Special Treatment for Celebrities

Creating the Perfect Work Environment for Celebrities

Firstly, we acknowledge that discretion is vital when working on an important production and especially when collaborating with a celebrity. This affects every member of the crew, cast and anyone else on location. The most professional way of ensuring privacy is to sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) contract with all collaborators, enforcing that no information on the production, the celebrity or the crew members is leaked, keeping the project top-secret from competitors, the media, fans or any wrongdoers. Throughout all the celebrity shoots Progressive has produced, there have been no issues of the secrecy being broken and none of the celebrities were put in uncomfortable situations.

On the set, our team takes all the steps necessary to maximize the comfort and privacy of the celebrity. Generally, all members of the crew and cast have to behave in a highly professional manner, with respect for the celebrity and fully assisting their performance. We believe the best way to ensure this is for the members of the crew and cast to know their identity and therefore have a personal understanding and respect of them and the importance of discretion and professionalism.

Every aspect of the shoot has to be fully prepared before the celebrity is to be called onto the set, to minimize the time they need to spend waiting on set. Time is saved by all equipment being tested and adjusted, and by assigning minor roles to lighting doubles and block out body doubles. The scenes need to be scheduled to combine the celebrity’s scenes into blocks so that they are not scattered apart in time. It is also important to keep in mind the amount of time that they require to prepare between takes or scenes. A special person needs to be assigned to call the celebrity onto the set, who is often the 2nd AD or First Team PA and who needs to communicate with them with respect and in the perfect tone. Also, when shooting on set, Progressive pays attention to the smallest details, such as positioning the camera monitors in order to minimize the number of people that can view it in respect of the celebrity’s privacy and lower the pressure on their performance.

Personal Space: The Green Room

At Progressive Productions we design and develop our sets with a special focus on ensuring that we are able to fully provide comfort and discretion for the celebrity. A green room is an essential component of such a shoot, since it is a personal environment individually tailored to ensure perfect conditions for focusing, preparing their role and also relaxing in between takes. Key components are such as the following: complete privacy,  tasteful interior design, ideal lighting and heating. Furthermore, a private restroom is also vital and for it to be located in order to ensure swift and easy access to the set.

Furthermore, it is always important to provide a copy of the call sheet and the script in the green room for the celebrity next to refreshments and a craft table. Fresh fruit, snacks, as well as hot and cold drinks are to be provided at any time. If requested, then they can have a personal, on set chef to cater for them either in the green room, in a private area or  the communal dining area with the rest of the cast and/or crew. Naturally, all dietary preferences are to be taken into account and top quality catering will be specially provided for them. Often celebrities have special requests regarding their green rooms and we will naturally do our best to fulfil their wishes.

Even during location scouting, on-location green room options are an aspect that we pay special attention to. There are also extreme situations, when there are exceptionally special locations that can not cater for world-famous stars without serious interventions, but we have been able to solve such situations with mobile top quality trailers, portable electricity and heating, as was the case when Progressive’s team produced a shoot with Adrien Brody in an abandoned, unheated power station in the middle of winter.

Five Star Accommodation

Thanks to Progressive Productions’ years of experience in producing high-brow shoots, we have developed strong partnerships with various top-class hotels, that can provide all that a celebrity can need during their stay, such as complete discretion, top quality services, meals and suites. Since these hotels are also experienced in hosting celebrities, they too practise the internationally known rules and etiquette that enables the secrecy of their guests. Such is complete confidentiality regarding their identity, ensured by only the smallest, essential number of staff being aware of their true identity and otherwise enabling them to register either under an alias or to be a non-registered guest. This provides the hotel with an easy and truthful answer to questions regarding whether a certain celebrity is present at the hotel. They can simply answer that there is not guest under this name in the guestbook. Celebrities are granted luxury rooms and suites, private access and even entire floors and elevators. Of course, they can be insured not to be disturbed and have completely soundproof rooms. These hotels have experience in hosting the cast and crew of productions and are therefore aware of all the special needs that can occur in the intense schedule of filmmakers.

Top-Quality Transport

Transport is key for a celebrity’s stay since it is essential for their journey from the airport to their accommodation, from their accommodation to the set, and anywhere else they might wish to visit. Special celebrities also require the highest standard of personal transport services with reliable, high standard services and the best vehicles available. Only the best companies in the country, with whom we are in partnership provide the latest models of the top brands are essential for the transport of the world-famous. These vehicles need to be licenced and insured, naturally with air conditioning, wi-fi, electricity, refreshments and tinted windows. Still, the chauffeur is key to the travel experience, which is why we have listed the most important aspects of their service:

Chauffeurs have to

  1. be fully certificated and insured,

  2. be drivers with years of experience of driving high-profile guests and driving in a convoy,

  3. provide discretion

  4. able to access the risks of situations and ensure safety,

  5. be perfectly punctual,

  6. be reliable, attentive and amiable,

  7. provide various language skills,

  8. have a sensibility to communicate according to their guests’ cultural requirements

  9. in-depth knowledge of the area, enabling perfect route selection

Experienced and Secure Security

Alongside the security measures granted by high-brow transport companies, it is recommended to take further steps to ensure the celebrity’s security. Although security is generally reliable in elite hotels and during the shoot, transport and especially when moving between buildings and vehicles, are situations when the safety provided by personal security services are key. These periods of transition are when stars are the most exposed to paparazzi, fans or wrongdoers. So the providers of security are to make risk assessments and planning accordingly to ensure the safety of the celebrity. Close protection, especially in the city after working hours is important against paparazzi. On the other hand, it is also important for these guards to behave appropriately and amiably with the wider public, not to ruin the reputation of the celebrity. This important balance ensured by high standard professionals, which Progressive Productions can provide reliable partnerships with.

Therefore, these are the services and complex measures that Progressive Productions provides specially for celebrity shoots. We ensure the best professional and personal experience that these international stars deserve during a production. Work etiquette, NDAs, top quality green rooms and catering, as well as attentive crew members are important on set. Top-quality transportation, accommodation and security are also key services to be ensured for non-working hours.