Lights...Camera...ACTION!

Yesterday I was involved with the production of a short subject film we shot for work. A small group of us worked on the project. I assisted in script writing and was on "set" for to assist Peter, the Director to be sure the right shots were taken. The two "actors" were people from work, and I must say they did a great job. Filming is an art. I quickly learned to appreciate the job of the Director, as he was shooting scenes out of order, but making sure the script translated to screen with smooth transitions. The film crew were great, they were focused on getting the lighting right, and miniming background noise interference. When the Director yelled "Quiet on the Set", he meant it. Without any hesitation, one of the technicians turned, walked over, and unplugged a nearby freezer that had been happily humming along until she realized the source. I was amazed when she unplugged it how noisy it actually had been. No wonder the sound guy noticed it on the audio. It was an interesting experience. All the re-takes were a killer...and oh those stage lights are murder on the skin. I was all dried out, and I was just behind the cameras. Finally around 7:00 the Director yelled: "Its a wrap" and everyone was so relieved to be finished.

-Rick Rockhill