I’d be writing more if things were more interesting. Not that it’s boring but my duties are certainly mundane. Also, the pace of the work is way mellower than previous movies I’ve worked on. One gets the feeling there is lots of money (& subsequently- time). Often enough we (the crew) end up having the shot set and are waiting around for the talent. At this point, at least, it’s nice to not have a producer breathing down your neck to hurry something along. I rarely feel any pressure while wiring someone on set. That gives me the opportunity to focus on wiring well (It certainly can be done poorly). So that is likely the most crucial aspect of my job.
What else?
Let’s see, highlights of week 2.
Working with G.O. Besides being an incredible actor it turns out he is a very cool guy & gracious to work with as well. It’s amazing to see him go from his English accent to a western drawl (while seemingly channeling the spirit of William S. Burroughs) in the blink of an eye. What else can I say? It’s only the 2nd week.
Lowpoints?
Not really a huge deal but this jamming the timecode of the Red camera every 30 minutes or so is kind of a drag. I’ll spare you the technical details…
In other news, the world suffered a tragic loss yesterday in the death of Ed Grothus, owner of the Black Hole and inspirational peace activist and artist. It’s sad he didn’t live long enough to see his Doomsday Stones put into place. Let’s hope his memory lives on.
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I just read an article about the “Red” being the “future of cinema.” Sounds like there are still a few kinks to work out. Is the movie being shot entirely with these cameras?
Indeed. we’ve got 3 red cams on this picture handling the majority of the shooting (a film cam is around for a few insert shots). this is the first time i’ve been around the red and, frankly, i’m impressed. the visual quality is outstanding. the size is ridiculous (smaller than a VX2000 or a GL2).
still, probably still in ‘beta’. besides hearing that the onboard mic preamps stink (doesn’t matter for us since we are recording to other gear). main drag affecting my life in relationship to the red is the stinking TIMECODE, which, apparently, drifts about 5 frames over a 24 hour period. what does this mean to me?
well, first you have to understand that it is the Sound department that is responsible for the ‘Smart Slates’ (ie. slates w/ digital readout of the timecode). so, one of my responsibilities is to ‘jam’ the slates every day. this makes sure the time code that is running when they ‘clap’ the slate matches the timecode that is running inside the sound recording machine (in this case both a Nagra IV-S & a Sound Devices 744T). so, now. to make matters easier for the post/edit people, the camera has its own timecode. except it is off (gradually over the course of the day). that means i have to ‘rejam’ the camera(s) several times a day. and let me tell you, i can almost see those camera guys cringe when this sound guy comes over messing w/ their equipment. i’m surprised it is allowed by union rules (camera is local 600 & i’m in the 480). oh well. so it goes.