Craft services cost

imageonepictures

imageonepictures

Well-known member
Hey,

For my feature "A Life" we will probably have a cast/crew of 20. Another feature that shot in Texas cost about $1500.00 for three weeks. Does this sound about right?
 
Your cast/crew figure can't be evaluated, without knowing what, where, and in what time frame you plan to make your project.

A feature film shot for $500/week is...not micro-budget, but...nano-budget? Pico-budget?

Less than $75/day doesn't sound like enough to cover tape (much less film) stock, transpo costs, and certainly not halfway decent craft service for 20 people.

I'm sure the right person with the right background could produce a feature film, that might even be watchable, for $1500. But he'd have to be even sharper at the craft, and in more disciplines, than Robert Rodriguez.

And that's a very tall order.
 
Sorry you misunderstood me. The $1500.00 was the craft services budge for the three weeks not the entiure budget. They posted a budget of $6000 plus 1500 for food/drinks.
 
Is this for just craft service or for catering and craft service?

If you shoot local why not see if some of your friends mom could make home cooked meals one night a week. So you just need 5 to six moms per week.
 
Please try to consider your crew's dietary needs. Some of them may be Vegans, somebody might have deathly alergic reactions to mushrooms or peanuts. Get your crew and cast together, and figure out what the midline is, then plan it from there. But at least you're thinking about them, unlike some others out there.
 
Well Captain my DP is a Vegan so we have talked about her needs. No dairy, eggs, meat or fish. I agree people's need to be taken into consideration.

It is the kind and respectable thing to do.

Chris
 
Worked on a short last year with a Vegan lead actor whose character had to gnaw chicken bones, take after take (spit bucket! spit bucket!) and who had to work all day with the knowledge that the live chicken running around on set would be in my oven by the end of the night...poor guy. But, talk about dedication to your craft...

Sorry I misunderstood you on the budget, imageone.
 
Keeping in mind the dietary needs and wants of your cast and crew is very important. Most producers circulate an email or fax form that allows everyone to make their needs known well before production begins.

In LA you will find a disproportionate number of vegetarians/vegans than in a lot of other parts of the country, however, keeping enough dead things around for the electric department seems to be a challenge in itself.

Crafty and catering are about as important of department as any on a low budget project, don't cut corners here, its not worth it.
 
khmuse said:
however, keeping enough dead things around for the electric department seems to be a challenge in itself.
Click to expand...
Like it really has to be dead... I've heard stories about them guys ;)
 
Hard...

Hard...

Here's the deal.

I've shot about 3 films in the last 2 months with roughly the same size crew as you are talkibg about (roughly 20)

Now, $100 per day, as you are saying, WILL cover crafty, OR catering, but will not cover both. I estimated that it was about 100 per day for catering, and 50-75 for crafty, and this is still being somewhat minimalist.

As others have stated, you WILL want to talk to all crew, especially since you have a smaller crew, to be able to get specifics. You may be able to get people to bring own food for those who are specifics etc...

BUT! Do NOT cut corners with food. Especially on a 3 week shoot. That is the quickest way to destroy the enthusiasm of a cast and crew. ASK for more money, or take some of the money from other parts of your budget to put towards food. Its not worth the possible mess. Trust me. Went through hell this past weekend with a UPM while I was producing with shitty crafty and catering.
 
$100 a day divided by 20 people = $5 a person a day. How long are your shoots going to be? if it's a long day, you'll need maybe breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus drinks throughout the day. Unless you get a great break at BJs or Sam's Club, I don't see that happening. You'll need to at least triple that figure.
 
All so true...right now doing an NBC/Universal show, on which the asshat producers have decided that their pets in the production office get lunch on the company, as do most other departments, but my and one other department, don't.

So the attitude around here is, if they want anything outside the most narrowly-defined minima my department *has* to provide, well, f*ck them...

...the consequences of which, have already cost them more $$$, than putting my people on the lunch list would have cost. Guess that's why they're the big-time-godlike-booga-booga producing geniuses...
 
ou only have to feed crew/SAG actors MEALS every 6 hours. now, when you are "supposed" to have a 12 hour shoot, if you wrap a tiny bit early, thats 1 meal a day, wiht an option/possibility of 2.

I hope you are NOT scheduling for more than 12 hour days, but everyone knows shiot happens and schedules get thrown by the wayside. So schedule/budget meals accordingly.
 
SAG people actually get paid scale, where as Indy cast and crew are usually lucky to get meals, maybe a few bucks. Not enough meals, and you might have a mutiny halfway through the day.
 
Capt Quirk: I hear you, but breaking for a food break more often than every 5 hours or so for 30-45 minutes is not being very efficient with the most important thing of all, time. Thats why there are small take 5's etc... throughout the day which enables people to munch on crafty, NOT catering, to hold them over. Plus this guy sounds like he is gonna be pushing it, so I want to make it realistic for him.
 
How they did this for $1500.00

How they did this for $1500.00

Hey,

I talked to the director in question and they did not serve breakfast. Only two meals. I am guessing 2 hour days which they served mostly pizza and sandwiches. I think it can be done. You just have to know how to do it right.

Chris
 
Short days are easy, and the key to feeding your crew cheaply. It's those long days, those "Hollywood" days, that will tax those working with you and your budget. Like I said, unless they are working proffessional actors with a scaled pay, they will not be used to those kinds of hours. Keegs was very much on the money there, you don't feed them a meal and take an hour to eat it. But they'll still want to munch between shots. So, I'm not really dissagreeing with you Keegs, just trying cover those points.

And their Momma should have taught them to eat a good breakfast before they leave home.
 
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