Member in Focus: Silvia Felce

We recently caught up with PGGB Member Silvia Felce, a Production Supervisor, who has worked on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, The Sandman and Game of Thrones. Most recently, Silvia worked on Amazon MGM Studios' upcoming show Bait, created by and starring Riz Ahmed. The comedy series follows a struggling actor as he auditions for the role of James Bond amid public backlash and family relationships.

Silvia told us about her experiences working on the show and her role in helping bring it from concept to screen.

Hi Silvia! Congratulations on the release of Bait! You were Production Supervisor on thew show - what can you tell us about it?

Bait is an Amazon MGM TV comedy show created by Riz Ahmed, who also stars in the show.

He plays Shah Latif, a struggling actor who blows an audition to become the new James Bond, yet somehow, he ends up going viral and being in the running for the role. This leads him to go through a personal crisis about his British Muslim identity, his loyalty to his family and his dream of Hollywood stardom.  

How did you come to be involved in the project?

This was my first job as a Production Supervisor after years of coordinating, and fellow Guild Member Lorenzo Monti, who has been working with me as a APOC for a few years, was my Production Coordinator so we both stepped up at the same time and were excited to be doing new things! We also had a first time Production Secretary and a Production trainee from Mama Youth, so there was definitely a sense of excitement and eagerness in the team while also awareness that we had to look after those crew members who had new roles.

What was it like working on the series?

Due to the nature of the show, scripts were changed quite a bit, in order to really hone the comedy. As such, there were a lot of last-minute tweaks to schedules, cast, locations etc. which meant we it was quite busy in the office. 

We had quite a few night shoots and lots of split days while having locations all around London, so the Coordinator and I had to work out in advance a schedule to split the team and make sure office and set were always covered without anybody doing unnecessary long hours. We also tried to split the office/trailer days so everybody could come to set and not always been stuck in the office. 

Sometimes being in Production can feel a bit removed from the rest of the crew and from what it is going on, lost in our logs and spreadsheets, so walking on set and see everything can really help remind us of what we are actually doing. I am always telling that to my team and make sure that now and then they leave their desks and walk to set!

To rewind a little, you mentioned you just stepped up from a Production Coordinator role – how did you get started in the industry? 

I came to this country from Italy many years ago to work in the cinema and TV industry (inspired by films like Back To the Future and Trainspotting!) but life derailed me a bit and I ended up working as a journalist and as a News Producer for the UK office of RAI, the Italian national TV.

Then I managed to go back on track by spotting an advert for a low budget film that was shooting in Italy and needed somebody that could speak Italian to help and I ended up being the coordinator. But I knew I didn’t know a lot, so I sort of started again and did a few jobs as an Assistant Coordinator, Travel and Accommodation, Shipping, Script Coordinator so I could learn everything before going back to be a Production Coordinator. As a I coordinator I did both small and big projects, including one of my favourites, working on Game of Thrones, and a few years ago, went full circle by working on a film called Here directed by Robert Zemeckis !

In terms of stepping up, you’ve completed a few PGGB courses – how did they help you in your career?

We work in an industry where we have to learn on the job so courses are really important: they can help you out with the knowledge, but also they give you the confidence to step up. I was listening to a Production Guild panel just a few days ago and somebody said something like be a “serial course taker” and I thought “OMG, that’s me!”

Coming from News, I knew I didn’t know much about the day-to-day run of a film & TV office, so I first took the APOC course, then a few years later I did the Coordinator one and in 2023 I was selected for the “Introduction to Production Manager, which was an amazing course - one week in Cardiff with fellow future PMs doing a full immersion into the Production Manager job. In between I took Movie Magic scheduling and budgeting course, cast contracts, finance… as I said, I do love a course!

But if you have the time and can afford it, I will always recommend them. I can honestly say that taking these courses has played a meaningful role in helping me advancing my career by strengthening both my knowledge and confidence. 

Back to Bait – there are lots of brilliant scenes, locations, fantasy sequences… I wonder if you share any highlights or interesting stories from filming? Was it as varied as it looks?

Although filming was intense, mostly on locations around London, it was a very enjoyable experience, with some interesting set pieces.

One particular challenge was episode 4, which was a sort of soft version of a ‘one take’. The main complication here was that it was set on Brick Lane at night and features two cast hopping on a rickshaw before going into a neon rave. In order to get this, it involved days of rehearsals and locking down a large section of Brick Lane. Whilst hoping the rain would hold off…   

We worked closely with local businesses on those streets involving them in the shoot, but we also had to close the streets to member of the public.  

I remember going to set and there were as many security people and Location Assistants locking down as there were crew members plus a hundred extras ….so you had to look closely to understand who the crew were, the extras and who the member of the public walking by!

The neon party rave was great, the Costume and Hair & Make Up departments had a blast (and lots of hard work) dressing everybody and it happened on the last day of shoot, so it was a crazy, very colourful way to end the job.

On the flip side, did this pace and variation cause any specific challenges in filming? How did you overcome them?

This was a passion project for Riz, who was also the Show Runner with Ben Karlin (Modern Family) and he produced it with his own company Left Handed, so production worked very close with them to try to bring his idea to the screen. He had a very precise aesthetic in his mind, especially about specific locations in London and cast. Everybody worked very hard to be able to meet those requests while working on a tight TV schedule. 

One of the biggest challenges we had was the many locations, most of them at night. We were moving every couple of days so we had to devise very tight plans with all the departments to maximise time on the locations and also move the unit and all their requirements quickly and efficiency.

Another challenge was that being a comedy the scripts were always evolving and changing so we had to be prepared to change our plans and move very fast in creating new ones. I remember receiving some revisions and…a scene in an airport had been added with a week to go! I think the production, locations and art departments had a few sleepless nights but managed to pull it off!

Finally, could you tell us a bit more about the role of a Production Supervisor and what you do on a daily or weekly basis?

I think a Production Supervisor is that additional person in between the Production Coordinator and the UPM, making sure they are both covered and assisted and to facilitate their jobs.

On Bait I worked mainly very close to the UPM, Loreta Zajarskyte, taking specific tasks from her to free her to concentrate on bigger parts of the shooting. I looked after crew deals, booked all the additional equipment, looked after facility and the Unit moves and my least favourite… signing timesheets and discussing OT with crew! This while always keeping an eye on my Coordinator lending a hand when needed.

On a day-to-day basis the role involved talking to the crew on the floor and checking about requirements and issues and reporting to the UPM.

What skills or qualities do you think are essential for succeeding in this role?

I think being organised and being good with logistics while also having strong communication skills are the most important qualities for succeeding in the role. 

You need to be able to work efficiently while collaborating with the crew.

I also think you need to be able to read and take in a lot of information, sometimes in a short space of time. I always say to work in Production you have to be "Jack of all trades, master of none" as we need to be able to understand all the departments requirements and be able to collaborate with them, without being an expert in their fields.