When you work in a craft that is so dependent on how each individual approaches a problem, your opinion can only strengthen what I write, so let’s take a look at the best of them from this week.
Filmmaking Tips and Advice
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The Battle with Producer George – Part 2
The epic conclusion and second part of my battle on set with an executive producer named George. Does he get me fired, finally, like he wanted to the whole time? Or do we end up as best buds? You’ll have to read to find out.
The Battle with Producer George – Part 1
When I was starting out in the industry, on one of the first films I was ever 1st assistant camera (AC), I had to defend myself against a producer who had placed a target on my head. There are a whole slew of reasons why I remember George – including how we met.
The Biggest Myth Behind Hollywood Filmmaking
And though the film industry is far different from the golden age of Hollywood – where stars were born and studios pumped out movies like a sausage factory – there is one major myth that lives on unwilling to die.
How to Handle Pressure and Perform Better On Set
There are so many ways to trip over yourself in this industry and pressure is nothing more than a mind game and a trick of the thoughts. Seize control of it and you’ll be able to do your job well and accomplish the toughest of tasks.
What to Do After Your Focus Goes Soft
Despite your best efforts to rehearse a shot, get focus marks, and hit those marks in rhythm, you don’t always get it right. Sometimes you pull too fast. Or your mark was off. Or an actor was off their mark. Or the follow focus dislodged from the gears. Or…well, you get the point.
Comment Corner: Week of May 16th
If you’re reading this then you’re safe and I’m safe. It means we survived the impending rapture apocalypse that was predicted to take place yesterday. So now you can stop watching films like Mad Max and Terminator in preparation of a post-apocalyptic world and go back to a predictably normal life.
5 Mistakes That Hurt Your Chances for a Job
You’re left wondering why producers aren’t tripping over each other offering you gigs. Well, it may be their fault, but it may also be yours. If you make any of the 5 mistakes below, you could be hurting your chances to land that perfect job.
The Cattle Herd of Movie Extras
Alfred Hitchcock once said: “I didn’t say actors are cattle. What I said was, actors should be treated like cattle.” Hitchcock was onto something. If you substitute in “extras” for “actors,” the metaphor holds even more true.
How (Not) to Become a Camera Assistant
If you Google the words “camera assistant,” only a few results from the top is an article from eHow.com titled How to Become a Camera Assistant (AC). You don’t have to be a pro to find this article horribly misinformed. So let’s break down what eHow says and why their method is not the direction you want to go.