially in camera and lighting — RTFM is a survival strategy. Every new camera firmware, every software version of the lighting controllers, every editing suite has documentation. Manuals are not a luxury, they are the primary tool for troubleshooting. When you're on set and the RED camera drops out, or the Arri SkyPanel shows incorrect color casts, then "quickly emailing support" is not an option. You need the manual locally — on your phone, as a PDF, printed out. The frame is running. RTFM here isn't about being a know-it-all, but about professionalism: You owe the director and the production that you know your equipment, not that you stand around asking questions at the first sign of trouble.
This also applies to editing. The editor who asks the VFX supervisor every time how to set a shape mask in DaVinci — even though it's explained in the documentation in 2 minutes — loses credibility. RTFM here means: initiative. It means that you actively learn your software suite, not reactively. Especially with color grading, compositing, and sound design, the manuals are detailed enough to answer 90% of everyday questions yourself. The remaining 10% — the edge cases, the truly unusual ones — you can then discuss expertly with the community or support.
RTFM is not arrogance. It is a culture of self-responsibility. Those who ignore the documentation and instead constantly ask questions are perceived as unreliable — and in a profession where trust and independence under pressure count, that's a problem. The best DoPs, editors, and lighting designers I know have studied their manuals before coming to set. Not because they are masochistic, but because they know: in an emergency, the manual is faster than any Slack message.