directing Catering hacks, Let's talk about it

MarQii_BenJii

MarQii_BenJii

Arguably, I personally feel that a film budget should make crafty and catering a top priority, What say you?
I think every director here probably knows by now that pizza is a no-no, So how do you make the most out of
a budget when it comes to catering?

Me personally, I've fed a crew of 8 for a 3 day shoot during a school project for under 100 dollars.
Basically...
5 boxes of pasta from the dollar store + shredded cheese = macaroni and cheese $14
Vegan options: salad and veggie bowl using baby corn, shredded carrots, dressing, green onions $35
Meat lovers: shrimp scampi, pulled pork or chicken using sweet baby ray's BBQ (the cheap stuff) $30
Bottled water, 2 liter sodas, dole juices = $20

How about you? How do you make catering work?
 
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The rest of IndieTalk knows this story, but I worked for free, even when my time was valuable, for a producer who made it worth the effort. She was very helpful when I was starting out, so that added into it as well.

But her projects were organized like a military campaign. They were lean, mean, and a hell of a lot of fun. She picked a script and a director, the three talked it over a few times, then there were two or three meetings with all the department heads where we all contributed to the preproduction. Her husband LOVED to cook, so there were his special knoshes to go with the wine and beer. He cooked the greatest food and snacks during production, and there was always plenty of the usual things. GREAT coffee!

The point is that a number of very talented people would put in the time and effort without pay because they were treated the way professionals are supposed to be treated - like professionals. When you let people know that you value them they will work hard for you. These projects (shorts) were fun because it would be a good, tight script, a director with a vision, the shoots were superbly produced/organized, well equipped and the food was fantastic. We got to work and network with great people, and you got to pass on some knowledge to the next generation coming up.

If you're going low budget, craft services done right is where a good portion of your budget should go; that's how you attract and keep talent. Let your people on both sides of the camera know you value them as professionals.
 
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Alcove Audio said:
The rest of IndieTalk knows this story, but I worked for free, even when my time was valuable, for a producer who made it worth the effort. She was very helpful when I was starting out, so that added into it as well.

But her projects were organized like a military campaign. They were lean, mean, and a hell of a lot of fun. She picked a script and a director, the three talked it over a few times, then there were two or three meetings with all the department heads where we all contributed to the preproduction. Her husband LOVED to cook, so there were his special knoshes to go with the wine and beer. He cooked the greatest food and snacks during production, and there was always plenty of the usual things. GREAT coffee!

The point is that a number of very talented people would put in the time and effort without pay because they were treated the way professionals are supposed to be treated - like professionals. When you let people know that you value them they will work hard for you. These projects (shorts) were fun because it would be a good, tight script, a director with a vision, the shoots were superbly produced/organized, well equipped and the food was fantastic. We got to work and network with great people, and you got to pass on some knowledge to the next generation coming up.

If you're going low budget, craft services done right is where a good portion of your budget should go; that's how you attract and keep talent. Let your people on both sides of the camera know you value them as professionals.
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Another great response! Thanks!
 
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God, how things have changed. I remember one craft service on the set of "Vega$" (1980) that consisted of a thermos of coffee and a box of donuts, and Crafty was still swinging the broom. AcousticAl has it down pretty good, you can't go wrong following his advice. Just remember to alternate the stuff up front... sweet, salty, sweet, salty. Even I get tired of Milky Ways after awhile.
 
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Maxsdad said:
God, how things have changed. I remember one craft service on the set of "Vega$" (1980) that consisted of a thermos of coffee and a box of donuts, and Crafty was still swinging the broom. AcousticAl has it down pretty good, you can't go wrong following his advice. Just remember to alternate the stuff up front... sweet, salty, sweet, salty. Even I get tired of Milky Ways after awhile.
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Yep, though having both sweet and salty out on the crafty table is the way to go. Choose your own adventure, and alternate as you personally need to.

With COVID protocols, as I mentioned earlier, prepackaged/single serve snacks are now the standard (I can’t really say that I miss the communal chip bag). I’m finding now that my salty carb indulgence lately is centered around Cheetos. Chip variety packs are good to have on the table. However, I was on a show a couple weeks ago where some genius decided to buy the “bold flavor mix” that had Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Jalapeño Cheddar Cheetos Puffs. Not cool. Again, great for those who like it, but not everybody does.

A note about beverages: the latest trend is to have lots of LaCroix (LaCrap), Bubly, or similar in the cooler. That’s fine for those who like it. I am not one of those. The worst is when the cooler is loaded with that garbage and there is no water available. Stock water, and plenty of it.
 
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AcousticAl said:
Don’t forget the Welch’s fruit snacks. And don’t try and get creative by purchasing Mott’s fruit snacks. Not the same. Inferior, actually.

Yes, you can feed a small crew on a small budget, but it’s important to feed them properly. Mac-and-cheese is a non-starter for me, unless it’s a side for something more substantial. It’s carb-heavy, and that’s just going to make me drowsy after lunch. I need a solid protein and some vegetables alongside.

Vegetarians/vegans need more than lettuce, corn, and carrots. Where’s the complete protein? At last add some garbanzo beans if you’re doing a salad bowl. Quinoa is another good, high-protein option. Falafel can be made on the cheap, and is a great vegan/vegetarian option that’s also gluten-free.

And a courtesy breakfast is always helpful. It doesn’t have to be epic, but a good selection of breakfast sandwiches (biscuit, English muffin, or croissant), or an egg scramble can be a good way to start the day.

Just remember: carbs are cheap, but they don’t actually feed the crew.
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Aren't fruit snacks a meme at this point? You gonna have the cast and crew posting pictures about you on the Crew Stories Facebook group, and not as a good post. lol
 
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Get some snacks free of nuts and allergens (gluten). You will be surprised by how many people these days plain just think they have allergies, and prefer those items over anything else you serve. I'd say 1 out of 4 people really appreciate this on your set.

Also, nothing beats water. Have a ton of that. Energy drinks are also a good choice.
 
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CamBlamo said:
Aren't fruit snacks a meme at this point? You gonna have the cast and crew posting pictures about you on the Crew Stories Facebook group, and not as a good post. lol
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False.

They may be meme-ish, but it’s because they‘re so iconic. Pay attention to those posts: they’re all about how popular Welch’s fruit snacks are, and how pissed people get when crafty doesn’t have them.
 
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I worked with a director that had multiple PAs cutting his grapes in half in the morning, so he could have his granola with grape halves. People were always sweating this mofo, if he would fire somebody over the grapes or the level of milk in the granola!
 
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Crew need to be fed regularly and right. Craft services for coffee, water, energy. Meals at proper intervals. But divas calling name brands need to take a step back!
 
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AcousticAl said:
It’s both. We joke about it a lot, but they’re really a great item to have on the crafty table. A little sugar rush, contains fruit puree, and has 25% DV of vitamins A, C, and E. That last part is key.
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well damn, I guess I should consider them after all. Same with LaCroix. People shit talk it to oblivion, but its always on a set.

Now, one thing that stood out to me was this drink:

IZZE Sparkling Fruit Juice

I was exhausted, worn out, and about halfway through a 12 hour shoot, at 11pm. I grabbed one of these... Popped the can, prepared to taste something similar to LaCroix or Bubbly. Let's just say, this drink made me shoot up like I had a new life. The taste, the fiiizzzz, the extracted juice concentrate. It was phenomenal and a life saver. Hopefully this is the right drink I had, I think it was the orange one.
 
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indietalk said:
Crew need to be fed regularly and right. Craft services for coffee, water, energy. Meals at proper intervals. But divas calling name brands need to take a step back!
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Also, it really should matter with the budget. If you are being adequately paid for the production, I shouldn't have to worry about you getting the exact snacks you are looking for at the crafty table.

I'm sure we would all rather have more money in our pockets, than worrying about organic or high brow snacks at the end of the day.

Age old lesson, pick your battles... And you can't have everything you want all of the time.
 
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Also, these clichés are not across the board. I worked as PA, grip, electric, art dept. camera dept., and every other dept. in NYC on union and large gigs. All I needed was a ton of coffee. Never heard of the fetish with gummy grapes lol.
 
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