Dear Aspiring ADs, Directors, Production Managers, and Producers…

Independent filmmaking is tough shit. I’ve often compared it to an Olympic sport where production members should receive medals for the feats they perform in competitions like lying to locations, actor conflict resolution, and feeding the set vegetarians. You see, production knows it’s difficult out there. We’re not blind to the limiting factors like budget and time. And we’re well aware that 9 times out of 10, you’re not getting overtime if you go over 12 hours. And we also know that 9 times out of 10, we’re going over not because of crew incompetence, but because of production incompetence.

More often than not, going over 12 hours has come down to the people in the production department missing important elements or not keeping things organized. Barring a major catastrophe, good planning and efficient use of space will help alleviate the need to go over 12 hours often on a shoot. Things like a proper basecamp, set meals being on time, good transportation plans, approved pre-calls for vanities & SFX departments, pre-rigging days, a detailed hourly schedule that has been discussed with the director, DP, and gaffer, video village, decent PAs, and a set producer or production manager around at all times all help productions keep their days at normal length.

So why is it so important that we keep to a roughly 12 hour day, even in the indie world? You may ask this to me over the walkie, or pull me aside on set when you see me looking nervous as that 12th hour gets nearer…

There are several answers to that:

1. Indie crews more often than not are paid nothing in overtime or meal penalties. A $100K feature is going to have a hard time paying everyone overtime if they’re going over 12 everyday. That is something that can actually sink an entire production.

2. Productions are required to provide a second meal after 12 hours. I have heard the phrase “well, we’re not union, so there’s no rules.” and it makes my skin crawl. Crews are humans and humans need to eat periodically, especially when working. If you cannot afford second meals, it’s imperative to keep your days at 12 hours, or you as a PM or a producer can garner a bad reputation of being someone not worth working for… we may not have a union, but crews talk and in indie film, your reputation is everything.

3. Sometimes, the sun is your AD. I’ve often said that the sun is the biggest bitch of an AD you’ll ever meet. There’s no negotiating with him. During the summer time, it’s easy to get a full 12 hours of daylight exteriors in. But that’s about as much as you’ll get until the light starts changing drastically. Consider the opposite for night shooting. That sun will come up. You can bet your bottom dollar on it.

4. Background Extras will not stay for extended amounts of time. Extras are largely unpaid on indie films. And often an afterthought when it comes to food or a good holding area as well. They have other things to do. They are not pro filmmakers. They will leave after a certain amount of time. And then you’re left with some stupid continuity errors that could have been avoided with some planning.

5. Crews AND cast get tired. We are not robots. Even I, after 14 hours (as that’s a minimum day for ADs, PAs, and the like), can safely say I am not thinking straight. When crews and cast get tired, mistakes are made. When mistakes are made, things need to get redone, causing further delays and production costs.

6. There’s a thing called sleep. I know this is a fantasy to some. But it does happen. We have a thing called “turnaround time”, which is that period between wrap and call time the next day where you can relax, shower, hang with friends, and well… sleep. The standard is 12 hours on/12 hours off. On union shoots, going over and then not readjusting the next day’s call time to give a full 12 hours costs is called a “forced call” and they cost LOTS of money in fees. It’s a dick move to not give your crew and cast proper sleep.

7. For safety’s sake, keep around a 12 hour day. When people have been overworked, or working a long day in extreme elements, they tend to be less focused at the end of the night. Things can be rigged improperly, real knives mistaken for prop knives, stunts poorly performed. People can get hurt very easily on set and people have died from operator errors. Minimize the risk.

8. Cast performances suffer after 12 hours. Ok, so you haven’t been convinced yet that 12 hour days are great. How about your talent will most likely suck at their job after a certain time? Acting can be very emotionally and physically draining. Their performance starts to suffer if there’s too many takes or too many hours on set.

9. Locations are bitchy about time frames. Oftentimes, you’re asked to give a timeframe to the location so they have an understanding of when you’re operating. We don’t have the money to shut down the world and businesses will need to carry on whether we are done shooting or not.

10. Production costs go through the roof after 12 hours. Even if you’re not paying the crew overtime and meal penalties, going over 12 can get costly. You’ve got 2nd meal that needs to be paid for, and the gas that is needed to pick it up and deliver it to set, then there’s extra power being pulled, genny gas being used, expendables being expended, chances for loss and damage increase, more crafty is needed, more water is needed… you get my drift.

SO WHAT HAPPENS IF WE HAVE TO GO OVER 12 HOURS?

My immediate (and admittedly bitchy) response would be to DON’T. It’s your job as an AD or a PM to do everything within your role to prevent going over 12 hours. ADs who go over 12 hours regularly aren’t doing their job and crews are suffering for it. If you see the day careening towards overtime, figure out where the delays are coming from, negotiate the shotlist, explain that set up time needs to be a bit quicker and why, utilize your PAs to move talent through hair and makeup quicker. Consider moving stuff off the day and discuss it with producers/director. Do everything you can possibly do to keep it from going over 12 hours.

OK, I TRIED, BUT IT’S GOING OVER. AM I A SHITTY AD?

No. These things happen to the best of us from time to time. As long as it’s not a frequent occurrence. There is a grace to going over 12 hours and a protocol that should be followed…

At least an hour before original wrap, let production know that you will be going over so they can properly arrange for 2nd meal.

Talk with the crews and cast, see how they are feeling and if they’re ok with going over. They’re not getting paid overtime and there’s really nothing that can keep them on set except pride. Crew members can and have walked/stopped working after 12 hours.

Make sure people understand what’s going on. Don’t be silent about it, talking with departments individually helps to keep them informed and included instead of just walked on.

If you have to go over, don’t go over by much. Crews are less grumpy about a 14 hour day than they are a 16 or 17 hour day. In fact, if you’re an AD and you have 17 hour days, you should just quit your job. Or re-evaluate what you’re doing because UR DOING IT WRONG.

Make sure the director is understanding of the situation. He or she may want to wait for that special wind, but indies cannot afford that time and some sacrifices need to be made without compromising the quality. Once you go over 12, it’s all priority shots and only priority shots. Nothing added.

wrap beers are always a peace offering.

There are ways to prevent going over before the day even occurs. Scheduling is a big factor and learning to schedule with a 12 hour day in mind is important. Consider not shooting more than 6 pages in a day, or keeping set-ups to under 30. Consider scheduling a 2nd unit to shoot inserts or pre-rig days for difficult locations. Consider avoiding major company moves at all costs. Talk with production about locations and schedule scenes together that happen in adjacent locations. Keep basecamp/makeup/hair/wardrobe & holding near set. Make sure the PM has all the times for special equipment/elements/cast calls in line with your schedule and make sure your 2nd is on top of calling and reporting any delays.

Last, but not least, keeping to a 12 hour day is a sign of respect for cast and crew alike. A good AD will do what he or she can to maintain this respect. We’re often the most hated on set for having to push everyone and keep them at a good pace, but the crews respect ADs more when they understand the importance of 12 on/12 off. If you find yourself not being able to make this work on a regular basis, you should seriously consider another line of work. A bad AD not only costs time and money, they cost the quality of an entire project. And no amount of wrap beers will fix that.