Mise en Place - for Filmmaking
Why I Prep Like a Chef Before a Film Shoot
One of the biggest ideas I carried from kitchen work into filmmaking is mise en place.
Mise en place is a French culinary term that means “everything in its place.” In a kitchen, it refers to having your station fully prepared before service begins. Ingredients are cut, tools are ready, pans are set, towels are nearby, sauces are prepped, and everything has a home. The point is not just to look organized. The point is to be ready to work under pressure.
People who know me may have seen this motto tattooed on my forearm. It is there because it means more to me than kitchen prep. It has become a way I approach work, creativity, and filmmaking.
On set, mise en place means cameras are built, batteries are charged, media is ready, cables are tested, bags are packed, and the plan has been thought through before people are waiting. It means preparing enough that when the day gets chaotic, I can stay focused on the moment instead of scrambling for the basics.
You set yourself up before the pressure hits. You organize, clean, label, check, and prepare as much as possible so that when things get busy, you can stay focused.
Filmmaking feels very similar to me.
A shoot day can move fast. There are cameras to build, batteries to charge, media cards to manage, lights to adjust, locations to respect, and people waiting for direction. The more prepared I am before the day starts, the more present I can be once the camera is rolling.
Everything in Its Place
One of the simplest but most important parts of my prep is making sure the gear has a system.
In a kitchen, mise en place means everything is in its place before service begins. A line cook can work from one station and make almost any dish they are responsible for because the ingredients, tools, pans, towels, sauces, and backups are already within reach. The station is built so they do not have to stop and search every time an order comes in.
That is how I think about film gear.
Two cameras next to two totes may not look glamorous, but to me, that is a ready station. The cameras are built or close to ready, the totes are packed, and the tools are grouped in a way that makes sense for the day. If we need a battery, media card, cable, lens cloth, clamp, or piece of tape, it should have a place.
That kind of organization keeps the day moving. When a shoot gets busy, the goal is not to dig through scattered bags while people are waiting. The goal is to know where things are, grab what is needed, and keep working.
Prep does not make a shoot perfect, but it gives the day a foundation. Just like a line cook can move faster when their station is set, a film crew can move with more confidence when the gear is organized before the pressure hits.
Building the Camera Before the Chaos
A fully rigged camera is another part of preparation. By the time the shoot starts, I want the camera built for the job it needs to do, not pieced together while everyone is waiting.
That means thinking through the full setup: camera body, lens, battery solution, media, monitor, cables, support, and any accessories needed for the day. Every piece affects how smoothly the camera department can work. If one small part fails, it can slow down the entire set.
This is where tested and trusted equipment matters. A camera build is not just about what looks impressive. It is about knowing the tools will hold up under pressure. Batteries need to last. Memory cards or drives need to be reliable. External viewers need to stay connected. Wireless color, focus, or monitoring tools need to be tested before the shoot, not discovered on set for the first time.
Cables are a big part of this too. A bad cable can create problems that look like camera issues, monitor issues, or power issues. The same goes for batteries that drain too quickly or mounts that do not stay secure. When I use gear I already trust, I am not guessing whether the setup can survive the day.
Building the camera ahead of time also helps me think through how it will actually be used. Is the camera staying on sticks?
Will it need to move? Does the operator need an external monitor? Is focus being pulled manually or wirelessly? Are we recording internally, externally, or both? These choices shape the pace of production.
In a kitchen, you sharpen your knives before service because you do not want to fight your tools during the rush. On a film set, the camera build is the same idea. The more solid the setup is before the day begins, the more everyone can focus on the scene instead of troubleshooting the equipment.
A reliable camera build gives the crew confidence. It lets the operator work comfortably, keeps the director focused on performance and framing, and gives the whole set a better rhythm. The goal is not to build the biggest rig possible. The goal is to build the right rig, with gear that has already earned your trust.
Protecting the Footage
Prep does not stop once filming begins. One of the most important parts of production happens quietly at the laptop.
A DIT station may not look exciting from the outside, but it is where the footage is protected. While the camera is capturing the image, the DIT station becomes the place where that work is transferred, organized, checked, and backed up. It is not just about moving files from one place to another. It is about making sure the footage survives the day.
On set, media cards can fill up quickly. Once a card comes out of the camera, it needs to be handled carefully.
The files need to be copied into the right folders, labeled clearly, and checked before the card is cleared or used again. A messy media workflow can turn into a major problem later, especially when it is time to edit, sync audio, color grade, or find specific takes.
This is where organization really matters. Folder names, project dates, camera cards, audio files, and backups all need to make sense. Future-me in the edit bay should not have to guess where things are. If the footage is organized properly during production, post-production becomes much smoother.
There is also a lot of trust involved. The cast and crew have given their time, energy, performances, and attention to the project. The DIT station is where that work is protected. If a scene was difficult to shoot or a performance was especially strong, the last thing you want is to lose it because the files were rushed or mishandled.
That is why I see media management as part of respecting the production. It may not be the most visible job on set, but it is one of the most important. The camera captures the moment, but the workflow keeps that moment safe.
Planning Beyond the Gear
Preparation is not only about cameras and equipment. Sometimes it is about communication, permissions, and making sure the people around the production know what is happening.
A public filming notice is a good example of that. It is not the most cinematic image, but it represents an important part of the process. Filmmaking often happens in shared spaces, and those spaces come with responsibilities.
Posting a notice, communicating with the public, planning around a location, and making sure people understand what is going on all help the shoot run smoother. It also shows respect for the space and the people who may be affected by the production.
Good prep is not just about making things easier for the crew. It is also about being professional.
Staying Calm When the Day Gets Busy
The reason I prep so much is not because I expect everything to go perfectly. It is because I know things will get busy, and when they do, people need something steady to work from.
In kitchens, there is a rhythm to the rush. Everyone has their station, their prep, their timing, and their own part of the larger service. When it works, it feels almost choreographed. People are moving around each other, calling things out, adjusting, reacting, and still keeping the food moving. It can look chaotic from the outside, but underneath it there is structure.
A film set feels very similar.
Maintaining a shot list, prepping gear, and making sure each department understands the plan helps the whole crew come together more cohesively. Camera, lighting, sound, directing, talent, production, and art all have their own responsibilities, but none of them work in isolation. Each department affects the others.
When everyone starts to understand the rhythm of the set, the work begins to flow. You learn how to read each other’s movements, when to step in, when to step back, and how to adjust without stopping the whole process. It is almost like each department is a different leg of the same spider, moving separately but still carrying the same body forward.
That kind of coordination does not happen by accident. It comes from preparation, communication, and trust. The shot list gives the day direction. The gear prep keeps the tools ready. Department prep helps people know what they are walking into. Once the pressure hits, all of that planning gives the crew something to return to.
Being calm on set is not about pretending things are easy. It is about building enough structure beforehand that when things shift, the team can still move together.
The Invisible Work
A lot of preparation is invisible in the final image. The audience does not see the packed totes, the camera build, the file transfers, the charged batteries, the filming notice, or the conversations that happened before the shoot. They only see the finished moment.
But that invisible work is vital to filmmaking.
Even at the home movie level, preparation matters. If a phone is not charged, the moment might not get recorded. If storage is full, the clip might stop halfway through. If files are never backed up, years of memories can disappear. The scale may be different, but the principle is the same: the footage only exists if the tools are ready and the media is protected.
On a film set, those stakes grow. There are more people involved, more equipment to manage, and more moving parts that depend on each other. A missed battery, a bad cable, a misplaced media card, or a disorganized folder can slow down the entire day or create problems later in post-production.
That is why I do not see prep as separate from the creative process. It is part of the creative process. The invisible work is what gives the visible work a chance to happen.
The final shot may be emotional, cinematic, or quiet, but it is supported by practical choices made long before anyone watches it. Prep may not always be exciting, but it is one of the things that allows a project to survive from idea, to shoot, to edit, to final film.
