How many times have we seen in movies scenes where incredible banquets of mouth-watering food unfold? Surely some have come to mind! How do you put food together so that it is part of a scene in a harmonious way and also keeping the authenticity of the story? Of course, preparing food for this purpose and making it look photogenic while at the same time tempting and tasty is a very important job.
Getting culinary elements across the screen is a big challenge. Nowadays, artificial or plastic food is no longer used, but real food, so that when actors interact with these elements, they can eat them and make the story seem even more real.
An important thing to keep in mind for whoever is in charge of ordering the food for the filming, is to consider that a scene can be filmed many times. Therefore, if there is a holiday scene - such as Thanksgiving or a birthday - and the characters cut the turkey or the cake, there must be considerable stock. An extra difficulty is when the scene includes very hot or very cold food, such as ice cream.
You must also consider whether the actor or actress has a special diet that prevents them from eating certain foods, for example, if they are vegetarian, vegan, or even if they are allergic to some ingredients.
This job has become very important over the years and there are already Food Styling careers or courses in some countries. Some professionals even specialize in food for a particular format: television, commercials, movies, editorials, among others, because each of them has its specificities and food is not prepared in the same way. In an editorial, there is a more controlled environment, food is placed with a certain light, background, etc., whereas in a commercial, the food is the star and everything is centered around it; in a movie or television product, food can be something relevant (like the iconic scene of the chocolate cake in Matilda or in The Founder, which tells the story of how the famous fast food chain came about) or it can work as an accompaniment to the central action of an actor.
Now as a viewer we will know that everything is perfectly thought, right down to that amazing dessert that makes us want to eat something sweet while watching our favorite movie.
Stay tuned!
