On August 30, 2008 we had our principal photography.
My day started around 6am. I had to pick up breakfast for my crew and my producer Amy. Here is my crew and basically what they were responsible for:
Producer
Amy Frost
My second set of eyes and ears. She was with me through every step of the production and helped me audition all of the actors. During principal photography she also was on set to help with everything as well as the administrative part of the shoot. She had to make sure EVERYONE signed a release form. Anyone who appeared on camera had to sign a release giving us permission to put him or her in the film.
Director of PhotographyLaylla Strand
The DP (Director of Photography) (or Cinematographer) is responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image. On a large production (not this one) the rest of the camera department is subordinate to the DP, who, along with the director, has the final word on all decisions related to both lighting and framing.
In other words, she framed all of the shots and made sure everything in the frame of the camera looked right. She was also responsible for where we put the camera to get the best shot of not only the actors, but also what is in the background of the scene. Even when I was behind the camera she was behind the monitor to let me know if everything looked right.
Assistant Director
Jack ShermanAn assistant director (AD) is a person who helps the director in the making of a movie or television show. Jack's duties as an AD was, tracking our daily progress, arranging logistics, maintaining order on the set among other things as well as shooting some footage with our second camera.
Key Grip/Boom Operator
Torrance "Preech" HopsonAs Key Grip Preech helped with pretty much any technical aspect including help setting up the lights as well as the monitor. The principal responsibility of the boom operator is microphone placement, sometimes using a "fishpole" with a microphone attached to the end and sometimes, when the situation permits, using a "boom" (often a "fisher boom") which is a special piece of equipment that the operator stands on and that allows precise control of the microphone at a much greater distance away from the actors. He or she will also place wireless microphones on actors when it is necessary.
We didn't place wireless mics on any actor's but the kitchen scene was so small we just need to place them on the set and out of sight of the camera. The boom operator must decide where to place the boom microphone based on a combination of factors, including the location and projection of any dialogue, the frame position of the camera, and any unwanted noise sources.
Production Assistants
Yvette Moore
Patricia Cooper
Steven Cooper
Wanda CampbellA Production Assistant, also known as a PA, is an entry-level job title used in filmmaking and television for a person responsible for various aspects of a production. The job of a PA can vary greatly depending on the budget and specific requirements of a production as well as whether or not the production is unionized.(Which our was not.)
PAs work on the physical set of the production, whether on location or on a sound stage. They report to the Assistant Director (AD) department and key set PA if one is so designated. Duties include pretty much ANY tasks as mandated by the AD.
On our film the PAs did everything from operate the slate (pictured at the top of this entry), stop traffic while we were shooting a scene on the street, taking pictures as well as moving stuff out of the shot. PAs usually work 12- to 16-hour days and are regularly the "first to arrive and the last to leave".
So that's technical whos and whats NEXT will be the props. Not set props, but MY props 2 my crew.
Previous “Takes” on Principal Photography
Principal Photography-Take 1-The Definition
The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information related to movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, featured in visual entertainment media. The IMDb website consists of one of the largest accumulation of data about films, television programs, etc. reaching back to each medium's respective beginning.
Last Sunday, November 16, 2008, we started filming some of our transitions. In editing we saw that we needed some stuff to help transition from one scene to another. We even had some actors come back to film new stuff. What exactly was that stuff? We’re hoping you won’t be able to tell until we tell you. The point of going back and filming additional material and scenes is to make it look like it was all filmed together and we hope we accomplished that. So who was on our “transition team”? Me and the Second Unit Director.
negotiate usage licenses. Music supervisors play diverse roles in the creative process of films, helping to emphasize storylines, emotion, time period and cultural location. Gino will help me select the music and I'll negotiate usage licenses. I wanted Gino to be Music Supervisor because he’s a musician and has his own rock band (shout out to Rubberband. That’s him on bass to the right.). As a musician he has an ear for music and knows about keys and chords whereas I just know what sounds good.
We finished shooting around 5:30PM. I let the crew go around 5 o’clock and shot the last bit of footage with Andrea myself. I didn’t actually get home until about 9PM so that made it a FIFTEEN-hour workday for me. Imagine if we had more than a one-day shoot?
