Asking questions is critical, especially when you’re working lower in the department as a 2nd assistant camera (AC) or loader. Without asking for clarification, you may not know exactly what to do, where to go, or what is expected.
Filmmaking Tips and Advice
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Be a Faster AC #3: Maximize Your Camera Prep
With expensive cinema cameras, there really is no other way to make sure gear is ready to get slogged through an intense production than a camera prep. Not all shoots you work on will give you a prep day, but plenty will — and you have to maximize it.
Be a Faster AC #2: Cut Down on What You Say When Slating
Beginning camera assistants (ACs) have a tendency to do two things wrong when slating: they speak too slow and they announce everything on the slate. I know this because I was guilty of it and, as I trained others, noticed how they would fall into the same trap.
Be a Faster AC #1: Use a Camera Cart for Your Gear
Some camera packages contain an abundance of cases that slow you down when you have to move them. Even simply turning around in a scene is a hassle as you move each case one-by-one until the whole lot is out of the shot. With a camera cart, you can simply wheel everything away all at once in an instant.
What Can You Do to Save Time, Be Faster and Improve Your Efficiency as a Camera Assistant?
Are there times on set where you wish you were faster? I bet there are. Maybe it’s the way you slate, or the way you mark, or you struggle to carry the camera. Whatever it is, you’re tired of it: you’re ready to boost your speed and maximize your efficiency.
The Rollercoaster Ride of Landing a Film Crew Gig
You pick up the phone and you call the producer back, dialing each number slowly to delay the inevitable, but ready to pull out all the stops to help you actually get the gig. Before you know it, the phone is ringing and it’s like you’re strapped in to a rollercoaster — one you’ve never been on before, one built to scare the hell out of you.
How to Read the DP’s Mind & Stay One Step Ahead
As camera assistants, our job is to remove the technical aspect of camerawork from the director of photography so they can focus on creative needs. If you are able to stay one step ahead of the DP, that’s one less thing distracting them from their creative demands.
The Longest Moment On Set
Producers, I think, cringe at the thought of an “early wrap.” They cringe in the same way a struggling business trembles when you bring in a 50% off coupon. Both want their money’s worth and both, though they know it’s a fair deal, can’t shake the feeling they’re getting shafted. So whenever I’m on a shoot supposedly ready to wrap early, I wait a few moments for it to really sink in.
5 Tips to Help Keep Your BNC Cables Working
One cable you’re likely to encounter on set is the BNC cable. In my experience, BNC cables are highly fickle and, if not treated right, can easily stop working. So here best practices to keep in mind to help you make your BNC cables last — at least until you have to return them!
The Importance of Working for the Right People
Like any walk of life, the film industry has its fair share of hacks, setting out to make a quick buck and some fame, all while abusing those standing in their way. Don’t let the shiny golden statues fool you — filmmaking isn’t always full of glam. But there are other types of filmmakers. If one type is full of greed and malevolence, the other is full of merit and virtue.