Sam Elliott Television Blog: Major Project - Production Meeting and Paperwork

Production Meeting

Last term I decided on securing a production meeting with the actors and use it as a chance to discuss any outlying issues or concerns they or we might have. It was also an opportunity for the actors to meet one another for the first time (although Basil and Clive had in fact met previously on another shoot). This would be a crucial point in the unit for myself as it would confirm everything we needed to know going into the shoot week and it is vital that everyone knows where they stand the moment they step onto the set of our film.

Having attended a production meeting with the Double Exposure crew last year, I used that as a potential reference point for our own production meeting as well as conducting research of my own as to how a production meeting and rehearsal should go down.

The production meeting was held on the 30th January 2018. Below is the email I sent out the day before to remind them of what we will be covering.

Hi All,

Hope everyone has had a nice weekend and is looking forward to tomorrows meeting! In this email, I will shed some light as to what will be discussed in tomorrows meeting and where it will take us leading to the shoot.

The meeting will begin at 10:15 but if everyone can arrive just before 10 that would be great! Reception will have your names and will call me to let me know that you have arrived, alternatively you can call me (07580551487) and I will come down and collect you.

From 10:15 to 12:00 we will be going through;

The script
The characters
The tone and style of the film
Location details
Budgeting
Shooting schedule

As well as giving you the opportunity to ask any questions and voice any opinions you may have about the film and/or script.

We will then have a lunch break until 12:45. You can bring your own food if you’d like, however there is a cafeteria at the studios and we are more than happy to pay for your lunch as agreed.

Finally, from 12:45 to 14:30 we will rehearse some of the scenes together to get a look at your chemistry together as well as with Josh, the director. This will also give me an idea of what the dialogue sounds like in action as opposed to on paper. This will allow for a much more detailed edit for the script as the last draft had some very minor changes.

I have left an hours clearance at the end in case we run over the guide times but I can’t see that happening. Hopefully it shouldn’t drag on and should instead be fairly relaxed.

I’m sure you all have the address for the studios already but just in case: Vinters Park/New Cut Rd, Maidstone ME14 5NZ

If have any questions about tomorrow, please let me know.

Look forward to seeing you all again tomorrow!

Sam

The meeting with our actors went according to plan and I managed to get plenty of details out of them in regards to availability, food, the script, etc. Here's how it all went down (times may not be entirely accurate):

10:00 - I had asked the actors if they could arrive just before 10:00 to ensure that nobody is late, while Josh, Troy and I arrived about an hour earlier to ensure that we could get everything we needed to get sorted organised, such as paper work. Once everyone had arrived, we just sat and spoke for a few minutes just to get everybody acquainted. Fortunately, we had met all the cast in person once before so we were fairly relaxed in speaking to them, and, as mentioned previously, Basil and Clive had met once before on a previous shoot they did together. This made getting everybody acquainted that much easier.

10:15 - Before beginning the meeting, I wanted to let everybody know why we were here, what we will be doing throughout the day, what we want to know and if there might be anything they would like from us. Having made my introduction, we decided to have a read through of the script without the acting. This included the action lines. While I have read the script to myself, I wanted to hear everything coming from the actors themselves, all together. This session was particularly useful as it allowed myself to get to grips with what the script really sounds like and meant that I could make a great deal of changes ready for the shoot. Josh and I would conduct this part of the meeting with some input from Troy.

11:00 - The next point of conversation was the tone of the film. While the actors would not be involved in the cinematography or the editing for the film, it was important that they could get to grips with what kind of setting the characters will be placed in and where their possible inspirations may come from. Troy conducted this segment with some input from myself and Josh.

11:30 - Before heading off to lunch, I wanted to collect some information from the actors in regards to payment plans, what food they would like, travel as well as general availability in case of a rescheduled shoot or a reshoot. It was also an opportunity for the actors to ask us some questions. Again, this would be in regards to payment as well as availability for the most part.

12:00 - Lunch would be paid for by Josh, Troy and I and would be supplied by the Maidstone TV Studios cafeteria. This does not just act as a break from the meeting, but also acts as an opportunity to get to know one another even further and if need be to ask more questions about the film or even the rest of the day.

12:45 - While the script read through helped out with understanding the way the script reads, the rehearsal went even further in presenting how well the script actually performed. This would add to the necessary changes for the final draft of the script as well as give us a sense of the actors chemistry. It was also an opportunity for Josh to gain some experience working with the actors before the first day of the shoot.

15:00 - I had initially planned on having the actors sign any necessary paperwork just before lunch, however I felt it made more sense to do this after we had completed everything else as by then, all of the information we/they needed would become clear.

The production meeting went very well with some very positive feedback from the cast, all of which said that they had never done a production meeting for a short film and felt that it really helped in their understanding of the film. It was also a pleasant touch for everyone to have the chance of meeting one another and everybody got along perfectly.

Paperwork

I decided using the UCA templates for most of the paperwork as it enabled me to spend more time working on other aspects of the film and made gathering information so much easier. Much of these forms required the UCA logo anyway, especially the Risk Assessment. However, I did opt on creating my own template for the Call Sheet. The one I created, I feel, is easier to follow than the call sheet template presented on MyUCA. Below are examples of the forms used in our production.

Artist Contract and Contributor Consent Form - The artist contract would be signed on the day of the production meeting by the actors while the consent forms would be signed by the locations and/or contributors where necessary. This allows me to keep track of my permissions and allows for proof of consent where necessary.

Call sheets - As mentioned, I opted on using my own call sheet for this production. It means I will always know where everything is (as call sheets can often be cluttered) and allows for ease of use. I have included all the necessary details, such as: