Building a Film Crew for an Event in Rome
- Twelve people at peak, built and coordinated by me as local production lead.
- Three interview units, each with an operator, an assistant and a sound recordist, plus a roaming camera and two makeup artists.
- A complete extra unit added on the first morning, in place the same day without stopping the schedule.
- Four days in one hotel, January 2025, Rome.
- Sony FX6 and FX9 on the interview units, FX30 on a gimbal, Aputure LED panels and a teleprompter with its own operator.
How It Was Made
The Job
In January 2025 I built and ran the film crews for a four-day corporate convention in Rome, hired by 8Feet Fixer, the Italian production company handling the job on the ground. The event took over an entire hotel, and the client's own director and Director of Photography flew in from the UK to run the main unit.
My Role
I was the local production lead on a crew that reached twelve people at its peak. I put it together, sourced the equipment and ran the floor, and 8Feet Fixer never needed to send anyone to set. I worked face to face with the English director, but every new request went back to Francesca and Monica Pacchiano at 8Feet Fixer before I acted on it, so the chain of command stayed intact.
The Production
Two interview units to start, each with an operator, an assistant and a sound recordist, on Sony FX6 and FX9 bodies with battery-powered Aputure LED panels and a mobile power unit. The main unit, run by the client's director and DoP, needed an electronic teleprompter with a dedicated operator for the scripts. On top of that a roaming operator on an FX30 and gimbal, and a makeup artist. Apart from me and Fabrizio Berti, the whole crew was Roman. The equipment came from White Film in Rome, billed straight to 8Feet Fixer.
The Challenge
On the first morning, with everything already running, the director asked for a third complete interview unit and a second makeup artist, for the same day. I cleared it through 8Feet Fixer first, then called White Film, and both were in place without stopping the schedule. Four days, no gaps. On the last night I shot the gala dinner myself, with Fabrizio Berti and Marco Benedetti on the gimbal.
The director talked to me, and I talked to 8Feet Fixer before I moved. That is why four days went by without a single surprise.
Behind the Scenes
A hotel turned into a studio for four days: interview positions in the ballroom and the lobby, a main unit on prompter, and a camera free to move through the plenary.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people do you need to film a corporate event in Italy?
It depends on how many things happen at once. On a four-day convention in Rome I ran a crew that reached twelve people: three interview units of three, a roaming operator on a gimbal, a teleprompter operator and two makeup artists. A single interview position needs three people. Every parallel position you add costs another three.
How fast can you add a camera unit mid-shoot in Italy?
Within the same day, if you are working with people you know. On the Rome convention the director asked for a third complete interview unit and a second makeup artist on the first morning, with everything already running. Both were in place before the schedule slipped, because the crew came from my own contacts in Rome and the equipment from a rental house I work with regularly.
Who handles equipment rental for a foreign production shooting in Italy?
The local crew lead usually does, and the cost goes straight to the production company. On the Rome convention I sourced everything from White Film in Rome and it was billed to 8Feet Fixer, the Italian production company that hired me. A foreign production does not need an account with an Italian rental house, and does not need to ship gear in.
Can one person coordinate several crews on the same event?
Yes, and it is usually cheaper than sending a producer. On the Rome convention the production company never came to set: I assembled the crews, sourced the equipment and ran the floor, working face to face with the client's director. What makes it work is the chain of command: every new request went back to the production company before I acted on it, so nobody was ever surprised by a cost.
Need crews for an event in Italy?
If you're bringing a production to Italy and need units, equipment and someone on the ground who answers for all of it, let's talk.
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