Again

Okay, I swear I planned to update before this but this working seven days a week can take its toll on you. A standard day starts at 6a and ends around midnight. But I'm not complaining, because it's all worth it.

Last two days were spent on the AKEELAH set. I'm training with the DP here. A month or so ago, as I was trying to convince the DoP to even take me on, the standard question arose:

INT. STARBUCKS CAFE, STUDIO CITY.
DP: But, Suds, what would I have you do?
Suds: Anything at all, Sir. I just want to be on set. I just want to see how you guys light, be able to ask a couple of questions and soak it all in.

( I really wanted to see how these films look so georgeous. I mean, David Mullen, if you see NORTHFORK (his last film), it makes you drool - its just so DAMN beautiful.
So my theory was, if I could just see what the hell he thinks like, how the hell he lights, that would be a huge learning experience for me.)

DP: But, it's a UNION gig Suds.
( Union shows mean anyone who is NOT in the UNION can not be
touching any equipment or helping out, its illegal and everyone gets fined.)

Suds: I know, Sir. I'll stay out of the way.
DP: Actually, I need stills for my website or for a book I may write about cinematography, so you can take still shots on set.
Suds: Sweet. I can definitely do that.

( Here's the link: CLICK ) If you go on the 35mm forum, you can see more posts like this one and more photos taken by moa. These are the guys I work with.)

So that's how I started on Akeelah. I went with Mr. Mullen (the DP) to the office and got me a copy of the script. It's a pretty story, uplifting (add all the cliches associated with those kind of stories) but it's a good uplifting story. I think its going to make a bundle for Lions Gate because it's a family based film. PLus star power of Fishburne and Bassett. The little girl playing the lead AKEELAH just got a SAG nomination for the William H. Macy film THE WOOL CAP so we know she is good. EWeekly did a feature on them last week, and ACCESS hollywood was on set today. Pretty neat! Also interesting fact: Doug, the director, did a film called "The Pornographer" before he did this one, kind of like Cuaron being invited to direct Harry Potter 3 after making Y Tu Mama Tambien.

Anyway, so I'm almost at the end of my Akeelah stint, the last week of shoot had started. Miss Bassett wrapped today. We have been shooting scenes at Fishburne's character's house all this week. I'm learning a lot about what you can do in a small space. Shooting on location has its challenges. Today we had a very intimate scene in Fishburne's living room and the place is pretty small. Student film or not, the character's space is going to remain the same. Yes, the amount of equipment is going to change but hell, that can be dealt with.

I was thinking about how I would have lit that frame and how Mullen chose to lit it. The first observation I have made this semester (on Bernie Mac and on Akeelah) is what a HUGE HUGE HUGE effect good GRIPPING has on the scene. We dont even have any flags at PPECS so thats a huge problem right away. These guys use 3 flags per light. They really believe in SHAPING the light to EXACTLY do what it is supposed to do. So FLAGS are HUGE. Problem Buster: Make your own flags for next shoot: you just have to. No way around it. PS: Flags = BLACK cloth mounted on a steel frame (different sizes) put on a C Stand to block and define light more clearly. Kind of like a mobile barn door.

Observation Two: BACKLIGHT is VERY important. I can't believe how easily I sacrifice the backlight on my shoots. These guys are dogged about it. They will not let go of that damn backlight if they can help it. I mean, I have never seen so much equipment and people jammed into a single room as I did today. They had 5 sources of light, 5X6 number of flags, lensers and toppers and cutters on C-Stands and wires and a video-village, and a million other things going on in that space. Pretty amazing.

Observation Three: Monitor is important. Do not, do not, do not underestimate the importance of seeing the framing on your shot. Seems silly, but its muy importante. Mullen is a composition freak - my kind of DP. He just is a stickler for it. And thats the way it should be.

Observation Four: A GOOD AD CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE. This comment will take too long to explain. Look for a subsequent post on what a Good AD does. At IC, I feel like we dont know what an AD does. This is the first thing, I plan to introduce on our film shoots. Its so damn important. The ADs on Bernie Mac and on Akeelah are fantastic and are really the backbone of the damn production.

Too many other things learnt but I have to pack off here. The last two days were also good. Tomorrow, I go to STRAND so there will be some learning done there. Marcus, the topcat at Strand, said he wantd to speak to me so I plan to glean some information out of him tomorrow. PS: Look him up, he is a stud in the indie distribution world. I was reading a book by CHRIS GORE called : THE ULTIMATE FILM FESTIVAL GUIDE or something like that and it had an interview with Kevin Smith in which they both praise him to high heavens plus Sundance had him in thier opening write-up this year. Cool stuff!

Finally: I have this motto: Everything I need to know about being on a film set, I learnt in Doon (Name of the boarding school I went to when I was in India). It's just like that: you have to be thick skinned to survive. People move fast, they are pretty ruthless and love ribbing. Enjoy it and rib back or get buried and dont take anything personally. Thats the way it works. Oh, PS: if you're looking for politically correct or if you are a woman: you need TWO doses of good luck to help you out.

Later, sorry about the delay in posting. Here's to more regular postage. Comments at ssaria1@ithaca.edu