I was first assistant camera (1st AC) on a fellow classmate's senior project shoot. We shot almost 20 pages in four days, meaning four 12hr days plus 2hrs travel time each day. And I was working at Cafe Moka on Thursday and a little on Friday. And, yes, I nearly died.
The question that follows a schedule like that: did we shoot it WELL? I think so, for the most part. Some things changed so we had to change shots around and figure some things out on the fly, but hopefully it edits well. There was one scene where we were supposed to have sunlight coming through the doors but it got dark too quickly so it was practically night. I have no idea how they're going to fix that. But I'm sure they have a plan :)
Ultimately the shoot was a ton of fun. I loved my camera crew! We worked well together and had a great time in spite of stress. My camera operators were Tyler Johnson on camera A and Zach Yokum on camera B and steadicam. Ethan Johnson was my 2nd AC. They were fabulous, and some of the steadicam shots Zach pulled off were incredible! He even let me wear the rig for a bit after we wrapped for the day. It was the weirdest, bulkiest thing ever and weighed about 25 pounds. I'm going to practice and try to get certified for the steadicam before I graduate.
We even had the fire department come one day to make it rain :) They shot water over the trees on the left.
Tyler showing Dave and our lead child actor, Jake, the last take. Digital filming is wonderful.
Jake and Kera, our female lead, in front of the 1940s truck we had on set.
Crew L to R: Jillian Sifuentes, our script supervisor; Zach on camera B; Ethan getting ready to slate; Shannah Phillips, our director of photography beside Tyler on camera A.
Will Allen, our director, working with Jake.
We shot at this estate in Smithfield, VA, called Windsor Castle. It's simply gorgeous! And apparently everyone else on the planet thinks so too. Our poor producer, Stephen, had to deal with two sets of photographers shooting engagement photos, some random neighbors twice walking on set to see what we were doing (and almost ruining some takes), and also a visit from the cops when another neighbor reported "suspicious activity." But we had our legal paperwork in order so everything worked out fine. There was even a wedding held on the grounds the weekend we shot, which caused some issues, but we worked around it like we had promised we would. Good people skills and common respect are a must in this line of work. They make everyone's lives easier.
My favorite thing about the weekend, though, was just getting my hands on some great equipment and learning as much as I did. I really want to do a good job and have something to offer. And I want to be the kind of person that other people trust to help capture their visual idea and make it live and breathe.
I am a filmmaker.
I tell stories, as God gives me vision to see, hears to ear, and a heart to understand.
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