WHAT IS CRAFT SERVICE IN THE FILM, TELEVISION AND VIDEO INDUSTRY

WHAT IS CRAFT SERVICE IN THE FILM, TELEVISION AND VIDEO INDUSTRY

Bruce Bisbey

In film, television and video production, craft service refers to the department which provides food service and beverages to other departments such as camera, sound, electricians, grips, props, art director, set decorator, special effects, hair and make-up, background. These other departments are simply referred to as crafts. In addition to policing the set of empty cans and trash, the craft service department provides buffet style snacks and drinks.

There is a difference between craft service and catering. Craft service refers to the food always available to the crew while they are working, and can range from a single table of cookies, candy, cereal and coffee (on a low-budget indie feature), to more elaborate meals. Catering, on the other hand, is ordered from a restaurant or outside the company and handles the true meals like lunch and a second meal if the day goes over 12 hours. It is required that craft services supply a hot meal to the crew every six hours. Snacks and drinks are regularly supplied throughout the day along with the meals.

Craft service is a crew position and craft service workers are oftentimes represented by a union, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). In Los Angeles, craft service workers are represented by IATSE Local 80. In areas that have a large amount of production work, such as Atlanta, Georgia, there are well over 400 union represented "crafties." In smaller markets such as Minneapolis/St. Paul, there are only two. Certain productions will require that the worker be a union member, where others may not. Craft service is considered an entry-level position in film and television.

During meal time, food is often served to actors and directors first. The order in which you are served typically depends on the status of your position as a crew member. Production Assistants are served towards the end, followed by background actors then nonunion workers.

In the history of craft services, the job originally entailed doing odd jobs such as helping with set setup. People used to bring their own food to set since food was not typically being served for free, therefore craft services at this point did not involve the serving of food. In the mid-1960s, craft service employees still operated as general laborers. They had also been put in charge of answering telephones and making coffee. At Universal Studios, they had huge roll-around carts where they would brew coffee. These carts could be shut during takes so that the bubbling machines would not spoil a sound take. Studios now anticipate the needs of craft services and oftentimes make a kitchen available for the crew to use.

Typically there is one main table where the snacks and coffee are set up (which is simply called "crafty" or "the crafty table"). Occasionally there are two craft service stations, with one being for cast and crew and another for non-union background actors. A "satellite" crafty may be set up next to the camera, as they may not reasonably be able to leave their workstations to grab a snack from the crafty table, which may be located in another room. This smaller, scaled-down set-up may be on a rolling cart or on top of an apple box. It could consist of a few small baskets containing granola bars, dark chocolate, gum, aspirin, bananas and bottled water. The food provided can vary widely, due to fluctuating budgets; for example, pilots and low-budget productions often offer very limited food, while big-budget productions often offer generous food and drinks. Aside from snacks and beverages, crafty can also be the go-to place for bandages, aspirin, gum, antacids, toothpicks, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, and hand-warmers.

Crafty is the nickname given to the craft service workers. They are given radios to communicate with production and will respond to a call by saying "go for crafty." Craft service workers will bring the necessary equipment in order to prepare various snacks and beverages, such as skillets for quesadillas or a blender for smoothies. Any equipment brought with them is part of a kit that the production rents for the duration of the shoot.

SOME ADVICE AND TIPS

1. Hire someone to run Craft Services: Hire someone that has done craft services before, don’t just assign a production assistant to put food on a table. You need to hire someone who is actually passionate about what they are doing and it helps if they love food. The craft services table isn’t something that gets set up in the morning and then left alone all day, it should be maintained throughout the shoot day and food and water should be walked around and offered to cast and crew.

2. Have a daily Craft Services budget that is fair: A lot of productions will try to work with a very unreasonable and low budget when it comes to craft services, count how many people need to be fed and allow enough money to cover that cost. A better fed crew is usually a harder working crew.

3. Take dietary restrictions into consideration: You will come across all kinds of dietary restrictions when it comes to feeding large crews. There will be all kinds of allergies, gluten free diets, lactose intolerance, vegans etc. Be prepared to spend a little more money on specialty foods to accommodate these restrictions. Make sure that the food for these people is just as substantial as the food for people without issues, you don’t want people to be going hungry because there is nothing for them to eat.

4. Be creative and mix things up: Cheese and crackers, chips and chocolate are all fine but when it comes to substantial’s (substantial’s are the food served three hours into the day and again three hours after lunch, they are not just craft table snacks, they are a “substantial” enough snack to get through the six hours) it is always good to get creative and try new things. Try not to repeat the same things day after day. Subs should be served 3 hours into the day and 3 hours after lunch. Try not to serve soup, if you do serve it put it into cups with lids, it is much better for the crew to drink it like a coffee then to have to stop and eat it with a spoon. Soup can get messy so the lids allow for less spills. Hot sandwiches or wraps will go over better than soup almost every time.

5. Ask people what they like: If you are ever stuck for ideas on what to feed your crew just ask them what they like to eat, ask for feedback on the food you have provided and find out what works and what doesn’t. There is nothing wrong with getting on someone’s good side by getting them something they love to eat. Obviously this has to be within reason.

6. Shop smart: Don’t shop at a convenience store or at the most expensive grocery store because it is easy, shop in bulk, freeze things so they don’t go bad and look for the best deals on items. Make your budget go as far as possible. Don’t waste food, use leftovers for the next day’s subs if possible.

7. Plan ahead: If you can make things ahead of time it will make your days much easier, prepare sandwiches the night before, make food that can be frozen and then reheated on the day and break bulk food into smaller portions for daily use. Anything you can do ahead of time will make life a little easier for you on the day. Always have extra on hand in case the way you have prepared the food doesn’t work for everyone. Be flexible, don’t take it personally if people don’t love everything you make.

THE CRAFT KIT MAY INCLUDE:

• Tablecloths

• Food nets

• Serving trays, bowls, platters and utensils, knives

• Scissors, tape, pens, clips, paper, labels, markers

• Baskets

• Markers, tape and paper for making signs

• Cutting boards and knives

• Slow cookers/food warmers

• Toasters

• Blenders

• Food storage containers/bags

• Coolers

• Ice packs

• Extension cords

• Coffee makers and thermal pots

• Hot water kettles

• Decaf coffee

• Basic first aid kits

• Basic medicines

• Toiletries

• Garbage cans

• Recycling cans

• Compost bins

• Garbage/recycling bags

• Hand sanitizer/wipes

• Dish soap

• Hand soap

• Spray cleaner

• Paper towels and cloths

• Food service gloves

• Wax paper, foil, plastic wrap

• A wide variety of hot teas, cocoa, apple cider, chai

• Sugar/sweeteners

• Hot bag

• Rolling cart

• 6 foot table

• 4 foot table

Craft service is usually the first to come to set and the last to leave. Although wage minimums are oftentimes set by the unions, the craft service worker is one of the lowest paid within any given production. Instead of hourly pay, most productions base wages on a day rate. This is oftentimes a set rate for 10 hours. Some productions may negotiate a 12 hour day, but this is circumstantial.

Sources: Google, Wikipedia, IMDB, Spoon University, Pinterest, Susan Stamberg, How Hollywood Gets Fed: A Lesson In Craft Service, NPR, The Black and Blue, Media Match, Bon Appetit, How Stuff Works. No Film School, How to Film School, Video Maker