Got a call to travel out of town? Here’s a checklist of some things you should be clear about before you get on the plane.
Domestic/General
- Union or non-union?
- If Union, make sure you know or work out how you will attribute your hours to your home local.
- 5-day weeks or 6-day weeks? What’s the overtime rate for the 6th day?
- What length days are scheduled?
- What kind of script? Lots of nights? Lots of action? Car chases?
- What kind of locations? (Urban, jungle, desert, snow, extreme heat, monsoon, dangerous animals…)
- Paying weekly, daily, or hourly? Low budget features sometimes try to secure a weekly rate or a daily rate instead of an hourly rate.
- If you sign on for a daily rate and the day goes over the planned hours, what kind of overtime can you expect/negotiate?
- If you sign on for a weekly rate, what does that mean if you vary between 5-day and 6-day weeks? Pursue and understand fully whatever prorating option is presented to you.
- What is the rate for travel days (standard rate is often half a full day, but it varies between union/non-union, between contracts, and between various genres and jobs)
- Transportation – getting there
- It should go without say that they will travel you to and from the destination, but with low-budget productions, you have to confirm everything.
- Transportation – on the shoot – will you have your own car? Some scenarios:
- You have your own rental car – usually best option for faraway locations
- You will share a rental car with several other people – be aware that most other departments aren’t on the same timetable as script supervisors and this could lead to you or the others being locked into someone else’s schedule
- You won’t have a car, but will be transported by shuttle every day – similar pitfalls
- Special note for union productions: usually the contract stipulates your pay is from portal-to-portal: from the time you leave the accommodations till the time you reach them again at night. Check your individual contract and make sure you and the producer both understand how that’s going to be impacted by what transportation arrangements are made for you.
- Self-drive – what’s the mileage rate both to get there and once you’re there
- Accommodation – normally you will be assigned your own room, but for low-budget, you might want to confirm
- Is the funding for the project all in place? If funding is unsteady, the production can fold while you are on location, with potential financial impact to you, since you’ve arranged your life to be out of town for this period.
- How firm are the shooting dates? It can also happen that you arrange to go for a few days, and then once you’re there, you’re trapped there for months! (Yes, I took a week’s worth of clothes for the jungle, and was stuck wearing the same safari outfits for 3 months no matter where we went.)
International:
- Keep your passport up to date. A call can come at the last minute.
- How much of the crew is coming from your country? How many are local?
- Are the responsibilities of/interactions between script supervisors and the other departments different in the target country? Read up and reach out before you go.
- If you don’t already speak the language, start learning as soon as you’re hired. A little effort goes a long way to make connections with your new colleagues.
- Will the production be securing work visas for you? What do they need from you to make it happen, and by what deadlines?
- If the production wants you to lie/”omit” about being there for pleasure instead of work, how are you going to handle it?
- If an emergency comes up, what are the contingency plans for getting home?