First Team Runner (NYC)

Your Ultimate Goals:

Run a tight ship
Think ahead
Don’t have set waiting on basecamp

The First Team Runner in the NYC area is in charge of keeping the back of house activities in basecamp moving in order to get the cast ready and to set on time to film. Greeting cast, getting contracts signed, feeding them, and putting them through the ready process with Hair/Makeup/Wardrobe (HMUW), you’ll be working closely with HMUW, so learn their names right away and find common ground. You will need them as allies when the inevitable snafu hits and everyone has to scramble to make something happen unexpectedly.

This role requires the balancing of the many different personalities of a cast and HMUW crew, and keeping everyone happy-ish while not compromising the scheduled work. And don’t forget: You don’t work for them—you work for the ADs.

You’ll have to schmooze, but don’t over schmooze.

Some actors like to talk a lot (to the detriment of their ready time), others want to be left alone to focus on their scene, and a lot will fall somewhere in between. Reading a room will come in handy in knowing the right times to strike up a conversation and when not to, and when they’re 20 minutes behind and you just need to get them to set. The 1^st Team Runner sets the tone and pace back in basecamp and that tone should continue through the 1^st Team helper once everyone goes to set to film.

Things You Will Need

A 4-color pen
A pocket sized notebook
A legal sized paperwork tin
Gaff tape
Sharpies

Below is a general guide for your responsibilities as a 1st Team Runner in the NYC area. This will vary show to show. You’ll want to check in with your ADs for specifics and items which might not be listed here, or items listed that they don’t need you to do. These also aren’t listed in an order that necessarily must be followed. You’ll learn what to prioritize day to day, and what can be delegated to your 1st Team Helper, as you find your way with your new crew. You can find a condensed version of this list on our 1st Team Runner PA (NYC) checklist to print out and carry with you throughout your day.

Yours will likely be the earliest call time of the whole crew. First thing – label the appropriate campers for each cast member working today. Check deal memos or with your 2nd AD if you’re unsure which size trailer they get.

If breakfast is far, get food orders for yourself and the early Hair/Makeup/Wardrobe (HMUW) crew if they can’t get there on their own. Your 1st Team Helper should help you get these orders to catering and back to deliver the food.

Put sides, contracts, and a pen into all corresponding cast rooms that you’ve labeled.

Stand by to greet all cast members as they land. You’ll find their individual land times on your Call Sheet. Show them to their camper and get their food order

As cast in-times hit, bring them to the HMU trailer to start going through the works. Notate all times (and delays) to yourself when actors sit in the chair. This record may become a handy reference if set starts to consistently wait on basecamp for one reason or another. It will also help you when your 2nd AD asks “How long does Mikey really take in each chair?”
- USEFUL TIP 1: Don’t bring anyone to the HMU camper without first checking with both departments’ reps.
- USEFUL TIP 2: When entering a HMU camper, knock from the ground, open the door, announce “Stepping Up”, and then step onto the stairs. This prevents shaking of the camper while there might be delicate makeup work happening inside.

Send your 1st Team Helper ahead to get a lay of the land at set. Where set is, how they’ll get in, where cast chairs and HMUW monitors will go, where are bathrooms, etc. If there’s time, your helper should then come back and continue helping you at base. If there isn’t time, they should stay on set to catch cast as they arrive.

Check with your ADs ahead of time on the morning plan. Do they want cast standing on set at call? Will you be able to “keep them cooking” in HMUW until an invite? Base your movements off this plan.
- EXAMPLE: Let’s say the 1st AD wants the cast standing on set at crew call for their first rehearsal. How far away is set? Will they need vans or is it walkable? How long will it take you to pull them from HMU chairs? Are any ready? How many are there? How much time will they owe after rehearsal for finishing HMU and dressing? Is this the first time in their costume? That will take extra time with the designer. Have they eaten? Is their contract signed? There are a LOT of variables to consider. This is why it’s essential to be on the same page as your ADs with their plans for the day.

If cast rehearses not HMUW ready, one of the first questions you’ll be asked after rehearsal is “How much time do they need?” You should know this answer before it’s asked. During rehearsal, discuss with HMUW their time needs to get cast 100%, account for any travel time to and from set, and calculate your estimates with that info.
- USEFUL TIP 3: Cast is not 100% ready for filming until Hair, Makeup, and Costumes is done with them, they’ve NDBd (if needed), and they’ve signed their contracts.

Cast is 100%, their contracts are signed, and your 1st Team Helper has taken them to set to start filming of the first scene

Prepare to greet the next wave of cast if there are any. Start the whole morning process over again to get them HMUW ready for camera.

Prep the Exhibit G

One hour before lunch, confer with your 2nd AD on when you should break individual cast members for a meal. Don’t forget to feed anyone. Have a van plan for getting cast to/from lunch if it’s not walkable. It’s your job to make sure all cast breaks for a 30-minute lunch after 6 hours of work. Avoid Meal Penalty Violations (MPVs) on the Exhibit G as much as possible.

Check the prelim for any snags you can spot ahead of time on tomorrow’s plan. Relay any necessary notes to the PPW PA or 2nd AD.
- EXAMPLE: An actor brought in too late/early, you don’t have enough camper rooms for everyone, a missing stand-in, scene description is off, etc. Better to catch these things at lunch time the day before, rather than 5AM the day of.

As the day progresses, keep tracking and notating times for each cast member as they get ready and have meals. Notate all necessary times on the Exhibit G.

AS CAST WRAPS: Complete their row on the Exhibit G and have them sign in the right column. If they had a van bring them in, make sure transpo knows in time to prepare a van to take them home.
- USEFUL TIP 4: The teamster captain & co-captain will be two of your best allies. Any van needs should go through them first.
- USEFUL TIP 5: Carry a current Day out of Days and One Liner on you (or in your tin) for quick reference. Cast will frequently ask when they come in next and for what scenes. You’ll find all of that info on those two documents. Just make sure you have the most up to date version, as these documents can change multiple times over the course of a shoot.

As trailers become empty, tell Wardrobe first so they can retrieve costumes. Then alert Transpo on their channel so they can start cleaning and wrapping the room.

Prelabel any cast rooms for tomorrow that you can to save you time the next morning.

At some point the PPW PA will bring you a stack of call sheets for tomorrow’s work. These are NOT distro’d until the 1st AD has called wrap and the 1st or 2nd AD says “Fly the sheets”. Make sure the basecamp crew gets them, and verify with any cast members working tomorrow that they know their call times. When in doubt, check with your 2nd AD.

Company has wrapped, and all cast is out

Make sure all campers are clear and all completed contracts have been retrieved and sent to the office.

Turn in your completed Exhibit G to the 2nd 2nd AD for approval, and to the PPW PA for the PR and football.

You or the 1st Team Helper PA should gather the daily timesheets and out times (and any timecards) from the basecamp crews (HMUW) and hand them in to the PPW PA.

Go home and get some sleep! You’ll probably be first in again tomorrow.

Resources

Find more useful checklists and templates for the 1^st Team Runner (NYC) PA position on our GoForResources pages
Check our GoForNetworking page for ways to connect to shows that are hiring