French hours

Last updated

"French hours" is a term used in the film and television industries, mainly in America, for when there is no break for lunch during a film shoot. Instead, food is passed around all day long and the crew works continuously. The lack of a lunch break means that crew members and the cast have to steal moments to eat. Joel Schumacher employed French hours when filming Phone Booth , a film completed in 10 days. [1] Ridley Scott also used the approach when filming Robin Hood , noting that actors often had to eat on horseback between takes. Scott also agreed with the cast and crew that he would adhere strictly to a 10 hour shooting day due to lack of a traditional lunch break.

Ironically, in France outside of film-making, the opposite is the norm, whereby lunch usually lasts one to two hours. But within the Paris studios up until the 1970s, the film-making day started at noon and continued to around 8pm, so everyone ate an early lunch before work began and did not eat until done working. [2]

In accordance with union rules and the SAG contract, what traditionally takes place when French hours are instituted is that the cast and crew are remunerated in the form of "meal penalties". In the film and television industry, the cast and crew are required to be officially broken for lunch six hours after their initial call time. Meal penalties are monetary compensation that are incurred every half hour after the six-hour deadline until a meal break is given, or the shoot day ends. On a film like Phone Booth, it would not be unusual for the cast and crew to receive 20 or more meal penalties. [3]

In parts of Canada and the United States, French hours are referred to as "Pacific North West Hours", or simply "PNW Hours" or "PNW".[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

A director's cut is an edited version of a film that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit in contrast to the theatrical release. "Cut" explicitly refers to the process of film and game editing; in preparing a film for release, the director's cut is preceded by the assembly and rough editor's cut and usually followed by the final cut meant for the public film release and video game release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ridley Scott</span> British film director and producer (born 1937)

Sir Ridley Scott is an English filmmaker. He is best known for directing films in the science fiction, crime and historical drama genres. His work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. He ranks among the highest-grossing directors and has received many accolades, including the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement in 2018, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003, and appointed a Knight Grand Cross by King Charles III in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diner</span> Type of casual restaurant

A diner is a type of restaurant found across the United States and Canada, as well as parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of cuisine, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a combination of booths served by a waitstaff and a long sit-down counter with direct service, in the smallest simply by a cook. Many diners have extended hours, and some along highways and areas with significant shift work stay open for 24 hours.

Elevenses is a short break taken at around 11:00 am to consume a drink or snack. The names and details vary among countries.

<i>Dungeons & Dragons</i> (2000 film) 2000 fantasy film directed by Courtney Solomon

Dungeons & Dragons is a 2000 fantasy adventure film directed by Courtney Solomon and written by Carroll Cartwright and Topper Lilien. It is based on the role-playing game of the same name. The film follows an empress who wishes to get hold of a mythical rod that will help her fight an evil wizard, and enlists two thieves for help. Parts of the film were made on location at Sedlec Ossuary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siesta</span> Short nap taken in the early afternoon

A siesta is a short nap taken in the early afternoon, often after the midday meal. Such a period of sleep is a common tradition in some countries, particularly those in warm-weather zones. The "siesta" can refer to the nap itself, or more generally to a period of the day, generally between 2 and 5 p.m. This period is used for sleep, as well as leisure, mid-day meals, or other activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Scott</span> British film director and producer (1944–2012)

Anthony David Leighton Scott was an English film director and producer. He made his theatrical film debut with The Hunger (1983) and went on to direct highly successful action and thriller films such as Top Gun (1986), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Days of Thunder (1990), The Last Boy Scout (1991), Crimson Tide (1995), Enemy of the State (1998), Man on Fire (2004), Déjà Vu (2006), and Unstoppable (2010).

<i>Phone Booth</i> (film) 2002 thriller film

Phone Booth is a 2002 American psychological thriller film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by David Zucker and Gil Netter, written by Larry Cohen and starring Colin Farrell, Forest Whitaker, Katie Holmes, Radha Mitchell, and Kiefer Sutherland. In the film, a malevolent hidden sniper calls a phone booth, and when a young publicist inside answers the phone, he quickly finds his life is at risk. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was a box office hit, grossing $97 million worldwide against a production budget of $13 million.

<i>Legend</i> (1985 film) 1985 American film by Ridley Scott

Legend is a 1985 American epic dark fantasy adventure film directed by Ridley Scott, and starring Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, Tim Curry, David Bennent, Alice Playten, Billy Barty, Cork Hubbert and Annabelle Lanyon. The film revolves around Jack, a pure being who must stop the Lord of Darkness who plots to cover the world with eternal night.

Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screenwriting, casting, pre-production, shooting, sound recording, post-production, and screening the finished product before an audience, which may result in a film release and exhibition. The process is nonlinear, as the director typically shoots the script out of sequence, repeats shots as needed, and puts them together through editing later. Filmmaking occurs in a variety of economic, social, and political contexts around the world, and uses a variety of technologies and cinematic techniques to make theatrical films, episodic films for television and streaming platforms, music videos, and promotional and educational films.

In the cinema of the United States, a unit production manager (UPM) is the Directors Guild of America–approved title for the top below-the-line staff position, responsible for the administration of a feature film or television production. Non-DGA productions might call it the production manager or production supervisor. They work closely with the line producer. Sometimes the line producer is the UPM. A senior producer may assign a UPM more than one production at a time.

A daily production report (DPR) or production report (PR) in filmmaking is the form filled out each day of production for a movie or television show to summarize what occurred that day. There is no standard template for a production report and each show usually has an original template, often created before production begins by one of the assistant directors. Besides superficial differences, most forms record the same information and are simply a series of blank tables created in Excel printed double-sided on a legal sized sheet of paper. The purpose of this form is to keep track of a production's progress and expenses. It is finally sent to studio executives and is permanently filed to serve as a legal record.

Alien is a science fiction horror and action media franchise centered on the original film series which depicts warrant officer Ellen Ripley and her battles with an extraterrestrial lifeform, commonly referred to as the Alien ("Xenomorph"), and the prequel series following the exploits of the David 8 android and the creators of the eponymous creatures referred to as the "Engineers".

A production report ("PR") is a filmmaking term for the form filled out each day of production of a movie or television show to summarize what occurred that day. There is no standard template for a production report, and each show usually has an original template, often created before production begins by one of the assistant directors ("AD"). Besides superficial differences, most forms record the same information and are simply a series of blank tables created in Excel printed double sided on a legal sized sheet of paper. The purpose of this form is to keep track of a production's progress and expenses and to help determine what salary is owed to the cast and crew. It is finally sent to studio executives and is permanently filed to serve as a legal record.

Lunch is a meal eaten around the middle of the day. It is commonly the second meal of the day, after breakfast, and varies in size by culture and region.

<i>Alien</i> (film) 1979 film by Ridley Scott

Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Dan O'Bannon. Based on a story by O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett, it follows the crew of the commercial space tug Nostromo, who, after coming across a mysterious derelict spaceship on an uncharted planetoid, find themselves up against a deadly and aggressive extraterrestrial loose within their vessel. The film stars Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, and Yaphet Kotto. It was produced by Gordon Carroll, David Giler, and Walter Hill through their company Brandywine Productions and was distributed by 20th Century-Fox. Giler and Hill revised and made additions to the script; Shusett was the executive producer. The Alien and its accompanying artifacts were designed by the Swiss artist H. R. Giger, while concept artists Ron Cobb and Chris Foss designed the more human settings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Free Productions</span> British-American film and television production company

Scott Free Productions is a British-American independent film and television production company founded in 1970 by filmmakers and brothers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott. They formed the feature film development company Percy Main Productions in 1980, naming the company after the English village Percy Main, where their father grew up. The company was renamed Scott Free Productions in 1995. Scott Free has produced films ranging from the 2000 Hollywood blockbuster Gladiator (2000) to "smaller pictures" like Cracks (2009). Between the productions of White Squall (1996) and G.I. Jane (1997), Ridley Scott reorganised the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meal</span> Eating that takes place at a specific time

A meal is an eating occasion that takes place at a certain time and includes consumption of food. The names used for specific meals in English vary, depending on the speaker's culture, the time of day, or the size of the meal.

<i>The Last Duel</i> (2021 film) 2021 film by Ridley Scott

The Last Duel is a 2021 historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon, based on the 2004 book The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France by Eric Jager. Set in medieval France, the film stars Damon as Jean de Carrouges, a knight who challenges his former friend, squire Jacques le Gris, to a judicial duel after Jean's wife, Marguerite, accuses Jacques of raping her. The events leading up to the duel are divided into three distinct chapters, reflecting the contradictory perspectives of the three main characters. Affleck also stars in a supporting role as Count Pierre d'Alençon.

<i>Napoleon</i> (2023 film) Film by Ridley Scott

Napoleon is a 2023 epic historical drama film directed and co-produced by Ridley Scott and written by David Scarpa. Based on the story of Napoleon Bonaparte and primarily depicting his rise to power as well as his relationship with his wife, Joséphine Bonaparte, it stars Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon and Vanessa Kirby as Joséphine.

References

  1. Godin, Seth (August 1, 2004). "French Hours". Fast Company . Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  2. Tréguer, Pascal. "the various meanings of 'French hours'". word histories.
  3. Ridley Scott (2010). The More the Merrier: Production (Blu-Ray). Universal Studios.