Oh man I’m exhausted and this is just day one. Thankfully it’s a lovely team and the ructions that had me concerned are already smoothing. I was a little frustrated last night that I didn’t stop a decision that was made to hire a piece of kit that was both very expensive and – to my sensibilities – more effort than it’s worth. You really need 3 people to operate a Ronin 2 and I’ve seen the shoot plan – we don’t need it. Certainly not for over £400 a day. The team seem to have all spoken to one another at last now and agreed on this and they’re gonna chalk it up to experience and go a bit more low-fi for the steadycam stuff. And save a mint in the process.
The usual jumps at the start. I found my judgement under scrutiny when one of my drivers showed up for work looking too casual. I totally get it. Dress comfy, drive comfy. Why be uptight about it? Again I think it was just teething problems, and tomorrow he thought he might show up in a suit for contrast. The shoot itself went very well, and I am happy with how my drivers acquitted themselves. I sourced the gaffer through a very dear film director mate and he’s so chilled and competent. My camera guy is all over it too and I’m sure he’s got some useful footage. He just had to calibrate himself for the team he’s on. Like an acting company, everybody has to find their shape on a film set – even a tiny one like this. We are always working to a deadline, and you can’t fuck up when venue hire and staff costs are so high. We got the shots we needed. I reckon we got some lovely shots, not that I ever got had time to monitor the monitor or see the rushes. At one point I was caught and hid under a table with the make-up for about ten minutes while a beautiful grand piano was deliciously noodled and simultaneously filmed on two swirling cameras. I was happy to be in the room. I can already feel that this will be a lovely thing to watch and I’m thrilled to be a cog in the machine even if it is a cog that will wakeworksleep for the next ten days or so, and carry all the heavy stuff. Lunch involved grabbing a triangle of sandwich off a table as I walked through, and took place probably about half 4 for ten seconds. Even when I left the building for 3 minutes to return a tablet to a driver I was rung up on WhatsApp. My one attempt at getting someone to get me a coffee coincided with a sudden unexpectedly quick van unload. Lots of things needed and very few people, all of whom have choices about how they behave.
Stress is voluntary. Seriously. You don’t have to do stress and you probably get the thing done better and certainly get it done kinder if you pull stress out of the equation entirely. It helps nothing. Ever. It even slows you down cos you stop breathing properly.
One lovely day. Many more to come.
AlBarclay 