The iPad Slate iWould Use

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Ikan Corp T-Slate iPad and Tablet Slate Clapperboard

The iPad, like most Apple products, is commonplace on film sets. Producers use them to watch dailies, directors use them to keep production notes, actors use them to keep themselves busy while they “hurry up and wait” and, increasingly, camera assistants are using them to slate.

Slating with an iPad is not a new idea. Capable slate apps have existed for awhile and one even made it front and center in an Apple commercial.

The smooth touchscreen interface of the devices and their slab-like shapes seem like a natural fit to digitize the clapperboard, especially considering the price gap between pro-level timecode slates and tablets, but using an iPad to slate never seemed particularly useful or pleasant – until now.

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The Ultimate Guide to a Camera Assistant’s Toolkit

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Camera Assistant's Toolkit Full of Gear

“What should I have in my kit?” “What are the essential tools?” “Do I need to bring gear to set?”

If you are just starting out within the camera department, these are crucial questions. You know that part of your success in the industry depends on obtaining the right tools to do the job and you aren’t sure where to even begin.

And that’s why these questions get asked a lot.

But here’s the rub: every camera assistant will have different tools depending on how they work. That’s why it’s important to peak into what other camera assistants have to offer.

So after dozens of emails and questions about it, I’m going to show you what I have in my toolkit today and also give you advice on what I think you should have in yours.

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Useful Cinematography iPhone Apps (Part 7)

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Useful Cinematography iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 Apps

In a mere 4 days, Apple’s iPhone 4S has sold 4 million units. And since I first started writing about useful cinematography iPhone apps, there have been 18 billion apps downloaded.

Steve Jobs would be proud, no doubt, at the quick success of the iPhone 4S.

Part of that success is helped by the addition of two new carriers, but there’s another more obvious reason as well: the iPhone is, well, sexy. It oozes chic.

But where the device really shines is with software, specifically those millions of apps which completely transform the phone. For filmmakers, the right apps morph the iPhone into an indispensable part of their toolkit to help calculate everything from depth of field to overtime rates.

So here are five more killer cinematography apps waiting for you to download and utilize on set.

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Be a Faster AC #11: Label Your Cases Inside & Out

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Be a Faster AC 11 Label Your Cases Inside and Outphoto credit: Adam Richlin

From our ongoing exploration of ways to become a faster and more efficient camera assistant, today’s tip is:

11. Label Your Cases Inside and Out

There’s nothing worse than heading to your toolbag for something specific, opening it up, and getting lost inside.

You unzip this pocket, open up that flap, pull out the slate, some markers, a tape measure — nothing, still can’t find it.

There’s a remedy: labels. And not just in your toolbag.

One of the first things I do during a camera prep is take time to label each case with big, bold letters that say “CAMERA” or “AKS” or “LENSES.” Then, for example, I’ll go into the lens case, and write on each lens cap the focal length and T-Stop. I highly suggest reading Adam Richlin’s comment here about how he labels his lenses (hint: see the picture above).

There are many more possibilities for labeling, however, as lens cases are just one example.

Label almost anything you can so you can find certain tools or pieces of gear quickly. This includes all cases, toolbags, or even bags within cases.

But heed this warning: too many labels and you’ll find yourself lost again.

What do you take the time to label and has it helped make you faster?

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Be a Faster AC #9: Wear a Pouch

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Be a Faster AC 9 Wear a Pouch

From our ongoing exploration of ways to become a faster and more efficient camera assistant, today’s tip is:

9. Wear a Pouch

A camera assistant’s pouch is designed specifically to speed you up. It’s made to put the most needed tools right on your hip so that what you need, when you need it, is no more than an arm’s length away.

I am constantly teased by friends, family and sometimes crew that I wear a fanny pack for my job, but I use that “pouch” about 80% of the times I am on set because it provides quick access to small items like markers or a laser measuring device.

Ultimately, wearing an AC pouch is as a matter of personal preference. There are alternatives like frontboxes, cargo pants, and a fast 2nd AC, but there’s no doubt about a pouch’s potential usefulness.

Do you wear a pouch on set? If not, what do you use instead?

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Be a Faster AC #5: Use Your Sharpie as an Emergency Mark

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Use a Sharpie as an Emergency Mark

From our ongoing exploration of ways to become a faster and more efficient camera assistant, today’s tip is:

5. Use Your Sharpie for an Emergency Mark

If you don’t keep a Sharpie in your pocket, shame on you! I’ll have to report you to the Camera Assistant’s Council and they will recommend you for review and probation.

OK, so there is no council, but still, you should have at least one Sharpie in your pocket at all times as an AC. They get used constantly for labeling magazines, distinguishing actor marks, writing on the slate, and more.

But did you know your Sharpie can also stand-in as an emergency mark?

I learned this trick from a dolly grip who, when he was told “that’s your one” during rehearsal, pulled out his cell phone and put it on the ground because it’s all he had on him.

Suddenly I realized, any object can stand-in as a temporary mark. Then, when you have the time, you replace it with camera tape.

Now, I constantly whip out permanent markers from my pocket to throw on the ground for random uses, like when I need to mark an actor and my tagboard isn’t nearby.

The possibilities are endless: use it as a quick dolly mark, use it to mark the spot where the director of photography wants the camera next, or place it on the ground as a focus reference. No longer will you be holding up talent to mark their feet or make the director wait to roll as a 2nd AC gets camera tape.

What items do you keep in a pouch or in your pocket that could act as an emergency mark?

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Be a Faster AC #1: Use a Camera Cart for Your Gear

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Camera Cart on Film Production SetCreative Commons License photo credit: John Brawley & John Bowring

Yesterday I asked you what you could do to save time, be faster, and improve your efficiency as a camera assistant (AC). I want to keep exploring that topic the next two weeks by sharing one tip per day that will help you become a quicker camera assistant. Today’s tip is:

1. Use a Camera Cart to Transport Gear & Equipment

Some camera packages contain an abundance of cases that slow you down when you have to move them. Even simply turning around in a scene is a hassle as you move each case one-by-one until the whole lot is out of the shot.

Meanwhile, with a camera cart, you can simply wheel everything away all at once in an instant.

No matter the situation — from expansive locations to a confined studio — having your equipment on a cart drastically reduces time between scene changes and setups. Best of all, using a camera cart is physically easier, making it less likely that you’ll run out of fumes at the end of a long day.

Most rental houses have camera carts available, but many camera assistants end up buying their own. A quality cart made specifically for ACs can be expensive, so if your budget is limited look into cheaper alternatives such as this Rubbermaid cart.

Now over to you: do you use camera carts for your gear?

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