Tackling TV prep and wrap culture

Prep and Wrap campaign image

Bectu starts to tackle TV prep and wrap culture

Bectu officials and members are working to reduce the time crew is expected to work before and after the cameras have started rolling.

Bectu’s official statement for members when dealing with producers

The union recognises that many productions rely on crews doing more than thirty minutes prep and wrap either side of the shooting day. However, this practice contributes to the problem of long working hours in the industry.  Excessively long working hours have immediate and long term health and safety risks, and the wellbeing of our members is a top priority for the union.

For this reason, Bectu are working towards a compromise. We ask that no more than thirty minutes of prep and thirty minutes of wrap is scheduled each day, and suggest that departmental teams stagger their start and finish times wherever necessary to accommodate busy periods.

As part of the campaign to reduce prep and wrap, Bectu officials are compiling a list of productions which schedule thirty minutes of prep and wrap or less. This list is rapidly growing, discrediting the claim that it is impossible to stick to schedule without long periods of prep and wrap.

Read about the nature of prep and wrap and the work Bectu is doing to change it here:

What is prep and wrap?

Prep and wrap is the working time scheduled at the beginning and the end of the shooting day. So if a 10hr standard working day is scheduled, then prep is scheduled before the shooting starts and wrap is scheduled for after the cameras stop rolling. The work done during this time is included in the daily rate. Overtime does not kick-in until after prep and wrap.

Is prep and wrap a problem in both film and TV production?

No. Our film and TV negotiations with Pact are dealt with separately, and P&W has already been negotiated down to 30 minutes either side of filming on film productions. The focus is now on reducing it to the same amount for TV production crews.

Does everybody do prep and wrap?

On most productions virtually everybody is expected to do some prep and wrap. However, people working in hair and make-up, costume, ADs and location management can be the worst affected.

How long is prep and wrap?

At the moment prep and wrap is scheduled for varying lengths of time. Some productions schedule one hour of prep and half an hour of wrap, some schedule thirty minutes of each, and some schedule none at all.

How are Bectu responding to the situation?

Bectu officials are working closely with members to negotiate with Pact to reduce the amount of prep and wrap. Ideally we would like to eradicate the practice of scheduling prep and wrap altogether. At the moment, however, we are focusing on limiting the amount of prep and wrap to 30 minutes either side of the shooting day. The Bectu position is clear: all other work should be included in the working day or treated as overtime.

How is Pact responding?

Pact’s position is that prep and wrap has historically been included in daily rates, and they see no reason to change this culture. They argue it would be impossible to be ready for the shooting day without scheduling at least 60 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of wrap. However, this ignores the growing number of productions which have already been scheduling 30 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of wrap (or less).

Is there a list of these productions?

Yes. Bectu members are sharing information on each production they work on so we can monitor the trend. Below is a list of productions already setting the precedent by scheduling thirty minutes of prep and wrap (or less), which we will be updating:

  1. The English Game
  2. A Christmas Carol
  3. Cursed
  4. Motherland
  5. Peaky Blinders
  6. Bridgerton
  7. Pennyworth 2
  8. The Great
  9. Beechham House
  10. Gangs of London
  11. Four Weddings
  12. War of the Worlds
  13. Brave New World
  14. The Nevers
Who else is Bectu in negotiation with?

We are also in conversation with Netflix.

Get involved

If you are working on or are aware of a production that schedules 30 minutes of prep and wrap please email Polly Avison on [email protected] and help us monitor this culture.