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Hot Meal
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Hot Meal

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A hot cooked meal provided to cast and crew at regulated intervals, as required by union contract — catered on set, not brought from home.

A hot meal is not a production gesture, but an obligation: collective bargaining agreements stipulate that a hot meal must be provided after a set number of working hours, and that it can be taken during a break.

Why it's Regulated

Because shooting days are long, and the alternative was for the crew to eat at their own expense and on their own time. The deadline starts running from crew call. If it is exceeded, meal penalties are incurred in US contracts; in Germany, labor laws and collective agreements with their own regulations apply.

On Set

  • The break counts from the last person in line, not the first – otherwise, the person at the back has ten minutes.
  • Hot means hot. A packed lunch does not meet the requirement in many contracts.
  • Intolerances are inquired about in advance, not resolved at the buffet.
From the crafts

Perspectives

Director

Creative or operational relevance to directing

Producer

Importance in production planning and execution

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