Discomfort Comes Easily to You on a Film Set

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Discomfort Comes Easy on a Film Set with Cave SqueezesCreative Commons License photo credit: Graham Racher

As a camera assistant, you end up in the oddest situations: in front of explosive fake blood squibs, inside the dirty den of a dilapidated strip club, and even holding the camera in the passenger seat of a Lamborghini Diablo (it’s true, this happened to me).

But not every scene mandates a strange location and, in fact, many are beautiful.

One thread I’ve seen weaved throughout my career is the appearance of — to borrow a term from caving — “squeezes.”

“Squeezes” are the nearly impossibly thin gaps between two large rocks cavers have to experience. To get through takes an incredible amount of persistence, time (sometimes hours), and a body that has never heard of “craft services.”

And while a squeeze on a film set doesn’t quite have the same deadly consequences of a cave, there is the feeling that you’ve got to do what it takes to get the shot — there’s no turning back.

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The Longest Moment On Set

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The Longest Moment on SetCreative Commons License photo credit: tibchris

As you sit there, writhing with anxiety, they’re talking. It’s a group huddle and you’re not invited. Instead, you’re merely a spectator waiting eagerly to hear their decision.

You know that if they walk away with smiles on their faces, you’re good to go.

But you also know it’s possible that the director will turn to the producer with an exasperated sigh and say, “Alright, one more time before we wrap.”

Of all the long moments that take place on set, this decision is by far the longest — or so it seems.

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The Little Squib that Couldn’t Splatter Blood

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The Little Squib that Couldn't Splatter BloodCreative Commons License photo credit: Le Clan Brunet

Transitioning to night shoots is always a feat. When you have to do it in a day’s time — for a two week span — it’s a Herculean effort.

That was the case on a horror film I was shooting. And in the midst of these dark nights, we had to do some blood effects using squibs, or fake vessels of blood that explode and simulate wounds opening. Squibs range from the realisitcally subtle to the overblown absurd.

There are also two types of squibs I’ve run into in my day: the compressed air squib and the explosive squid. Each has their advantages and disadvantages (mainly cheap vs. pricey), but there’s a good reason why I have always considered compressed air squibs to be a waste of time.

Here’s that story.

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The Gift and the Curse of Zeiss Superspeed Lenses

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Carl Zeiss Superspeed Aperture Closeupphoto credit: Aperture Pictures

It was the weight in my hands that I first learned to appreciate. The solid build and unrelenting sturdiness of it drew me in to admire the precision and power of the lens.

After that it was the way I could look through it and see a different world — distorted and warped — yet clearer than my own eyes.

And though it’s a challenge to pull focus on Zeiss Superspeeds, it’s that dance between myself, the camera and the lens — when everything falls sharp as a tack — that made me fall in love.
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The View from the Other Side of the Camera

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The View from the Other Side of the Camera

I’m used to sharing a view of the scene with the camera.

I’m comfortable crouching low and aligning my eyesight with the barrel of a lens or watching a monitor to see the world as the camera does.

I used to think that from behind the camera I had a real sense of the presence of the set. I could look to video village to see the crowds or glance to my left or right where flags and lights stood. From next to the camera, a 360 degree turnaround could give me a glimpse of the entire set.

But I was wrong. If you want a true sense of the presence of a film set, you have to step in front of the camera where all the lights point on you, where the camera is pointed at you, and where everyone’s attention falls on you.

For some that experience is exhilarating. For others, daunting. For me, it was a chance to have fun.

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The Human Element: Or How Accidents Happen

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Human Eye Brown ElementCreative Commons License photo credit: Rakesh Rocky

Hollywood is filled with a common theme about machines: they’re here to kill us. If action and science fiction movies are any indication of future events, it definitely seems like the robots and the machines of the world are out to get us.

While you wait for the impending robopacalypse to descend upon us, you’ll find that machines are actually very useful in everyday life and in helping you on set.

And that the simplest machines — like light stands, quick release plates, and other tools — help to dispel the human element you bring to every job you do.

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If You’re Lost on Location, Hope for the Best

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GPS Satellite Navigation and Hula DancerCreative Commons License photo credit: Jimmy_Joe

One thing that surprises most people about the film industry is the logistics. Not only dozens of people having to eat meals, but they also have to all be in the same places at the same times to shoot.

On some productions this means having PA’s shuttle you back and forth, while on others, you get handed a piece of paper with directions and a call-time. The call-time is usually right, but the directions aren’t always so.

And without a GPS or satellite navigation system, you can find yourself very lost, very easily.
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