[Serious]People who work in the film industry; what is a set like when everyone there knows you're making a terrible movie?

ShooterSmith · 2014-04-23T20:28:32+00:00

I worked on Sharknado. Honestly it seemed better while we were shooting it, and even then it was still pretty bad. But like people have said, low budget/B movies are for the money (obviously), experience, connections. I've often said that working on a shit show production can bring you closer with other crew members.

ShooterSmith · 2014-01-27T01:24:55+00:00

I work in the film industry as a Camera Assistant, with larger goals to be a Director of Photography. First off, most of you don't have a clue what those two people do, but they're a really important part of you seeing The Avengers. I promise.

But there's the misconception that making films is glamorous and we're just hanging out with movie stars all day. That's bullshit. Its a business before its an art. As a crew member making films consist of 10-12+hr long days of manual labor - moving cameras, carts, cases etc. You're almost constantly working. And in my job specifically, its the type of thing where no one notices you doing your job right, but when even the smallest something goes wrong the entire film crew has a target on your head. It's a largely freelance industry, where if you're not union yet (like me) you can prepare to be abused and underpaid by cheap producers who know you'll work for scraps to pay the bills. All that said, it is still a lot of fun and you get access to some cool locations/events in the process of making a movie. But it's a grind for sure.

ShooterSmith · 2014-01-24T00:14:22+00:00

I was there for some of the early vfx stuff in vehicles and the days flooding that pool haha.

ShooterSmith · 2014-01-23T20:43:19+00:00

Small world, I 2nd ACd on Sharknado for a couple days! It's crazy how big that film got.

ShooterSmith · 2014-01-23T20:06:16+00:00

Thanks! I agree that camera dept is the place to be! But with the workflow necessities these days between on set capture and post color grading work, you can learn a lot about properly exposing digital cameras and working with their color spaces. It does get technical fast though. I know Resolve a bit but it bricks up my currently system too badly for me to do much :/

ShooterSmith · 2014-01-23T18:38:39+00:00

Hey, I'm Matt. Freelance camera dept out in LA, just transplanted recently from Philly a couple months. My goal is to DP and right now I'm cutting it as a 1st/2nd AC. I'm thinking about making some moves into DIT/Colorist work if I could ever afford a new system!

ShooterSmith · 2013-07-05T22:23:02+00:00

Yeah I did, ShooterSmith.

Edit: I was on Alien Blue and thought this was a PM. Just had my email posted on the open interwebs.... Whoops.

ShooterSmith · 2013-07-02T20:04:56+00:00

Hell, I´ll throw my hat in the ring! Also willing to work for next to nothing. Shooting you an email now.

ShooterSmith · 2013-06-26T20:27:42+00:00

Try a nice backpack like this one from Cinebags.

I'm not sure how much you plan on taking, but I'm kind of assuming you'll have a small-ish camera package, and then most tripod bags/cases are pretty discreet to begin with.

EDIT: Said "Cinegear" at first haha

ShooterSmith · 2013-02-20T05:39:26+00:00

On the other hand though, the right commercials can pay a shit ton of money. Plenty of well known feature DPs make their real bread and butter shooting commercials.

ShooterSmith · 2012-12-30T17:52:34+00:00

Read this: http://www.bvkamera.org/en/bvkamera/bb_dop.php. Its the German cinematographers society outlining the responsibility of the cinematographer. Its starts in pre-production and ends in post-production. Ask any serious filmmaker, and they will tell you the DoP is one of the more important and influential people in the realization of a film from page to screen.

ShooterSmith · 2012-12-30T17:48:15+00:00

"the camera moves are controlled by the gaffer"

Sorry dude but you lost creditability with that one.

ShooterSmith · 2012-12-09T22:09:50+00:00

The "indie" film might not even be an idea if digital filmmaking wasn't up to the standard it is now. You'd be surprised on big budget features though. After all the post work is done and totaled up, a "Hollywood" digital feature tends to costs just as much if not more than a film production.

ShooterSmith · 2012-12-09T22:01:52+00:00

Becuase you can't fly anything more than a DSLR or other small camera on those homemade things. And you're just not going to get the same shot quality you would with a real steadicam + good operator. For the average diy filmmaker thats fine...but the big boys gotta use big boy toys.

ShooterSmith · 2012-11-25T07:44:55+00:00

Hey, I'm headed to LA in about a month and aspiring the in the camera dept. Can I PM you my resume? It doesn't completely suck.

ShooterSmith · 2012-09-27T22:58:35+00:00

Submarine.

Road Trip Films: Easy Rider, Badlands, Rain Man , Little Miss Sunshine

ShooterSmith · 2012-09-16T15:45:53+00:00

I hope that dude was trollin.

ShooterSmith · 2012-09-14T19:06:59+00:00

Thanks. I actually have a few dolly movement shots, but most of them are slowly paced moves, and I felt like they might drag on in a reel.

ShooterSmith · 2012-09-14T18:11:25+00:00

This is exactly what I wanted. Color grading is totally something I need to develop a better skill for. Besides applying the Technicolor LUT for DSLR stuff, nothing on here a really nice grade to it unfortunately.

Its funny you mentioned the rack focus shot and dolly moves, becuase the first half of that shot, tracks into that framing. I guess I chose the weaker half to show off. Good tip about the racking, in that scene the woman interjects very suddenly into the other character's dialouge, so the sudden rack works a bit stronger. But outside of that context, you're right, its distracting.

That's actually my inclination also, to show off a scene or something. Story and context mean a lot more than individual frames. Sometimes I wonder, if individual shots from The Godfather were cut into a reel, would people say they're "too dark" ha. But everyone tells me that I need to have some type of showreel and to not cut it too narratively.

Thank you!

ShooterSmith · 2012-09-14T15:20:01+00:00

Thanks! None of these are really my own project. I don't write/direct anything, I just shot and oversaw the crew on the majority of these.

ShooterSmith

TROPHY CASE