Monday, December 17, 2007

On Assignment: Catering The Photo Shoot

Today we were on a shoot that called for catering. No, it wasn't the client that called for it, they weren't actually on set this time, it was the reality of the circumstances. We had a three assistant crew, two makeup people, two subjects, and four handlers, oh, and me. I get hungry, and anyone who knows me, knows that a sandwich and a Diet Coke will make me much less grumpy. So too, clients and subjects.

But what food, and why should I cater it anyway?

(Continued after the Jump)
When you're called to shoot something, even if it doesn't span a mealtime, bringing along food is critical. It's true - An army marches on it's stomach. So too, do assistants, and the rest of those on site. In fact, I've known more than one client complain about working with other photographers who either were upset because catering wasn't on the estimate, or got to a shoot, and it wasn't there, already laid out.

When we arrived today, before the gear came in, before the cameras were in place, the second assistant was detailed to set up the catering. I didn't want anyone arriving on set and not seeing food and beverage. Above is the bill (click to see it larger) for catering, minus the drinks, which we brought in a separate cooler - water, vitamin water, and Diet Coke. On a humorous note, our subjects, half-way through the shoot said "hey, where's the tequila?", to which I responded, without loosing stride "I didn't see that on the rider..." and kept shooting. (they laughed).

But don't even think of catering it yourself, or using Subway or Quizno's. Places which make gourmet sandwiches, cookies, and so forth, are a good solution, we like Corner Bakery here in DC. Be sure to know if anyone who will be partaking has food allergies or restrictions. A wide variety of the riders in the link above outline all sorts of restrictions, from "no pork", to brands of water and so forth. If it's a huge shoot, you may be best served to call in a caterer that has servers, but I'm not going there with this.

When the subjects walked in, they reacted by saying "wow, look at this, I didn't expect this!" And then I introduced her to the makeup and hair stylists, while her handlers grabbed waters and cookies, and headed off to quieter parts of the set with their blackberries in hand, satiated.

During a wardrobe change, the subjects opted to grab a bite, which ensured that they weren't feeling the pangs of hunger that would become moodiness that would result in lesser expressions, and an eagerness to depart. No one felt a need to order in, and when we were done, there were three cookies and four sandwich halves left. There were no Diet Cokes left (my fault, I drank most of them), and a few vitamin waters. All in all, just right.

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5 comments:

Mariana said...

You're so right about this.
I'm one of those persons too. You really don't want to be around me when I'm hungry.

I recently shot my first wedding (small one, me and one assistant), and in my backpack, along with all the equipment, I packed a couple of good quality, big chocolate bars, and a large water bottle. I was pretty sure we were going to get as many drinks as we wanted through the night (water, juices, and soft drinks), but I wasn't sure at all about food.
The first bar served us well (I should say me, I really ate it all myself), and lucky for us, we were given some nice desserts at the party. But this of course is not a guarantee (we were even told early in the afternoon that we were going to be served as the guests, but after them, and that never happened...)
We got those desserts about 4 hours after we started working. And we worked for 7 more hours after that.
There's no way I could have survived AND worked those 11 hours without some food or drink.

so, after this experience, and after reading your post, I'll be writing down FOOD on my equipment list. It's definitely a must for the next assignment.
I guess it's something you can easily forget... and easily regret.

Thanks for the tip ;)

-mariana

Mariana said...

ps: you may think "why just a couple chocolate bars, if you knew you were going to work for long hours?". That's because I just happened to think about that (thanks God!) right before I left home... and that's pretty much all the snack-like food I had. By the time we got to the car, I was so excited, that I totally forgot that we could have stopped by somewhere to get more stuff...

But don't worry, I'll be having some nice sandwiches and cookies as suggested for the next time :D

Anonymous said...

Working in Television, Lately it seems producers think that people can do hard physical work for hours on end with little or no food. In a "Hard News" situation sometimes it's unavoidable... but when it's the usual fluff and they think they are going to save a few dollars...it's just downright pathetic, I feel as though I am considered worthless, My craft trivialized, and my health endangered,,,, guess what, I QUIT... after 30 years... truly pathetic.

Anonymous said...

@ Mariana- I don't shoot alot of weddings but when I do I tell the Bride that meals are required for me & my assistants/ 2nd shooters and that it is best that we be served when the Bride & Groom are. No need to get snaps of the couple chewing!

For commercial jobs food is a req for any job with a client present. Anything from bagels to go to full catering

Mike Goldsmith said...

I agree this is an important yet often overlooked item. I always add catering in my estimate on all but the most hit and run jobs. I will upscale the menu a bit if the client is going to be on set, but I always make sure it is there.

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