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In this section, I've assembled my thoughts and observations on the various roles that I saw in action.
The roles that I observed most frequently were:I think one of the most difficult aspects of the director role is to stay focused. The director is responsible for the overall shoot, and has many people/issues to contend with during a shoot. Shoots can turn out to be a really long day, also. I was impressed by Bob's ability to stay relaxed and focused as the day went on. In one case, we were shooting "talking heads" (interviews of several people). The intent was to obtain footage for non-linear editing. Non-linear editing is good in that the people don't have to get their entire scene perfect in one take, as the footage is going to be cut up, and cut away from as well. For that shoot, we had seven people to interview, in various locations. The questions, however, were basically the same for everyone. On many occasions, the question would be repeated and a slightly different response would be solicited from the talent. This ended up being a twelve hour day! Throughout the day, Bob managed to maintain his focus. I think it would be difficult for me to stay focused when the questions are the same and the day starts getting long. The finished product turned out great - with small sequences of interviews taken from the various individuals and woven back together to create a really nice video. The client intends to use the video as a way of letting their employees know what they're doing well, and also what the interviewees (end-users, suppliers, contractors and architects) thought could be done better.
As I mentioned in my summary, I admire Bob for his ability to stay calm and relaxed. He works well with the crew, talent and the client. He strives to deliver a quality product at a fair price. If he runs under the original estimate, he will document it and reduce his client's bill accordingly. In this way, his client knows that they are getting a high quality product at a fair price. I think this approach gives him credibility also. In a case where the client is increasing the scope, and the estimate needs to be adjusted, I think the client is more receptive, as they know that they're dealing with an honest, credible service provider.
I have only used my home camera for filming, so can't fairly compare it to the professional cameras that were used on our shoots. Bob contracts with photographers, who either have their own gear, or rent it for the shoot, so I didn't get an opportunity to try it out. Each photographer has a distinct style, sometimes having to adapt to the special requirements of their client. One client specifically wanted the zooms to be going in - she didn't want zoom out's. This client produces a television show about houses, and felt that the zooming in made the viewer focus on the interior elements better. There is a technique of hand-holding cameras for taping, even for interviews, but most clients prefer the use of a tripod.
It's amazing what lighting can do in a room! We were shooting at this beautiful house that had large picture windows overlooking Puget Sound. The sun would peek in and out of the clouds, but for the most part, it was a cloudy, rainy day. The lighting crew was able to make it look like a warm, sunny day inside, no matter what Mother Nature was dishing up outside! I'd like to hire a lighting crew to come over and introduce some sunshine at my house!
I believe the sound is the most difficult aspect to control in the filming process. It is also very critical. The microphone is extremely sensitive. There is a process called "sweetening" where some ambient sounds can be adjusted, but the basic sound quality must be good to start with. On several occassions, we had to cut and wait for an airplane to pass by, or for distant dump trucks to stop beeping, before we could continue with the interviews. Shooting indoors, we had to consider things that you wouldn't normally even pay attention to - we had to turn obvious things like phones and furnaces off, but on two occasions, we also had to turn off the refrigerators because the microphone was picking up the hum! Bob did have a bad experience once, where the crew forgot to plug the refrigerator back in... He now puts his car keys in the refrigerator as a way to absolutely remember to plug it back in!
The grip's role is primarily to assist the crew in carrying and setting up the equipment that's needed during a shoot. Initially, I thought that anyone that could lift/lug equipment could be a grip, but upon observation, there's more to it than that. Photographers, lighing and sound crew members like things done in certain ways, sometimes even specifying which method to use when rolling up a cord! The grip also helps in connecting the equipment to monitors, etc., so needs some experience knowing what connectors go where. In general, the grip is someone who eventually wants to be a photographer, lighting, or sound crew member. By providing the support, they obtain behind-the-scenes experience by observing the other crew members.
The PA provides general support to the crew and takes care of a lot of behind the scenes miscellaneous items. As a PA, I was responsible for tracking our progress against the schedule, assisting crew members as needed, helping to minimize disturbances on the set, shopping for lunch (when needed - many times, the client provided lunch), picking up props, obtaining driving directions, confirming crew call with crew members, logging shots and time-codes for the photographer, etc.
Being a PA is a great way to observe the various crew roles and responsibilities. There are many opportunities to volunteer for the PA position just to get a foot in the door. After volunteering, or interning, in my case, I now have other connections via the crew members that were on the sets that we shot at. Networking is very important in this business. While it doesn't pay a substantial amount, the going rate of $125 - $150 per day is not bad for someone just getting started!
I must admit, I am very interested in editing. Thus, I saved this one for last! When I took Media112, the equipment problems in the editing bays made it hellacious to get a project completed. The configuration was inefficient, and the equipment was unstable due to loose configuration control and also due to technical considerations. It was heartening to sit through hours of editing without a single crash! The editing studios all used Macintosh G4's, amply configured and running Avid as the video editing software. The interface was very similar to Premiere, so I think the adjustment will be fairly straightforward. The concepts are still the same, no matter what the tool.
The director (Bob) sat through some of the editing sessions, while others he gave some specific directions and then let the editor do her job. In that case, I think he's got a real good rapport with the editor, so doesn't feel the need to micromanage the editing. In other cases, he sat through entire sessions. I think that I would benefit from having a tape recorder running while the director was giving feedback - often, the editor would be working on one edit, while Bob was talking with him/her about upcoming or previous footage edit requirements. I'd be afraid that I would be so absorbed in the current edit that I would lose track of what was being said.
I job shadowed an editor for three days. I really enjoyed the experience. I feel that getting editing experience would also make be a better director, as I would then know what can/can't be done with footage. What kind of scenes can be stretched, faded into/out of, etc. Cindy, the editor that I worked with, said that initially, she did some volunteer work to gain editing experience. She did not have much experience with Avid when she got started. She said the studio technicians were a great source for help - that's their job!