What’s In Your Indie Film On-Set Survival Kit?

No matter if you’re on a professional set or making a movie with your best friends, being on set is equal parts stressful and exhilarating, chaotic and structured, wonderful and terrible. So no matter what, showing up empty-handed will get you into trouble.

If you’re at a loss for what to put in your bag before heading out to set yourself up for success, here’s what I recommend you include!

1. Phone charger/ external battery. You’ll be here a while, probably using your phone quite a bit to communicate with people, stave off boredom, do your job, and more. Extra insurance that you won’t be out of contact is a must.
2. Reusable water bottle. For environmental reasons, you shouldn’t be using reusable water bottles if you can help it, but for health reasons, you should be staying hydrated. A reusable water bottle also ensures you won’t mix up your life liquid with someone else’s. Think of the cooties!
3. Travel tissues. Maybe I’m extra sensitive to this one because I have famously bad allergies, but I’ve never in my life regretted having a pack or two of tissues on hand. For me, or for someone I’m with. Maybe you need to clean up a small spill, maybe there’s dust from the location getting aggravated from all the crew stomping around, maybe someone needs a quick fix for smeared makeup. No matter what, you’re the hero if you’re the one with easily accessible tissues.
4. Painkillers. Similar to tissues, being the person with Tylenol or Ibuprofen when someone needs relief will make you friends, influence people, and ensure no one on set forgets your preparedness. Also, filmmaking is hard and stressful! Long hours, hot days, heavy equipment! Bring painkillers, better safe than sorry! But don’t keep them in your car, they’ll melt.
5. Bandages. Better yet: a travel first aid kit! Accidents happen, and they happen more frequently on set with the aforementioned long hours, hot days, and heavy equipment.
6. Deodorant. Long hours. Hot days. Enough said (I hope).
7. Chapstick. In case you’re away from your reusable water bottle too long.
8. Script copy/ shot list/ notes. Maybe you’re a tablet-user, in which case, good luck with keeping it charged. I’m analog all the way when it comes to on-set documentation, because it’s easier to notate, I’m not paranoid about breaking a piece of paper, and I can stuff them in my pockets or purse easily. Also, usually I’ve got an extra copy or two in case anyone else forgets theirs, and it’s easier to hand off some stapled paper than a full device.
9. Pens (several extras). You always, always need a pen. So does everyone else. Be the hero!
10. Extra memory card. Better to be prepared for overshooting than have to wrap early without making your day. Why not pack a couple extra batteries while we’re here?
11. Granola bar/ pocket snack. You can’t always rely on craft services or getting a break to eat them, and you need to keep your energy and strength up.
12. Gum (or breath mints). No one likes stinky breath, but also, the number of times I’ve been on set when an actor needs to be close (even if not kissing) another actor where someone hasn’t asked for a mint is zero. Again, this is an item that’s more about you being a hero to your team than necesarilly needing it yourself. Film is about who you know, right? Be the person people know as a hero, it will only help you move forward in your career.
13. Headphones. Sometimes, you need a break. Sometimes, you need to make a hands-free call. Sometimes, your sound person’s headphones break and they need a quick solution. I never leave the house without headphones regardless of if I’m headed to set or not, so maybe this is another one of those “just me” items, but I’ve never been mad to have them on hand.

Bri Castellini is an independent filmmaker, a romance author, and, regrettably, a podcaster. She’s known for the 2017 short film Ace and Anxious (writer/director, 160k+ views on YouTube) and for her podcasts Burn, Noticed and Breaking Out of Breaking In, covering the USA television show Burn Notice and practical filmmaking advice, respectively. She can lick her elbow (not clickbait). Full work history and ways to hire her as a consultant can be found on her website BriCastellini.com