PRE-CALL

Just like any other job description, good practice offers candidates a transparent understanding of the essential and adjustable functions of the role they are considering. In stage and screen production, physical demand belongs in this description, yet it still remains largely absent, often to the detriment of cast safety and welfare. The IPC has created a resource to fill this gap.

  • Pre-Call is a tool designed as a comprehensive guide to identifying the anticipated physical demand of acting and performance roles.

    It was created in response to the Impact of Injury ’24 Report, which found physical demand to be a key indicator of the likelihood of actors sustaining injury at work. The report also unveiled a significant absence of transparency in casting breakdowns relative to the physical demand of roles, a reality which has created harmful barriers to accessibility and safety in production.

  • This guide offers productions a mechanism to provide cast members with nuanced context regarding physical demand of their role. Offering this information to actors supports efforts to create psychologically safe working environments where actors feel secure in pre-emptively raising concerns. This creates space for production to respond in pre-production, rather than under the pressures of doing so mid shooting schedule.

    Pre-Call is designed to be updated to reflect changes to scripts and creative intention, and the feedback from actors helps inform the proactive measures production can take to facilitate their creative vision safely.

  • Originally created to support casting directors to empower them to create inclusive breakdowns, the IPC is now extending this offering to producers, line producers and assistant directors, arming them with the knowledge and tools to support efforts to keep actors safe from casting brief to camera. Training on the use of the Pre-Call Guide supports the understanding of the role that physical demand plays in production and empowers trainees to facilitate safe workplace environments.

  • This training has been developed for production teams and media entertainment insurance underwriters, to support their efforts to risk manage physical scene material and communicate anticipated physical demand of roles to on stage and camera facing talent.

  • What to expect:

    • The value of incorporating the fundamentals of the role into casting breakdowns and role profiles

    • How Pre-call and methodology can help identify key areas of physical demand of acting or performance roles

    • Embedding Pre-Call into pre-production and risk assessment processes

    • A platform for feedback on the value to you in your role

  • For Pre-Call booking enquiries, drop us a line on info@thisisipc.com