Video/film prodcution rider

[Uros Zuraj]

Hey,
do you guys have production riders like musicians have,... when someone hires you?
Trying to put one together and just dont want to leave something out...
Cheers,
Uros

 

[Marc Wielage]

Here's some good sources for film production contracts -- some that cost money, some which are free...

http://www.filmcontracts.net/
https://www.filmsourcing.com/
http://www.sonnyboo.com/downloads/downloads.htm
https://www.studiobinder.com/

 

[Dominik Muench]

A set of Arri master anamorphics and green peanut butter M&M's...only green. But no one ever listens :/

I don't think its that easy for us film people. musicians are trying to replicate the same sound over and over for the same show. But every film production is different, different look/ style/ shooting environment and most importantly...budget. It would be nice to have a set of "basic" gear that gets supplied on every shoot and I'm sure the big guys can ask for this kind of stuff....pretty sure Roger Deakins gets his peanut butter M&M's too if he asks for them :/

 

[Michael Tiemann]

A set of Arri master anamorphics and green peanut butter M&M's...only green. But no one ever listens :/

LOL!

The fundamental purpose of a rider is not to show what a DIVA you are, but rather to communicate as clearly as possible the set of things you know you need to be provided for you in order to be successful in any venue/circumstance you may find. When Branford Marsalis came to record a sound track at our studio, we got a rider that was over 100 pages long, covering everything from the dimensions of a Sprinter van (in case we had overhead clearance issues) to the type of acetic acids that work best for cleaning saxophone mouthpieces.

Somebody somewhere in the shoot has to put the pieces together and know that if you need a 4K HMI in a forest, you're going to need a generator, which is going to need distribution and fuel, grip, head, spare bulbs, etc. But you're also going to need talent, sound, makeup, wardrobe, camera, etc., etc. Which typically makes the whole exercise belong to the production team. They write up the day's schedule (shot list, call sheet, etc), and each department head figures out everything they need to bring and do to complete that work that day.

You might begin to build your own list of everything you never want to f*ck up again. That would be like a rider you make for yourself. And of course in pre-production as you discuss shots, looks, etc., with the production team, an idea forms in your mind about what equipment you'll need for which shots, which goes into the budget you submit. When the shot comes up that finally uses that special lens for that special shot that the producers did allow in the budget, they damn well want to see that lens used in that shot. But generally, your budget should sufficiently communicate generally all the things you need so that every day everybody knows how much gear you'll be slinging, where it will be stored, how it will be secured, how much time it will take to change between configurations, etc. And again, that generally does into the production schedule, not a rider per se.

 

[Uros Zuraj]

i travel alot to different locations and the biggest problem Im having is that they pick us up in a car that is too small for our gear, there is never enough water on locations to keep everyone hydrated,... and stuff like that. We always need power supply on locations to charge batteries, but as this are not full on productions with 5 gaffers, 4grip guys,... people forget about the things gaffers know to have in the truck...

 

[Marc Wielage]

High on that list to me is permits and production insurance, so in case anything goes south (theft, damage, breakage, fire, flood, breakage, loss, etc.), you're covered. There are insurance companies that won't cover you if you have no city permits (assuming you're shooting on public property).

Batteries and other expendables are normal expenses that the client has to pay for. And I would think there has to be a reasonable fee paid for travel, plus decent meal breaks (and some kind of catered meal). There are always clients who just throw you in a rented van and give you a warm Subway Tuna sandwich in a bag...

 

[Craig Parkes]

A production rider should really be "A good producer you trust". But I think the reality is, that as film making becomes less a specialist bespoke industry with lots of planning and more a work for service , turn up at a moment's notice and throw it together industry, (and the tools increasingly allow a certain amount of that to be the case) - the concept of a rider type document for a director/self shooter sort is probably becoming a more and more relevant concept.

A document that outlines "You pay me, I'll turn up with this - you must provide that, everything else is additional) might speed things up for busy owner operator types who are globally in demand for their talent but working with local producers who are doing the rest of the organizing.

However, I don't know if there are enough people working like that, with enough clout, that don't already service the high end production end of things which still does that level of pre planning generally (because they need to given the complexity of high end jobs) - to make it a sort of industry norm. But it's not impossible I suppose?