Tips for Filmmakers and Camera Assistants
Pulling focus in handheld situations is tough. You have to make quick calculations in your head about distance and be ready to anticipate unpredictable moments.
It’s not an easy task and requires a Zen-like state of mind to handle all the pressure. If you can pull focus while handheld, you’ll be able to pull focus in almost any other situation you come across.
Today I want to share with you one of the ways I help make pulling focus while handheld a little bit easier.
Films are rarely without camera movement. To create a moving frame, the camera gets thrown on dolly tracks, on cranes, and even on shoulders for handheld operation.
That means popping the camera off the sturdy base of a tripod and into the hands of an operator. For the camera assistant, this creates a few issues that you need to be able to keep up with.
After working many films shot exclusively handheld, I came up with three tips to help you for those times where the camera operator turns and says, “Load me up!”
Camera assisting and Twitter couldn’t be further apart. One requires a strong technical knowledge of physical equipment, while the other centers around sharing brief messages with friends. But despite that, after spending a few years tweeting, I’ve seen that Twitter has a few things to teach camera assistants — even if they are fundamentally different.Click to continue reading
Freelancing in the film industry has the potential to be one of the greatest jobs. You get to travel to different locations, you get to meet tons of new people, and you get to eat for free. But maybe you’re fed up with 12 hour days and frustrated with big shot producers who abuse their crew. In short, you need a way out. Don’t worry, I understand, and I’m here to help with 10 ways to guarantee you never work on a film set again.
If you’re like me, you appreciate the small amount of time on set during lunchtime to eat, relax and maybe even sneak a quick nap. Of course, as a camera assistant, your first priority is the camera and breaking for lunch means making sure it will be OK without you. This is how I keep the camera safe during the extended break and you should be doing something similar if you aren’t already.
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Do you find pulling focus to be tough? You’re not the only one. As Sam Garwood says, it’s “a really simple really difficult job.” The physical act is easy, but the mental pressure is immense. Even if you’re an experienced focus puller, honing the skill is an ongoing battle. The best way to learn is to be thrown into the fire, but there are ways to get better without a cinema camera setup at home — all it takes is some dedication and a bit of time on the weekend.
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A site for camera assistants, cinematographers and film professionals to gather and discuss tips, tricks, and techniques.
It is run by Evan Luzi, a camera assistant with a passion for sharing his knowledge and helping you become a better filmmaker along the way.
Read more about Evan or contact him.
Comment Corner: Week of August 8th
There’s an old camera department joke that asks, “How many camera assistants does it take to screw in a light bulb?”
The answer: 5 — one to do it and four to tell you how they did it on the last job.
It’s a great joke about the stubborn individuality with which camera assistants approach their job. Nowhere on this site is this quality more prevalent than in Comment Corner.
Each week, through experience and intellect, you’ll find plenty of camera assistants telling you the right way to screw in a light bulb — or at least how they would do it.
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