My First Days on Set as a TV Runner

CALL SHEET #9

THURSDAY 1st JULY

UNIT CALL - 08:00

Breakfast served at Unit Base from 07:00-08:00

Lunch served at Location from 13:00

Estimated wrap: 18:00

So it's official, I secured my first runner job as a Covid Tea Table Runner for Worzel Gummidge S2! I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Television from the University of Lincoln but this is my first official broadcast experience and I feel very lucky to be working on such a good production with such lovely experienced people. It's been two days and I have been welcomed with open arms so I'm here to tell you a little about how I felt and how it all went. I intend to use this blog as a small educational space to document everything I learn on my journey into the world of freelance television production so if you are new to the industry too - welcome! All information is based on my own experiences and therefore my opinions may change as time progresses but I hope you can find something useful in my posts.

After a lot of panic buying and stress about not knowing where I needed to be the next morning, Call Sheet #9 arrived in my inbox Wednesday evening and I was instantly overwhelmed with the sheer amount of information it held. I'll be the first to admit I did not understand it nor which information was relevant to me so I just had to ask. "Come and have breakfast at 07:00, get your temperature checked and we'll introduce you to everyone and show you around." Phew - an immediate friendly voice and I wasn't expected to know everything already. This took a lot of pressure off me that I was putting on myself and as long as I was willing to listen and learn quickly, everyone sounded more than happy to accommodate me being a complete newbie because let's face it, that was where they all started too. I may only be a few days in but asking questions is the best thing a runner can do and it's better to ask and know than assume you understand and then turn up late or at the wrong location!

I arrived on set at 06:38 because I massively overestimated how much time it would take me to travel and ended up walking around like a lost lemon for a few minutes before being pointed to the easy-up and queue for Covid tests. I got my temperature checked and headed to one of the big trailers labelled Production Office before being introduced to a few people in the AD department and the other Runners. Quick tour and explanation of the geography of the base, a quick run through of how the Call Sheet works and off for breakfast I popped feeling a little more informed but wishing I could be more helpful. 07:45 rolls around and I'm transported from unit base to location via minibus with all the tea and coffee and hot water I think I could need (spoilers: it was not enough!) to set up the tea table. Due to Covid-19, the tea table is a BIG transmission risk if everyone were to help themselves and touch all the sugar, coffee, tea bags and the urn therefore it's my job to man the table in a Covid-safe manner to reduce the risk of infection on set. I made a lot of mess on the first day trying to juggle all the boxes and working out how to rearrange everything so quickly when morning and afternoon snack arrived but by day two, I had worked out a system that works for me.

Although it may seem a little mundane, I am actually really enjoying my time at the tea table. It's a perfect way to get on set without having too much responsibility straight away, when shooting externals I can watch and get to grips with what everyone does and how a 'real' production works, as well as listening to the radio to pick up all the set lingo. I am also in the optimal position to talk to everyone. The tea table is the perfect spot to get to know everyone and ask them any questions I have and everyone jokes how I'm the most important person on set because who doesn't love a bit of sugar and caffeine to get through a long 12 hour day.

SD x