Feed Your Crew

 I will keep this short and to the point. Please feed your field crew.  Feed your talent and interview subjects while you are at it.  You don’t have to actually spoon the food in their mouths or even provide the food, but at the very least, give them time to eat.

Your camera operators, sound techs, gaffers, grips, make-up artists, etc will all work harder for you if they see a “lunch break” indicated on the schedule.  And while you don’t have to provide the food, it also goes a long way to providing good will.  If you are not going to pay for the meal, at least have water and snacks available.  Provide some healthy options like fruit and nuts though cookies seem to be very popular. 

A note to younger productions assistants and AP’s: McDonald’s does not count as a meal.  Your crew usually consists of grown adults whose stomachs can no longer tolerate fast food after a morning of grueling work.  If you must go the fast food route, Subway or pizza is your best bet.  If you have an early call time, you may want to provide some breakfast snacks as well.  Coffee carafes are a good idea too.  And if the crew works late, dinner is appropriate.

There are two types of lunch breaks – the “walk-away” and the “stay”.  The “walk-away” means that the crew will find food for themselves away from the shoot location.  They are then responsible for getting back to the set on time. The “stay” means that food is provided for them at the location.  The “stay” gives the producer more control over everyone’s time.  For a stay lunch, you can cater the meal, bring a menu to set and then order ahead (my favorite) or run out and buy a bunch of sandwiches or pizza right before lunch break.

While an hour lunch is nice, it is not always necessary or convenient. Most of us can eat a meal in ten minutes. But let’s face it, most people work better with a little breather. 

I’ve been on shoots where the client has asked the crew to work through lunch at which point I insist on at least a half hour break.  The bottom line is human beings need energy to function and food provides that energy.  Without time to gas up, the crew can become sluggish and inattentive.  So put food into your shoot planning and you’ll have a happy crew and the best possible footage.

Field Etiquette

Field shoots are always hectic.  A lot has to go on at the same time in order capture the best footage to make the best show possible.  The audio, visuals, crew, talent, paperwork, set pieces, wardrobes, scripts, equipment and any number of other things all need attention.  It is easy to forget to do something small that could have a big impact on the production. 

I asked some of my production buddies for their most important dos and don’ts while in the field.  Here is what we came up with:

• Use a checklist to help keep track of what needs to get done.
• Label the tapes (with the date) as soon as you are done with each tape.
• Pay equal attention to the audio as you do the video.
• Turn off your cell phone while the cameras are on. You don’t want to be the one person whose phone rings or vibrates during the shoot.  Even phones on silent mode and affect audio quality.
• Always record “one more” for safety.  It is sometimes hard to tell if a take is good during the intensity of a shoot. An extra take will increase your changes for getting just what you need.
• Don’t forget bars and tone.  Yes, your editor really does use these things to help ensure that the color and sound of your footage is legal.
• Don’t forget room tone.  Your editor will love you.
• Bring water and healthy snacks.
• Put a lunch break in the schedule. Crews like to see that. Yes, schedules are tight but if your crew sees that you are considering their food and hydration needs, they will work that much harder for you.
• Be on time. Promptness is the first thing to consider if you want to be hired back again.
• Bring extra copies of every document.  Scripts, schedules, releases and log sheets often get lost in the shuffle.
• Bring pens.  You can never have enough.
• Come with more tapes or hard drive space than needed.
• Be prepared. The most important field work starts before you hit the field.
• Relax and have fun! This is TV not brain surgery.