WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CATERING AND CRAFT SERVICES ON A FILM SET? (In the Entertainment industry.)

Craft Service Table / Photo Credit: The Black and Blue

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CATERING AND CRAFT SERVICES ON A FILM SET? (In the Entertainment industry.)

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What’s the difference between catering and craft services on a film set?          

Workdays on movie sets are notoriously long and arduous -- 16-hour days and six-day weeks are the norm on many films. And whether the shoot is happening on a soundstage or on location, once the crew and talent are on set, they're on set. No one's popping out for lunch or to run some quick errands during the day, especially if the set is in the middle of the desert or on the side of a mountain. So if they can't go to the food, the food has to come to them.

There are two departments that provide sustenance for hungry film crews: catering and craft services. Catering handles the hot, sit-down meals that are usually served twice a day. Craft services is technically for the "crafts" -- the grips, costume department, makeup artists, camera and lighting crew -- who might not have time for a sit-down meal.

Depending on the film's budget, the goods served by catering and craft services can range from bare-bones to elaborate. For a low-budget, nonunion production, the craft services setup could easily be a single table manned by a production assistant serving only coffee, water and prepackaged snacks. As the budget inches up, the lonely table becomes a customized truck outfitted with cappuccino machines, a deli counter, microwaves, and every kind of snack imaginable.

Craft service or craft services is the department in film, television and video production which provides cast and crew with snacks, drinks and other assistance.

Craft service workers are nicknamed "crafties" and are represented by a union, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). Other departments such as camera, sound, electricians, grips, props, art director, set decorator, special effects, hair and make-up, are referred to as crafts. Craft service is also an IATSE craft and the work is covered by a collective bargaining agreement.

Craft service is different from catering; craft service refers to the food always available to the crew while they are working, while catering is provided by a catering company or a restaurant and handles full meals.

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 be able to leave their workstations. In addition to snacks and drinks, the craft service department clears the set of trash. Aside from snacks and beverages, craft service may also supply bandages, aspirin, gum, antacids, toothpicks, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, and hand-warmers.

The same goes for catering. As a general rule, catering serves its first meal six hours after filming starts, and the next one six hours after that. Meals last about a half-hour to an hour. Because the day usually starts around 7 a.m. on a movie set, this means lunch and dinner. On a small budget, that could entail pizza, pasta or sandwiches, with not too much variety over the course of the shoot. For a summer blockbuster, the sky's the limit.

The catering staff is responsible for churning out two large meals a day, but craft services has to keep a plentiful spread displayed for the entire day, whether it lasts eight or 16 hours. There are usually bagels and pastries in the morning, followed by sandwiches and salads in the afternoon and evening, and a good selection of healthy and not-so-healthy snacks and candy on display all day. The craft services crew will also venture onto the set throughout the day to get snacks and water to any crew members who can't make it over to the table.

By most accounts, craft services is the center of a set's social scene. Everyone's gotta eat, so the area is the great equalizer -- the stars mingle with the lighting crew, and the director grabs the same snacks as the lowly assistants. The quality of the spread can make or break the crew's experience, too. If the coffee machine isn't refilled enough, the snacks aren't restocked, or the same sandwiches sit out day after day, hard-working, overtired people tend to get cranky. A good craft service crew, then, is actually responsible for the physical and mental well-being of the entire set.

Sources, References & Credits: Google, Wikipedia, Wikihow, WikiBooks, Pinterest, IMDB, Linked In, Indie Wire, Film Making Stuff, Hiive, Film Daily, New York Film Academy, The Balance, Careers Hub, The Numbers, Film Maker, TV Guide Magazine, Blurb, Media Match, Quora, Creative Skill Set, Chron, Investopedia, Variety, No Film School, How Stuff Works, WGA, BBC, Daily Variety, The Film Agency, Best Sample Resume, How Stuff Works, Career Trend, Producer's Code of Credits, Truity, Production Hub, Producers Guild of America, Film Connection, Variety, Wolf Crow, Get In Media, Production Beast, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, UCAS, Frankenbite, Realty 101, Careers Hub, Sokanu, Raindance, Film Connection

Alison Cooper "What’s the difference between catering and craft services on a film set?" 12 September 2014. HowStuffWorks.com. <https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/difference-catering-craft-services.htm> 1 December 2018

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Craft Service Table / Photo Credit: The Black and Blue