What happens at a PPM before a commercial shoot?

What a PPM is for

The pre-production meeting is where the production company presents every decision for approval, usually three to seven days before the shoot. It exists so that nothing is discovered on set.

A change at PPM costs a conversation. The same change on the shoot day costs a crew standing still, and after the shoot it costs a reshoot.

The agenda

• Script and boards. Final locked version, shot by shot, with timings.
• Director's treatment. Tone, pacing, camera approach and references.
• Cast. Final selects, with usage terms confirmed.
• Locations. Confirmed, with permits, access times and a weather plan.
• Wardrobe, hair and makeup. Looks per character, per scene.
• Product and props. Who supplies them, and when they arrive.
• Schedule. Hour by hour, with the shot list mapped against it.
• Deliverables. Every format, ratio and run time to be produced.
• Post plan. Edit dates, review rounds and final delivery date.
• Approvals. Who signs off on set, and who signs off in post.

Who attends

From the production side: producer, director, and usually the DoP and first AD. From the client side: the brand lead and whoever holds final approval.

The second of those matters most. If the person who can say yes is not in the room, the PPM does not lock anything, and the decisions simply reappear on the shoot day.

What to do beforehand

Read the boards properly and mark anything that does not match the brief. Confirm product and legal copy is final. Check that anyone whose approval you will need later has seen the script.

Bring your deliverables list and check it line by line against what is being scheduled. The most common post-shoot problem is a format nobody planned for, and the PPM is the last moment it is free to add.