Award-winners! Red Radish crowned 2019 Best Crew and Artist Caterer
Back in February, we were honoured to scoop the award for Best Crew and Artist Catering at the 2019 Festival Supplier Awards on behalf of our fantastic team!
Red Radish in Numbers
Craft Services and location Catering in France and the UK
For those who have never been lucky enough to go on a UK, European or US film or television set, there’s big a difference between movie catering and craft service. People might not know what Craft Services are but at Red Radish we can guarantee that they are an essential part of a successful location and movie catering and production. Whilst location catering handles the BIG meals like lunch and dinner, craft services provide the snacks and drinks that are always available to the crew while they’re filming. This can be anything from regular cups of tea and biscuits and sandwiches (on a low-budget indie feature) up to to an elaborate macrobiotic feast with organic everything and sustainable sushi (on a Brad Pitt blockbuster).
Whatever your budget and choice the team at Red Radish will make sure everyone feels happy and well catered for at the end of every day. Quite simply we just would not take the job unless we could deliver the goods and the smiles! Poor quality catering and craft services is the single biggest source of complaints on any given production, so producers and production companies will often spend a lot of time and effort looking for a top-notch caterer and craft service company like us. But like all businesses and within any price range, there are better and worse catering companies for the job so just be careful of who you choose and make sure you always take out a few references from past satisfied clients.
This is our basic list but obviously it can be adjusted to suit all budget and dietary requirments!
Breakfast/Call time
Selection of Mini Croissants and Pastries
Homemade Mini Breakfast Muffins
Homemade Mini Sausage Rolls
Free- range Scrambled Eggs
Selection of Bread
Slices of Ham
Craft Menu All Day
Nespresso of freshly brewed Coffee and Cappuccinos
Regular Tea and Herbal Teas
Orange Juice and Bottled Water
Fresh Fruit Basket
Fruit Platters
Freshly Cut Vegetables and dips
Mints and Chewing Gum
Selection of Sweets and Chocolates
Fresh lemon and Ginger
Dried Fruits and Nuts
Basic First Aid Kit
Hand Sanitiser
And wherever Possible – Newspapers and Fresh Flowers
What does Craft Services mean on a Film or TV location?
So, what exactly are Craft Services? In movie, TV or video production, craft service (UK, France and Europe) or crafty (USA) refers to the department that provides food service, buffet style snacks and drinks and hot beverages to the other departments or crafts. The crafts in film usually refers to departments such as camera, sound, electricians, grips, props, art director, set decorator, hair and makeup. Hence the term CRAFT SERVICES.
Whilst Red Radish can provide both there is a big difference between crafts service and the regular location catering we provide across France and the UK. When catering we usually bring in a catering truck or marquee and our chefs and crew base themselves there and cook the regular hot sit down meals that the film crew require and are entitled to every six hours when working on location. This usually last between thirty minutes and an hour unless of course you are in France where lunch can often take a little longer! Good food is more often than not the single most important meaning of a happy crew on location.
Crafts service is a lot different and can often be a crew position from within the movie production team, although most decent sized UK and French production companies these days bring in an outside caterer like Red Radish. Usually there are one or two craft service stations, set up on manned tables with a wide display of snacks and drinks available to keep everyone fed and happy during the day or night filming. The food provided can vary widely with low budget productions often offering very limited food. Generally though (and especially at Red Radish!) a craft service table will offer generous food, fresh fruit and drinks plus lots of other goodies such as homemade cakes and delicious sandwiches and cookies. Great coffee is also an important part of the Red Radish craft Services table. The craft service tables can often be asked to move around the set so at short notice so it is essential that all our team are fit, strong and very responsive to the heavy demands of a film location.
Thanks Red Radish. You saved our bacon!
Dearest Wayne + Lucy
We all wanted to send you a special thanks for you complete flexibility and un-ending support with our St Tropez fashion photo shoots for Balmain. You were both so warm and accommodating and a true asset to the team – you saved our bacon with those bacon sandwiches and quick thinking lunches!
It would not have been the same without you, and for that we’re all truly grateful.
Many, many thanks.
Can you send us your address so we can try to send you something by way of thanks.
All the best
Elizabeth Norris
Art House.
70 Rochester Place
London
NW1 9JX
T: +44(0)20 7284 6500
C:+44(0)7887 603 093
www.arthouseltd.com
Check out your Location in France
Whether you are production manager coming to the South of France to arrange a film or photography location, a bride and groom arranging yet another Red Radish wedding, or maybe just visiting one of our famous Supperclubs venues you will be pleased to hear that British Midland International have opened up a new route down to Nice and are now offering you a chance to make an event out of it by travelling Business Class, but with alll the benefits of an economy price tag. You can now return for as little as £159 and enjoy more legroom and a full Business Class service on their twice daily flights to Nice, including complimentary access to the flagship business class lounge at London’s Heathrow airport.
The Côte d’Azur is the jewel in the France’s crown, perched on the edge of the Mediterranean, it is famously loved for Summer getaways and it’s easy access to gems such as Cannes and Saint Tropez, but with so much to do, why not escape the crowds with a Winter visit and discuss your party or production needs whilst you are here? To think, it could all be yours for a decidedly un-ritzy fare too. Book your seat today (or even better, get your ‘people’ do it for you).
This feature was adapted from an original article on FR2DAY.COM
Film Location Fixing in France
A lovely Thank You card we were delighted to receive after working with the ‘legendary’ director Justin Murphy and the guys from Drum PHD on a film location shoot in the South of France. As well as organising locations, we also fixed various filming permissions and a helicopter with on-board camera to film some great road shots in the Provencal mountains. The entire crew also enjoyed bed, breakfast and great food, in true Red Radish style when they stayed at our villa for a couple of nights during the production.
