Why the pre-production meeting can make or break your shoot.

If you've got a shoot coming up, the single best thing you can do for it happens before anyone picks up a camera.

What's a pre-production meeting?

A pre-production meeting, also known as a pre-pro or PPM, is a crucial step in the production process. It's where you make sure the brief and client expectations align with the creator's treatment and execution.

In other words, it's a chat about the details to get everyone on the same page. And it can make or break your content by preventing costly mistakes.

This guide will help you prepare and know what to cover. There are no hard and fast rules; some points will matter more than others for your production, and if there's more you want to know, add it to the agenda.

Who should be in the room?

The creative team will usually organise the PPM, and from their side should bring anyone core to the production, including the director, producer and production manager.

From the client side, it helps to have key decision makers and anyone who will have day-to-day contact with the production.

When should you schedule it?

You may hold more than one PPM. Treat the first as the kick-off for the production.

Later PPMs come once more elements are locked in and there are detailed questions to answer about the shoot and post-production. Hold the final PPM at least two days before your shoot so everyone has time to handle any actions.

What to cover in your kick-off PPM

Use the list below as an agenda outline. Not everything will apply, so add and remove as needed.

The idea

• Recap the idea and treatment. This is the moment to iron out any nuances so everyone is aligned on the vision.
• The creative team may share draft scripts, storyboards and visual references.

Deliverables

• Recap deliverables against the brief so the creative team knows every requirement for the production and content. When it comes to a shoot, no one likes surprises.

Key dates and milestones

• Discuss deadlines and payment milestones.
• Confirm whether any clients will attend the shoot so they're considered in planning the shoot days.
• The creator should present an overview of the production and post-production schedule so you can review and fix the timeline and final delivery.

Crew

• The creative team summarises the notable people involved, including the director, DOP and key crew.
• Flag any special skills required (food stylist, local fixer, translator), plus client spokespeople or ambassadors.

Talent, wardrobe, hair and makeup, and props

• Who will appear in the content? Professional talent or real people? How will they be cast, and what (if anything) will they be paid?
• What kind of diversity should be represented in the casting?
• What's the decision-making process to shortlist and confirm talent?
• Discuss initial wardrobe, hair and makeup references, and any colours or styles to avoid (think brand colours and cultural sensitivities).
• What props are needed? If you're providing products, how will they be incorporated and shot?

Locations

• Discuss planned locations and any requirements that could affect the schedule or cost.

Travel and logistics

• What travel logistics need considering?
• Do any physical products need shipping somewhere for the shoot?
• Does accommodation need arranging, and who will arrange it?

Post-production, VFX and graphics

• Align on colour grading, graphics, post-treatments, end frames and logos.
• Do you need to provide the creator with any files, such as CGI of a brand, product or logo sequence?

Legals and insurances

Align on all legal requirements to avoid costly mistakes, including any specific requirements for release forms and insurances. Genero's terms require creators to hold the following insurances where applicable:

• General / public and product liability: cover for personal injury and property damage to members of the public and third parties such as clients, talent and suppliers (excluding employees and automobile accidents).
• Professional indemnity / media liability / errors and omissions: cover for errors and omissions in film production, including unintentional unauthorised use of copyrighted materials, characters, titles, formats, ideas and plots, plagiarism, unfair competition, invasion of privacy and defamation.
• Employer liability: covers employees working on set.
• Weather: if required, for example an outdoor shoot that must happen on specific days and can't be rescheduled.

After the PPM

Take accurate, detailed notes of each PPM and share them with all stakeholders as the official record of what was agreed. If you're working on the Genero platform, keep them in the project's message thread so there's one source of truth everyone can revisit in regular catch-ups or the next PPM.

Before you wrap up, agree next steps and timings. Everyone should leave knowing exactly what they have to do, and by when.

The devil is in the details

There's no such thing as too much detail in a PPM, and there are no silly questions. Nail it and you'll avoid headaches from the outset and set yourself up for a smooth production. And if you'd like experienced hands guiding your next shoot from brief to delivery, Genero's team is happy to help.