Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1491103
Tod Maitland CAS: Prep obviously includes reading the script and breaking it down. If there's anything really interesting, like if you have really big scenes with a lot of people, prepping for that, and also talking to the wardrobe department. The great thing is we all have great people who work with us, and my two guys, Jerry Yuen and Terence McCormack Maitland, are very good. They also read the script and look for things that we might need. If there's a scene where there's going to be 50 women in heels, we have to stock up on shoe things, heel cups, and all that. If it's going to be windy, we have to figure out windscreens and so on. Phillip W. Palmer CAS: The best things I can do are to get as much script time as I can beforehand. [However], a lot of times that's difficult because they're writing right up to the shoot or they're keeping things tight to the vest. And [also having] a meeting with the director to find out what their expectations are, how they like to communicate, do they not want to communicate, and of course, location scouts. Scott Farr CAS: I am setting up to do a job Friday on the beach; my favorite place in the world to work—equally like desert, airport, under the freeway, on the freeway, etc. [laughs] A helicopter is going to land on the beach. Two A-list actors are going to step out of the helicopter and walk up the beach to a resort, and that's the entire day. And there's no dialogue scheduled, but you know what will happen! I've seen six emails saying there's no dialogue, we're just recording the helicopter, so we'll see! We don't all get to scout… JW: Once formal pre-production starts, I would always make sure that I was included in the tech scouts. For most of my career, I was always allowed to go on the tech scouts. It was always a paid day. Sometimes there was a whole week of tech scouts, something that I know has changed drastically now. Episodic TV is totally different. They don't get the scripts sometimes until the hour before they're shooting or it's a different director coming in, etc. On the tech scout, I'm looking for locations that are problems [and] what is most important to me. TM: Every show is different; every producer, every director, every production company. How much Scott Farr CAS Phillip W. Palmer CAS Tod Maitland CAS