Feed Your Cast and Crew

"The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

Ignoring the chauvinistic undertones of that idiom, the takeaway is that a good meal pleases everyone. Your production cannot survive without a cast and crew that is fed well. Many of these people are working for little or no pay. That comes with an expectation of a decent meal for lunch and dinner. They should expect this. You should, too.

It's not enough to provide food for your cast and crew. You need to feed them well. This is how I felt from my first production in the early 90s. The Thing in the Cellar. It was adaptation of a story I was told as a cub scout every time we went camping. The shoot was one weekend. It was a great learning experience. It's also where my addiction to coffee first began.

Before I knew what a good meal meant, we would run out to Subway, the local pizza place or Dunkin Donuts for a variety of times. Anything the cast and crew wanted, we made a list and someone went and got it for them. No questions asked. I've asked people to give up their weekend to help me and I would return that favor any way that I could.

Personally, I don't eat when I'm on set. It's not because I don't want to, but rather I don't remember to eat. Too many thoughts run through my mind: The shot we're working on, the next scene on our schedule, tomorrow's first scene, the amount of coverage we need, the location fee, why are the cops here, etc. It's a seemingly never ending thought trail that does not include any worries on how my people will eat. That's the first problem I solve in pre-production.

The first day of pre-production should have time devoted to craft services. How will you feed your people? What will you feed them? When will you feed them? You may not have the answers yet, but asking the questions should be a day-one event.

Feed your cast and crew. Feed them well.