Production Journal #3
I recently got an internship working as a production assistant on an independent film being shot in Baltimore this month. I went in today for my first day interning and it was the biggest shoot I have ever been on. I've only worked on one professional production before and it was a very small budget. This shoot was different however; this was a large crew and everyone had something to do. It was interesting to see all the action and non action occurring; some people were running around back and forth on set and others sat there, simply supporting by being there if something were to possibly occur. Although some of these roles may seem like a waste of time, on film sets everyone is important. In my opinion the director is as important as the Director of Photography who in turn is as important as the assistant camera man, who is as important as the guy who brings him coffee to keep him awake. Everyone is vital to the smooth running of the set, and although it may seem like you're not doing much, just being there to help is enough. Sometimes just not doing anything and simply getting out of the way is also very helpful. Of course this a very idealistic view of what a production should be; there are horrible film sets to be on (thank goodness I haven't had to experience that...yet).This film shoot that I'm working on now is the biggest crew I've been on and seems that it's easy to get lost in the large group of people doing different things. I like this lost feeling,it's exciting to explore a new set and meet new people. Being on today's set made me reminisce about the more intimate shoots I've been on in the past.
Film Shoot (creative commons)
Two summers ago I worked on set during the shoot of Matt Porterfield's film Putty Hill. This shoot was the best kind of film to start working in; it was small and personal. I was working closely with my good friends, we felt like a family. No matter how long the working day was, or how grueling the task, I absolutely loved every second of because I believed in it. I was working with people I look up to and respect and I was doing something I loved. I could tell from the vibe of the shoot that this film was going to go far and it has. It is unrealistic to think that all of the film shoots I'm going to be working in the future will be like this; the producer of Putty Hill joked that something that would never happen again. But I disagree to some extent; of course you're not going to appear on hollywood blockbuster set and expect to get treated with any respect or dignity, but at the same time if you're doing production, you need to surround yourself with other filmmakers and artists that can become your go to crew.
Tomorrow I'm going to be helping on my friend (and fellow film major) Josh's senior project. It's exciting because our old film friends who have graduated are coming back just for the shoot. The production is a low key project, but everyone is interested in coming together to make a beautiful film. Before our friends graduated, we all promised each other to stick together and always support each other's film projects and life endeavors. Keeping this communication and contact is so important because these are the people you could potentially be working with. We've decided to form an official alliance between us and have created our own film collective.
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