A Day In The Life - Or What I Do When I'm Not Producing

I had the pleasure of working with Theophany Films as Talent Wrangler on a shoot for a major land development company. While I am familiar with shooting run-and-gun after working in news, and doing corporate video for several years, this was my first time doing it with film. We shot both 16mm and 35mm and at one point I saw someone with an 8mm camera.
Since this shoot was a beauty piece highlighting development firm's buildings in Downtown San Diego, my job was easy, I just had to get the buildings to stay in one place while we shot. (thank you, Don't forget to tip your waitress!) What I really did, was keep the 17 actors and actresses from Shamon Freitas Talent Agency ready to go for whenever the AD or Director called for them. I showed up each morning with the crew, helped load carts for the day, and walked with them to our first location. Then I would go back to our parking lot and wait for our Make-up Artist and Talent to arrive. Once all of our Talent was on set I picked out their wardrobe for the day, made sure that they went through make-up and then escorted them to our shooting location. For the rest of the day my job was to know where talent was at all times (they do wander occasionally) and help watch all of our gear.
Recap: Theophany Films is a great company to work with, and they put a great crew together, just bring your walking shoes.

Producer's Toolbox: On the Bookshelf

There are a number of reference books that I use on a regular basis and will discuss in later blogs. But one book that everyone must have is "Strike the Baby and Kill the Blonde: An Insider's Guide to Film Slang," by Dave Knox (Three Rivers Press, Copyright 2005). This book is both informational and entertaining.
It will help you answer such questions as: "Who needs a 'Twelve-Step' more, a 'AD' calling for a 'Martini' or a 'Grip' with a 'cappuccino'?"
You will find the answer to this and other fun facts in this easy to read insider's guide. But reader's beware: It is written from a New York filmmaker's perspective, so not everything translates to the West Coast. (Seriously, who calls a platypus a pelican?) But all in all, it is a great book to have around if you are a veteran and a must-have if you are just getting into the business.
The book is available for about $13 (in store) or less online. It can be found at Barnes and Noble or Borders/Amazon.

And...Cut!

Panasonic HVX 200 and P2 workflow

Now that I am finished shooting and editing Zed Lapel Pin I have a few thoughts and reflections on the camera and tapeless workflow. (From a producer's perspective)
I was a huge fan of the Panasonic DVX 100 (http://www.panasonic.com/business/provideo/app_dv.asp) when it came out and I am almost as big a fan of the Panasonic HVX 200 (http://www.panasonic.com/business/provideo/hvx200microsite/index.asp). As far as image quality goes, the HVX is great, it really is the HD version of the DVX. Some of my friends have complained that it doesn't shoot 1080, but I shot Zed in 720 and am very happy with the results. (you can see sample footage at www.zedlapelpin.com)
For as much as I love the picture from the HVX, I am not 100% happy with the tapeless workflow. And my dissatisfaction is mostly my fault. I wasn't able to put an assistant editor on the shoot to manage the cards, so I had to dump the cards each night. (Note for producers: Never agree to do this!!!!) After our first day of shooting, I took the cameras home and left a card in both cameras. That footage is permanently gone. :( Fortunately there was enough footage to keep me covered, but it sure would have been nice to have that footage.
So, I guess I have two complaints about tapeless:\
1) It adds an extra person to the crew to manage the cards (This is a must have position - I dont care if you use a PA, just have someone who can be there for the entire shoot)
2) Once the cards are formated, the footage is gone forever. (This just scares me)

Maybe I am too old school, but I like having a stack of tapes that I know the footage is on. Even if I have to store the tapes, I know the footage is there.
Also, once you download the contents of the card you have to have a hard drive to store it on. Forever. [Insert scene from "The Sandlot"]

There is an alternative to shooting on P2 cards, you can shoot directly to a hard drive via firewire such as the Focus FS-100 (http://www.focusinfo.com/solutions/catalog.asp?id=150) This product allows you to spend more time shooting and less time swapping cards. It also makes your assistant editor's life easier. I haven't tested this personally, but I have heard rumors that if you shoot to a hard drive you can also shoot to tape for back-up.

My final verdict on the HVX and tapeless: like, don't love it...yet

3/20/08 Update
I just read a great article on audio and tapeless workflow http://www.studentfilmmakers.com/news/article_1593.shtml I have also been getting lots of emails and phone calls about audio issues with the RED camera.
Thank you all for participating in this discussion, and feel free to post comments on the blog.