You work your crew for 6 hours or less. By the time those 6 hours pass everyone is hungry and ready for a break. I like to serve high protein meals because I think it sustains energy better, but I also leave carbs as an option for those that don’t have the same feeling I do.
Be sure you have plenty of food. If you have to feed 15 people, buy lunch for 18-20. I like to have bread, a jar of peanut butter and a jar of jelly on set all the time, also, incase someone needs a meal when it’s not mealtime, doesn’t like what I’ve ordered or the caterer said the meal would cover 20 people and it really only covers 7. I’ll use the PBJ to sustain the unfed cast/crew while I immediately order some more real food to set.
Breakfast:
If you are calling people to set early in the morning, the bare minimum is to have a box of doughnuts and coffee, which I don’t like to provide because I think starting the day with all those sugary carbs will make the cast and crew lethargic and mentally lazy.
Bagels also have carbs, but that’s more of a breakfast in my opinion.
If I can get someone to make 3 dozen scrambled eggs and toast, that’s the best. I don’t’ have time to do it because I’m usually preparing everything else.
You’re not required to have breakfast for a crew, but I like to do it if it’s before 9am.
Lunch:
Lunch for the cast and crew is an absolute must. And make it good!
Six hours into the day people are ready to reenergize and relax a bit before going the next 6 hours.
By the way, the 6 hours rule is based on the union rule that if production goes longer than that without a meal break, there is a “meal penalty” charged. This means the production pays the entire cast and crew more money that day because the production didn’t give them their meal on time. This happens a lot when the production is behind schedule.
The first short film you produce will most likely be a non-union shoot, so meal penalties will not be an issue, but for cast and crewmembers who know the rule, and even those who don’t, more than 6 hours without a break will sometimes evoke hostility on the set.
You’re going to have to use your best judgment when selecting the lunch menu. Base your decision on what you like, and what the MAJORITY of the other people on set will like. I emphasize the word ‘majority’ because not everyone will be happy with each meal. They never are, but they will probably be respectable about it as long as you didn’t skimp.
Sandwiches seem to be popular and easy. Subway seems to work, well.
Chinese food is good but tends to be a lot of carbs, so crew and cast sometimes get sleepy afterward.
I’ve seen crews get very excited about In & Out Burgers. The producers were astounded because it was so easy and inexpensive for them and quite unhealthy compared to what they had been ordering, but everyone was really happy with it, so they did it a few times.
I was on another set that ordered Indian a lot, which I didn’t understand because half the crew had digestive issues afterward and the other half didn’t like Indian food and didn’t eat it at all.
Whatever you choose, a good rule of thumb is meat, veggies (salad works quite well) and some sort of carb (like French Fries or mash potatoes). Dessert optional but appreciated.
Dinner:
After the second 6 hours (totaling 12 hours), you break again for dinner. Ideally, you finish your shoot by then, or if it’s a 2 day shoot, you push whatever you have not finished until the next day, but if that’s not possible, you break for a second meal.
Producers like to finish the day before the second meal because feeding the crew again adds to the expense of the shoot. Especially if you’re only going to go back to work for another couple hours.
(Another thing I should mention here is that even if you have the best food in the world and plenty of it, another union rule referring to overtime, called “Golden Time” occurs after 16 hours of work. This is when the union crew is paid double their normal rate. Assuming your shoot is non-union, this is another rule you don’t have to worry about except that it’s just common courtesy to not make a crew that’s working for free go beyond 16 hours unless absolutely necessary. And if it’s that necessary, you should have just planned for another day. Everyone will work better, your movie will probably come out better and everyone will be happier because they’ve gotten a decent amount of sleep that night.)
Dinner can consist of the same type of foods as lunch. Dinner usually goes much faster in time than lunch because people just want to get back to work at that point, finish the day’s work, and get the F- out of there. Something that is fast to eat, like pizza, works well.
(This is the opposite on union sets. Once golden time hits, union folks are totally cool with working as many hours as needed because they are racking up the big bucks by the minute.)
