Most pre-pro meetings turn into a status check. Everyone introduces themselves, the agency walks through the deck again, somebody asks about lunch, and then the call ends with twelve open questions and a vague “we’ll figure it out.” Two days later it’s the night before the shoot and the producer is on the phone with the location at 11pm.
Here’s what a pre-pro meeting actually needs to cover. Use this as a checklist.
1. Creative — locked, not “almost”
- Final boards or shotlist, signed off by client.
- Reference reels watched together, not separately. (“Like this, but warmer” means nothing in an email.)
- Revisions deadline. After this date, changes cost time and money — and the client agrees to that in writing.
2. Talent
- Who’s confirmed. Who’s a hold. Who’s a backup.
- Wardrobe — sourced or talent-supplied. Sizes confirmed.
- Hair and makeup — trial day if it’s hero talent. Looks approved by client.
- Usage and conflicts — locked with the agent before the shoot, not after.
3. Location
- Permits filed and confirmed.
- Power available — and if not, where the genny goes.
- Parking for crew, talent, equipment trucks. Yes, this is a meeting topic.
- Restrooms, holding, lunch area, weather backup.
- Site visit done by the DP, gaffer, and key grip — not just the location scout.
4. Camera and lighting plan
- DP walks through the lookbook frame by frame. If anyone in the room can’t picture it, the lookbook isn’t done.
- Lens package finalized. Camera body finalized. Filter package finalized.
- Lighting plot — what’s the key, what’s the fill, what’s the kicker, where’s the backlight, what the talent is sitting in. For each setup. On paper.
- Frame rates confirmed for any slow-motion, and matched to delivery spec.
5. Schedule
- Call time, wrap time, lunch slot.
- Setups per hour — be honest. If your DP says 4 and your producer says 8, fix that now.
- Buffer time for client review on monitors. (Skip this and you will pay for it.)
- Wild card slot at end of day for the inevitable “can we just grab one more?” ask.
6. Post handoff
- Editor’s name. Colorist’s name. They’re on the call, ideally.
- Delivery specs — including the social cutdowns nobody asked about until the last week of post.
- Music plan — licensed, custom, or library. Locked before edit starts, not during.
7. The “what could go wrong” conversation
This is the one most teams skip. Five minutes at the end of pre-pro: what’s most likely to break? Weather. Talent late. Equipment failure. Client wants something not in the boards. Each one gets a one-line answer for what we do.
If everyone in the room can answer those questions, the shoot day will not be the first time you’re solving them.
The bottom line
A good pre-pro meeting takes 90 minutes. A bad one takes 90 minutes too — but the shoot day pays for it twice. Cover the seven sections above and you’ll be ahead of 80% of the productions out there.
Planning a shoot and want help running a real pre-pro?
Get in touch. We’ll walk through your brief and tell you what we’d lock down before camera rolls.
