Posted by Smalls at syr-24-24-14-133.twcny.rr.com on July 30, 2003 at 18:59:03:
In Reply to: Hey Smalls.. posted by Kimberlieo on July 30, 2003 at 18:39:06:
: Are you enjoying the work? I do a good bit of theather, and love it so much that a 15 hour day...while gurelling is still satisfying. Are you in that "place" with the film work?
You have to realize that while I have oodles of experience with student films from SU and helping other student films like sean's (any progress, seanSlaught?) ... before this, all the crews were in the 4 to 14 member range, where the non-lead actors pick up the boom and the make-up girl is the director's girlfriend and the producer's a supporting actor and... so on.
The experience of being low on the totem (I'm only above the unpaid interns and such) on a 30-40 person crew is teaching me amazing things about... why the cameraman would need two assistants, why you would ever need 2nd ADs let alone 2nd 2nds and Lead PAs, why the line producer would need a separate production supervisor and they'd both need three assistants, etc etc etc.
Film school teaches you how to shoot, how to write, how to direct, how to edit... something of producing... but all these crazy intermediate levels, you really can't learn about from books. You have to learn from... y'know... their being your bosses.
So you work as a Set PA/Driver/Cable Wrangler for 300 dollars an 80 hour week to learn it, y'know?
I've lost 10 pounds in a week and have my first tan in three years.
I make little mistakes but nothing that's actually kicked my ass and I'm learning more and more every day. Hell, at this point? It's not the hours or the heavy lifting that's getting me.
It's that it's 90 degrees and 95% humidity up here and shall continue to be until we switch over into Week 3/Night Shooting. The heat continues to kick my ass.
But every night, I pass the call center I used to work at and think.
I'm getting paid (very little) to help (in a small way) make a movie.
And then I get home and pass out for 5 hours of sleep.
Mike