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Production Stories

Production Stories

Tales from the Front Lines of Movie Making

Most Recent Articles in "Production Stories"

Page 3

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

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

by Evan LuziProduction Stories

  • 10

Scientists have done studies that show if you are working in the film industry, you are more likely to succumb to Murphy’s Law while on the way to set. And without a GPS or satellite navigation system, you can find yourself very lost, very easily.

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Bridging the Gap Between Crew and Talent

Bridging the Gap Between Crew and Talent

by Evan LuziProduction Stories

  • 17

As crew, we watch actors get all the perks, the fancy trailers, and the later call-times. The result of this is a perceived gap between crew and the talent; A natural divide of us Morlocks who toil away behind the camera and the blissfully beautiful Eloi who traipse in front of it.

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The Battle with Producer George - Part 2

The Battle with Producer George – Part 2

by Evan LuziProduction Stories

  • 8

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.

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The Battle with Producer George Part 1

The Battle with Producer George – Part 1

by Evan LuziProduction Stories

  • 16

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.

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The Cattle Herd of Movie Extras

The Cattle Herd of Movie Extras

by Evan LuziProduction Stories

  • 31

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.

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The Satisfaction of Seeing Your Name On Screen

The Satisfaction of Seeing Your Name On Screen

by Evan LuziProduction Stories

  • 27

You get transported back to that moment in the theater when you first realized, “hundreds of people do this as their life.” For a brief moment, you get to remember how it feels to be driven by that magic, by the dream, by the urge to one day be a part of something that inspires others.

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The Stupidest Thing I've Ever Done On Set

The Stupidest Thing I’ve Ever Done On Set

by Evan LuziProduction Stories

  • 8

I’m not perfect. Even though I spend a lot of time on this site talking about being a perfect camera assistant, I haven’t always successfully followed that advice. A lot of filmmaking is common sense and you’d be surprised at the amount of people who fail at the most basic sensibilities, including myself.

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Hurry Up and Wait (For the Train)

The Secret to Hollywood Productivity

by Evan LuziProduction Stories

  • 29

Rush to block, scramble to light, skip the rehearsal, and now let’s wait for that plane to pass for sound. Hurry up and wait is all too true in the film industry, but it’s that mentality that’s the true secret to filmmaking productivity.

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Learning to Limp By the Long Days

Learning to Limp By the Long Days

by Evan LuziProduction Stories

  • 32

If you’re planning on a long career in film, I’m convinced you have to learn to deal with the unexpected. Whether that means get by without a piece of gear, without an extra crew member, or even without your own health.

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On Set: When Gravity Meets a $5,000 Lens

On Set: When Gravity Meets a $5,000 Lens

by Evan LuziProduction Stories

  • 23

What happens when a lens falls out of someone’s hands and lands – thud! – onto the ground? It gives a heart attack to those of us in the camera department watching, especially when we know that gravity always wins.

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