Lights, Camera, Disruption: How to Prepare for a TV Crew in Your Home

Ok, so let's role play for a moment. A show has reached out to you and wants to talk to you on camera for an interview or segment at your home or office as part of an upcoming episode of their show. This sounds fun and exciting; you want nothing more than to share your story. Immediately after you hang up with the producer, you might ask yourself "What should I expect when a tv crew comes to my house?" You are not alone! You might think that being on TV or a film is awesome or even easy but there are so many moving parts and wheels that need turning that it can sometimes be overwhelming for a homeowner or business owner to process.

As part of the production crew ourselves, we think that it is important that you have proper expectations so you can prepare without stress leading up to your shoot or on the day of production. Sometimes these expectations are set by the producer during the scheduling process, but sometimes not. Many people are unaware of all the people and equipment that is needed to make a show or a movie and get overwhelmed or even unsure of everything that a production might need while they are filming. Whether that might be at your house, on-set, or out on location (public park, restaurant, etc.), the cast, or on-camera talent, will need to know a little of the in-and-outs of the flow and process that comes with a production crew.

The first thing that most people who are new to the industry don’t understand is the size of the crew. Most individuals underestimate the size of a crew that is needed to create TV or film, crew sizes will always vary and you will never know how many people will be coming onto set or even your house unless told by your producer. Crew sizes depend on a lot of factors such as budget, location, and production type so it will always be hard to pinpoint how many people will actually be working that day. With a lot of people coming a lot of cars, make sure you either let your neighbors or your apartment complex know that there will be a lot of cars from the production crew parked out front for the duration of the production. Most of these cars will be parked throughout the day, however the production assistants will most likely be the ones to make runs throughout the day. Although its not your job to keep the drive clear, it would help the production to let your neighbors know to not block the driveway/street.

This also goes for gear; you might just think of a couple cameras and some lights, however that is far from the truth. They will be bringing in a lot of gear inside Pelican cases, which is a hard cover case, and they will need either a spare room inside the home to store it away while they work or a wall on the far side on set so that way it is easily accessible to the crew. This space will also need to be clear of any obstacles as many people will be walking in and out of this area constantly while production is working.

The good thing about working in this field is that we get provided lunch since the crew will work long hours. This lunch is provided by the production company itself and will always have a budget in place for each person that will be on-camera, and sometimes even your friends or family that are there since you are kind of being held captive. Everyone from crew and talent will be provided lunch and/or dinner (aka second meal) depending on how many hours they work. The lunch policy is that both crew and cast will get 30 mins for their lunch/dinner breaks or otherwise told by the production coordinator. There is normally a designated meal area where everyone will have their meals however most of the time it is not mandatory to sit in that area. If the production has a large crew, lunch time will be scattered therefore the meal area will be active for at least an hour to 2 hours a day, maybe even twice if 2nd meal is provided.

If the shoot is happening inside your personal home, there is a high possibility that your furniture will get rearranged. The director and the producer need to get the perfect shot so they will ask a few crew members to help them move furniture several times until they get it right. They might even go into several rooms and set those rooms up if they have different scenes and they want to film in there, and if that is something that you don’t agree with make sure to voice your concerns with the director and producer. They will make sure the crew will stay away and prevent any mishaps. This also goes for certain parts of your home that you want off limits. You have the power to let them know which rooms they can and can’t go in as well as which furniture they can and can’t move. One thing you can do is to move everything you don’t want the production crew to touch to another room and seal it off. This will allow you peace of mind knowing that no one will get to those items and possibly causing damage. We recommend moving your couch or living room furniture to clean or vacuum prior to the crew's arrival as that will most likely get the first thing to get moved. We've seen many homeowners get embarrassed by the dirt, crumbs pet hair and toys that live under all of our furniture so this is your chance to get ahead of the game.

The crew will obviously need a restroom in your home and if you want to ‘assign’ a crew restroom you can. This is your home you call the shot as far as the rooms and they are able to do within the home. We recommend moving personal hygiene products like toothbrushes, deodorant, razors and similar items to an off-limits restroom just for sanitary purposes. Productions typically supply their own "bathroom kit" with essential items like toilet paper, paper towels and hand soap but you'll want to make sure it's clean upon the crew's arrival. However, when you are on set elsewhere the production coordinator will have everything assigned and will let you know which space and restroom is available.

If you have pets or children make sure you have someone take care of them for the day that they are filming, whether they are filming at your home or on set, they will provide a large distraction and even some problems on set. It is best to not have them on set as that could be a safety problem and to avoid any incidents make sure to plan ahead to have them be taken care of by someone you trust. When you're doing an interview, consider the audio department (pretty please...that's us!). We love dogs more than anyone else, but your day will be longer if your dog is barking, the bells on your cat's collar are ringing or your parrot is chirping.

Speaking of chirping, take a listen to your smoke detectors. If there's a beep every 30 seconds, you need to change the battery in your smoke detector. They typically use a 9V battery and are a quick change that will go a long way. Similarly, if you have an alarm system you should consider silencing your doorway entry alerts.

As being on camera, you might need to have several outfits picked out. You might have a stylist to help you out, but it doesn’t hurt if you pick outfits in which you like and feel confident in. Be sure to stay away from tight or small patterns like stripes that are close together or a lot of dots close together. This often creates a moiré effect, which is the mechanical interference of light by superimposed networks of lines. If available, the stylist and hair & makeup artist will be one of the first people you will see at the start of the day before you get in front of the camera. They will make sure you look your best and stay looking the best throughout the day. They will be in charge of helping you change your clothes and keep your makeup and hair looking fresh.

Another thing that most people are unaware of is the schedule for the day. Our industry is usually based on a 10- or 12-hour day. This doesn't mean we'll be at your place for the entire time, but it might give you better insight into what to NOT expect -- a "quick in and out". If an interview is scheduled to last for about an hour, which is typical, then the camera and lighting crews will need at least a couple hours to load in and setup. This is a well thought out schedule but like anything else, problems will come up and have the possibility of running behind.

You might also expect to have a producer or production manager to ask if it's ok to use your WiFi, especially in a post-COVID world where a lot of shoots want to incorporate a video chat, like Zoom, for remote monitoring abilities.

I understand that it might be scary and overwhelming to be a first-time guest contributor or interviewee, but the more you do this the easier it will get. You will understand the process and the flow that comes with making a TV show or news piece, and you will also find out that every production crew is different and will operate differently. Be prepared to meet lots of cool and interesting people, even if you don't remember all of our names. This will all depend on the type of show or segment you are a part of, but the best thing you do in all of this is to take lots of pictures and just have fun doing it!

The moiré effect in action