How to Build a “Bag of Tricks” You Can Pull From in a Pinch

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How to Build a "Bag of Tricks" You Can Pull From in a PinchCreative Commons License photo credit: ro_buk

Want to be amazed? Hang around a film set and shadow a veteran key grip. At some point, he’ll come across a problem that isn’t easy to solve. You’ll be stumped, his crew may be stumped, and it’ll look like they have to take a different approach.

Then the key grip will pause (pay attention now because this is where the magic happens) and immediately come up with a clever, simple solution.

What you’ll have witnessed is an experienced crew member pulling from their bag of tricks — a collection of hacks, methods, tactics, and techniques to overcome obstacles.

Generally, the more experience you have on a film set, the bigger your bag of tricks. The bigger your bag of tricks, the faster you can come up with novel answers to complex questions.

So if you haven’t started building one yet, now is the best time to start — and I’m here to help you.

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20 Rules You Should Never Break On Set

Miscellaneous Tips 27 Comments

20 Rules You Should Never Break On SetCreative Commons License photo credit: Jason Ilagan

Yesterday I posed a simple question to those who like The Black and Blue’s Facebook page:

“When on a film set, what’s the one rule nobody should ever break?”

Within the hour, dozens of responses poured in.

The answers ranged from the profound to the practical to the peculiar. Many recommended turning cell phones off while others took the opportunity to remind their fellow crew to show up early (or at least on time). Almost all started with “never” or “don’t” — a sign that crew aren’t the most forgiving when it comes to major setiquette mishaps.

Overall, I was so impressed with the flood of advice that I wanted to share the top comments with those of you who didn’t catch the Facebook post. So I’ve gathered up 20 responses — split between the most popular and the ones I enjoyed the most — to share with you here.

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The 7 Stupidest Assumptions You Can Make When Rigging Your Camera

Camera Assisting 5 Comments

The 7 Stupidest Assumptions You Can Make When Rigging Your CameraCreative Commons License photo credit: jsgrites

I was terribly nervous the first time I secured a camera to a jib and watched it swing into the air. All sorts of thoughts raced through my head: were the bolts tight enough? Were they the right bolts? What if the safety line fails? How much does the camera cost if it plummets to the ground?

In that first moment, as the jib operator gleefully swung the camera to the jib’s maximum height over the side of the roof we were standing on, I thought of everything that could go wrong.

But I took solace in the fact that I had double-checked everything. I left nothing to chance.

I made no assumptions. The bolts were tight and the line was secure. Assumptions are how mistakes happen.  Some compromise safety, while others compromise your efficiency.

When rigging a camera to a jib, a crane, or even a Steadicam, you don’t want to leave anything to chance by making false assumptions. So, to stay safe and keep your job, avoid making these 7 stupid assumptions that could lead to your demise, the camera’s demise, or put the crew in danger.

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Camera Hack: Using WiFi SD Cards to Deliver Still Frame Grabs from a Camera

Toolkit 1 Comment

Camera Hack: Using WiFi SD Cards to Deliver Still Frame Grabs from a CameraCreative Commons License photo credit: schaft9

As DSLR cameras have become a bigger part of the filmmaking landscape, I find it interesting that digital cinema filmmaking cameras are beginning to heavily adopt stills and frame grabs as a key feature. It’s telling that these two contrasting technologies are beginning to intersect.

But it makes sense. The ability to pull stills and frame grabs directly from a camera can be used for:

The only problem with frame grabs is the intrusion of retrieving them from the camera as camera operators, camera assistants, or DP’s work. Often, a DIT or AC will have to take over the camera for a few moments to generate the grabs and whisk them away on the SD card on which they’re stored.

Fortunately, for those who don’t like interruptions and those who don’t like interrupting, reader Jared Rogers has come up with an elegant solution that utilizes newer WiFi-enabled SD cards.

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Females Beware: It’s a Feeding Frenzy for You in the Ocean of the Film Industry

Production Stories 35 Comments

Females Beware: It’s a Feeding Frenzy in the Ocean of the Film IndustryCreative Commons License photo credit: USFWS Headquarters

There she stood ignorant to the danger surrounding her.

With each flash of her smile and brush of her hair, she risked an attack at any moment.

I wanted to scream, “Get out of there! Watch out!” but my lips locked tight as I darted my eyes between her and the job I was doing.

I felt helpless as I watched them close-in, her simple beauty chumming the water for the hungry sharks circling around her.

Then, as quickly as I looked down to clean a lens, it happened.

An older actor, at least three times her own age, approached her with his hand oustretched followed by a flimsy attempt at flirtation.

It was too late — the first strike had happened and the feeding frenzy began…

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Freelance Taxes #4: Must-Do Tips for Filing Your Taxes in the Future

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Freelance Taxes #4: Must-Do Tips for Filing Your Taxes in the FutureCreative Commons License photo credit: X-Ray Delta One

From our ongoing discussion of How to Do Your Taxes as a Freelance Filmmaker:

Today we’re going to time-travel into… the future!

“Is it a good future?” you might ask. Well, that depends on how well you follow the advice in this post — we’re going to talk about how to better prepare yourself for doing your taxes for next year.

As we finish this series on taxes, it only makes sense that we look ahead when you’ll have a better understanding of the tax code and be able to apply the lessons learned here more appropriately.

So the future of your taxes — good or bad — is in your hands. I suggest you pay attention…

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Freelance Taxes #3: 50 Deductions You’ll Want to Take to Save Money

Miscellaneous Tips 6 Comments

Freelance Taxes #3: 50 Deductions Youll Want to Take as a Freelance FilmmakerCreative Commons License photo credit: StockMonkeys.com

From our ongoing discussion of How to Do Your Taxes as a Freelance Filmmaker:

I’ve got three quick questions for you: Do you like money? Do you like saving money? Do you wish you could get money back from the stuff you’ve already bought?

If you answered “yes!” this post for you — because we’re going to talk about tax deductions.

Tax deductions let you shrink your taxable income: the amount of money the government can claim taxes on. The lower your taxable income, the less money you owe. As we learned before, deductions are different from tax credits, but they can still save you a bunch of money if used effectively.

So, as long as you’re sure you love money, keep on reading and I’ll help you find ways to keep more of that sweet, sweet cash in your bank account and away from the IRS.

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Freelance Taxes #2: Five Pitfalls of Filing Taxes as a Freelancer

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Freelance Taxes #2: Five Pitfalls of Filing Taxes as a FreelancerCreative Commons License photo credit: B Rosen

From our ongoing discussion of How to Do Your Taxes as a Freelance Filmmaker:

Filing taxes isn’t as intimidating as it may seem, but that doesn’t mean you won’t make a mistake.

When you’re filing as a freelancer for the first time (or the fifth), there are a few pitfalls you’ll want to steer clear of to avoid paying more than you need to or to avoid an audit from the IRS.

As prepared as you may feel and as confident as you may be, there’s always the chance of misunderstanding some part of the tax code and applying it incorrectly.

So today we’ll cover five specific pitfalls that are easy to fall into if you don’t know about them.

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Freelance Taxes #1: The Basics of Getting Started and Preparing Your Taxes

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Freelance Taxes #1: The Basics of Getting Started and Preparing Your TaxesCreative Commons License photo credit: Ken Teegardin

From our ongoing discussion of How to Do Your Taxes as a Freelance Filmmaker:

Sometimes the hardest part about doing your taxes is summoning the will to start. If you’re like me, you’ll do anything else on your long list of “To-Do’s” before you’re willing to do taxes.

I don’t blame you. Taxes are cumbersome, complicated, and there’s a lot of money to be made or lost. I always feel a little worried when actually filing that I forgot some deduction or left out some info that’ll cost me an extra $100. After all, $100 is several meals (or at least a bill or two).

But alas, you have to do taxes at some point. You’re bound by the law to do them and the government is pretty serious about their deadlines.

So today’s post is all about that initial push and getting started with your taxes: gathering the appropriate forms, evaluating your options for filing, and some tips on prepping for the actual filing.

Ready to get started? Yeah, me neither. But here we go anyway…

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How to Do Your Taxes as a Freelance Filmmaker (Series)

Miscellaneous Tips 7 Comments

How to Do Your Taxes as a Freelance FilmmakerCreative Commons License photo credit: 401(K) 2013

The tax man cometh and he wants your money. Seeing that you’re a freelancer, he sees an opportunity to take a little bit more.

When you’re a freelancer, paying taxes can seem like a huge burden. There’s more paperwork to handle, calculations to make, and money on the line. If you don’t wade through the ocean of tax rules carefully, your filing could end up being a tidal wave of epic proportions.

But we won’t let that happen. Taxes don’t have to be as intimidating as they seem. As long as you aren’t hiding your money or using it to fund any crimes, well, you don’t have much to worry about.

With two weeks until last year’s taxes are due, it’s a good time to cover techniques to maximize your return (or minimize what you owe) so that you can focus on your career, not your checkbook.

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