Cinematographer Joaquin Sedillo
You guys, Joaquin Sedillo shot Veronica Mars (the series, not the movie). Do I really need to say anything else? Oh, he’s the director of photography on Glee. So, he’s pretty much awesome. Listen in on a great conversation that covers the beauty of Kristen Bell, making marriage work between entertainment industry professionals, and brewing […]
Ridiculous Names
Terminology is important.
The Most Important Person on Set
I’ve complained about the camera department before, but just last week, an operator managed to reach below my already low expectations of civil behavior. My set counterpart was passing out prelim call sheets to department heads. Since we were rolling at the time, the PA went around to the “soft crew” first– hair, make-up, costume. […]
Do Me a Favor
Hollywood is built on favors, but some people don’t seem to realize that. I’m making a short film. Just about the only way to make a decent short, without going broke, is to borrow equipment and get your friends to work for free. In exchange, you offer them free food, their name in the credits, […]
Perspective
Yesterday’s post produced some interesting comments. Capn Cookie said that, while Bale’s outburst was uncalled for, the DP was still kind of a dick. Which called to mind an incident that happened on set only a few weeks ago. As you probably know, it’s standard procedure to turn your cell phone to vibrate when on […]
Placement
I was helping a friend with a short film over the weekend. I was the camera assistant, or “AC.” Don’t ask me why the letters get inverted in the acronym. It’s been a while since I’ve ACed, and to tell the truth, I forgot how much influence a camera assistant can have. I knew an […]
Distro
One of the basic tasks of a PA is distributing paperwork that no one wants to read. (With good reason, usually; more than a few times, I’ve passed out a memo regarding the fact that the elevators in our building would be shut down… on Saturday. When no one was going to be there.) As […]
Unhappy Birthday To Me!
Birthdays are always fun on set. My birthday, a few weeks ago, was a workday this year. There were cake and balloons and singing and all that good stuff. For the DP. Whose birthday was the same as mine. The best I got was, “Hey, isn’t it your birthday, too?” Whenever balloons or flowers or […]
What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?
Yesterday, the writers’ assistant asked me if I wanted to be a production coordinator. The question puzzled me. Who actually wants to be a coordinator? I can’t imagine anyone stepping off the bus in L.A., and thinking to themselves, “I can’t wait to coordinate some productions!” I know some people roll off the turnip truck […]