MASTERY FILMS – FILM PRODUCTION SERVICES
“IT’S TIME TO CHECK IN”: PICKING THE RIGHT ACCOMMODATIONS WITH YOUR FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY!
Choosing the right accommodation location for your **production service** is one of the most important parts of the **film production**. Getting this right can provide budgetary breathing room, a space of solace and comfort for your cast and crew from a long day, and logistical fluidity for travel times to your shooting locations each day.
At Mastery Films, we have an array of experience in providing accommodation options for film productions. Over the years, we’ve learned that different production teams from different parts of the world, shooting different types of media content, will prioritize different things when choosing their location options. Here’s what we take into account when managing the accommodations for your cast and crew on your production
Here are some things to keep in mind when you’re considering the accommodations for your next project:
01
When It’s Right, It’s Right
There’s nothing worse than staying in a place where you don’t feel at ease, especially on an intense overseas work trip. A relatively normal day in the film industry usually involves a long prep day or a 12-hour shoot day. Coming back to a place where you can feel secure and comfortable where you can recharge your batteries for the next day, is not a peripheral factor. We understand that and take it most seriously.
That being said, we’d all love to book that luxury 5-star resort, or the Marriott’s service apartments, but not every production requires it or can afford it. On the flip side, not every production can operate from a budget hotel either.
For example, a small documentary production may only require a clean 3-star hotel for room and board, while a larger scale commercial or feature film production involving high profile cast may require a more premium hotel setup focusing on privacy, security and amenities.
This is why it’s worth spending time thinking about whether your hotel of choice is the right hotel for your project!
02
Remember The Budget
At the end of the day, finding a place within the budget range is the deciding factor as to what options are available and what aren’t. We’ll use this as a baseline a lot of the time and narrow down options from there.
03
Keep the Traffic Jams in Mind
So you’ve found the best hotel that offers the most value, but realize that it’s not a good fit for travel to and from your planned shooting location and the traffic is going to be a nightmare. That’s not going to be of any good for you, and especially not for your shooting schedule.
Travel time plays a huge part in the day to day schedule and can directly affect your crews call time, shoot schedule and overall productivity before the day even begins, especially if you have multiple shooting locations, with a large crew and many moving parts involved.
That’s why as your full-service production company on the ground, we’ll make sure that your hotel options are in agreeable location in relation to your shooting location or your other key activities during the duration of your prep and shoot. Taking into account traffic during peak hours and making your close to an expressway if available or necessary are key factors in the accommodation options we would present to you.
04
Hotel Amenities
Anyone who’s ever worked on any film project outside of their hometown base can fully appreciate that your place of stay is more than just a place for you and your team to sleep after a long day’s work. It’s where you’re going to be doing a lot of the prep work and planning both before and during your shoot.
This is why you’ll want to find an accommodation setup that not only has the necessary facilities to allow your team to work, but also has some level of understanding on how production works. After all, productions often require a variety of different services that most hotel guests wouldn’t even think about. To name a few:
- Early Breakfasts
- Late-night Arrivals
- Equipment Deliveries & Storage
- Wardrobe Prep Areas
- Secure Loading Zones
It’s paying close attention to these operational details during the selection process that will ensure that the hotel can effectively support the day-to-day demands of the project.
05
Welcome to the Neighborhood
Now that you know you’re in a nice hotel or serviced apartment, you find yourself thinking about what else is there around the hotel that you can check out and from our experience, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution.
Depending on your project, you may want to get a hotel directly at the city centre where all the hustle and bustle is because you know that right around the corner, there’s a department store that you can go shopping at. There may even be some restaurants that remind you of home.
For others, the traffic is something that you definitely want to avoid especially during your shoot days, so you prefer something in a more relaxed area where it’s nice and quiet. It’s these little nuances that you may be surprised to find often significantly contributes to the expected experience for you and your crew.
WHAT CAN WE DO FOR YOU?
Any successful production in history is built on a multitude of small decisions, and believe us when we say that accommodations are just as important as choosing the right camera.
With Mastery Films’ support, you will find that we can help you with:
- Accommodation Sourcing, Assessment & Recommendations
- Rooming List Planning & Management for all cast and crew
- On-site Inspection & Coordination
- Production Office & Meeting Space Coordination
- Transportational & Logistical Planning
- Cost Management & Negotiations
If you have a project in mind and you want to find the best place to stay that works to your advantage, reach out to Mastery Films. We’ll take this off your plate, thus allowing you to focus on what matters most: creating exceptional content.
