Life on Set of a Feature Film

[Jim Montgomery]

Here is one shot I took between takes

[Jim Montgomery]

After the first week of filming the crew is exhausted, tempers are short. The DP and Director have conflicted on numerous occasions. It finally came to a head and we lost the DP. It is this writers opinion that the director expectations are a little high. 8+ takes plus rehearsals with 4 or 5 setups a day, the math just does not add up to a reasonable day. You do not want to be a grip.

The film and look are amazing. If we can survive the shoot I think we can hit a home run. Michael Wincott was on set for a day. Although it was a long day we all came away feeling pretty pumped. He even took the time to call the following day and comment on how professional and "big budget" the film and crew appeared to be.

[Allan Black]

Damn! and I was going to be a grip in my second life :0 More Jim thanks.

Cheers.

[Jim Montgomery]

Tensions are high. A door got busted apart in a fit of rage. The crew is tired of hearing "That was great, let's do it again" and come on we got to hustle we are falling further behind. Well with expectations of 10 to 14 setups a day and 6 to 8 takes per set up the math just does not add up. At 10 minutes per take that’s 14 hour days. When are we supposed to strike sets and do the set up for the next one?

If the Director would just direct and the DP's, yea two, step up and figure out the lighting, everything would fall into place down the line. Organization is lacking, call sheets are not ready, equipment failing, issues with the Red, half of the crew sitting around waiting to be told what to do and the other half doing.

In spite of all this the film and acting are incredible. I caught myself holding my breath while today's fight scene was being filmed. Location is fantastic. I have seen some of the rough edit and this film has real potential.

[Josh Bass]

". . .at 10 minutes per take. . ."

There's your problem!

Or are you just saying that it takes 10 minutes to get set for, shoot, and reset for the next take? 10 minutes is a pretty long time to run straight.

[Brian Drysdale]

All this sounds like you need a good 1st AD to keep things on track and schedule. The fun usually starts when they ask the director which shots they're going to drop, however, you do need this to keep what sounds like an inexperienced director on course.

10 to 14 set ups isn't that many unless you're moving location all the time, although on low budget and TV films the number of takes you're allowed is pretty limited due to the schedule pressures. Time between takes does depend on how complex the shots are and how much resetting is required.

It's not that unusual for half the crew to be waiting around for the moment when they move in to do their thing.

[Jim Montgomery]

Well we as a crew started hitting our stride, coming in under the time allotted to finish the set ups. I can honestly say I don't know if I want to do this again, The work is grueling hard, and then you sit around for what seems like hours for take after take.
We managed 11 set ups yesterday morning, 5 to 8 takes per set up. It was a fight - gun sequence which usually takes the longest to get all the coverage you need. I don't envy the actors. Jumping in and out of character seems to be exhausting for these guys.
I apologize if all these post seem negative but they are usually written after a 12 hour day of moving 5 K's, 2 K's, numerous 650s and 300's along with the accompanying C-Stands, electric, gels.
The director is demanding, but I have to respect him for that. He knows what he wants and is not willing to compromise to make it easy. It is a challenging movie to film, complicated set ups in very small places. It has been a very rewarding experience.

[Jim Montgomery]

Originally Posted by Josh Bass

". . .at 10 minutes per take. . ."

There's your problem!

Or are you just saying that it takes 10 minutes to get set for, shoot, and reset for the next take? 10 minutes is a pretty long time to run straight.

10 minutes is the time between "cut", director conversation with actors, changing cards on the Red, resolving the drop frame issue, reset, "action", doing the shot, and "cut"

[Jim Montgomery]

We got it! The crew has finally clicked. Electric shows up a half hour early to get power run and generators going. The director is directing and the DP has taken control of the lighting. 5 light setups with flags, gels, and dubie's are now taking 20 minutes.

The crew has learned that conversation between takes is not acceptable, communication between the director and actors is paramount. Between the call of "cut" and "all quiet on set" we are able to tear down the previous setup and stage for the next. It does make it easier now that we have learned our way around the prison. Getting lost used to be real easy.

Tomorrow we go "underground". If you think prison is a bad place you should see what it is like in the maintenance tunnels underneath the main complex.

[Jim Montgomery]

Copyright Morgan Estill

Position one Scene 9

[Joshua Csehak]

8+ takes sounds like a lot, but not unreasonable. Wasn't Kubrick notorious for dozens of takes?

What are the Red issues you're experiencing?

[Jim Montgomery]

Originally Posted by Joshua Csehak

8+ takes sounds like a lot, but not unreasonable. Wasn't Kubrick notorious for dozens of takes?

What are the Red issues you're experiencing?

The CF Module seems to have a bad pin and we are getting dropped frames, but only intermittently. That and shooting at 4K filing cards happens real quick.

[Allan Black]

Jim, with the editor on site, can you give an insight on how that's working?

Cheers.

[Craig Roblewsky]

Great thread!

Would the movie happen to be A Lonely Place for Dying?

[Jim Montgomery]

Originally Posted by Allan Black

Jim, with the editor on site, can you give an insight on how that's working?

Cheers.

Well let's just say the editor is a couple of days behind the shooting but we expect a rough cut of the movie and finished trailer by the wrap party.