My 2008 in Filmmaking Part 1
It’s been a fruitful year for me on my chosen career path of cinematography. I’ve had the opportunity and pleasure to work on a number of films and learn with each day that goes by. When I first landed in LA I had a clear cut objective in mind to work on many films as possible. I kept a diary where I would list all the tips and tricks I picked up from each shoot and what was my experience from them. Culled from that diary here is an account of my adventures in filmmaking.
Note – On all the jobs which I meantion I worked as a grip I was actually a swing which means I handled both Grip and Electric duties. On most low budget films the depts are combined whereas in bigger budget films the depts are seperate. Seperate departments only make sense when there is adequate crew for both sides.
Strings Schedule 1 (UCLA Thesis Film)
35mm Anamorphic/Moviecam with Hawk Lenses
Job – Grip
My first job in LA which I got off the internet. Moved to LA in Dec end and didn’t shoot anything till mid Feb which drove me crazy. We had to go outta town for a couple of days to shoot in the snow. I’m the least experienced person in the G/E team, a fact I’m not proud of and intend to remedy pretty soon. Awesome experience but till date the most physically punishing shoot I’ve been on.
Jefferson (Feature Film)
HD/ Panasonic HPX-500 with Zeiss Primes
Job – Key Grip
My friend Shweta who was the DP on this offered me the gig and I jumped at it. Brutally insane shooting schedule averaging 6 pages a day minimum but we are helped by the fact that most of the shoot is outdoors and the fact that Karen, the director, wanted to shoot long masters and limited coverage. A lot of times lighting had to be sacrificed in the interest of speed, something neither the DP nor the G/E crew are happy about but it’s either that or end up with an incomplete film. I hate truncated shooting schedules. Make a lot of close friends on this shoot with whom I work with time and again. Pleasantly surprised by the quality of the HPX, which is basically the big brother of the HVX. For a relatively inexpensive camera, the image quality is quite good with nice bokeh. Clipping which is the bane of digital video is still a problem which we have to fight all the time.
The Indian and the Samurai (USC Thesis Film)
HD/ Sony F900 with ENG Zoom Lens
Job – Grip
Another job off the internet this time an Indian themed one. Pretty cool story and the shoot was quite funny as well. I met Shilpi, the director the week I moved to LA and signed on for the film despite the film being months away. I had prophesized that she would have major problems casting a desi actor who could play a teenager and I was proven right. In the end she cast a phenomenal young Iranian actor who brought the house down. He played Ben Kingsley’s son in “The house of Sand and Fog.” Pretty awesome crew and again made some friends whom I would end up working time and again over the year.
A Worthy Gentleman
HD/ HVX200 with Redrock adaptor and Nikon Primes
Job- Grip
This was an ultra low budget feature shot primarily over bits and pieces as and when crew and cast were available. It was so low budget that the DP didn’t have an AC and I was the only member for the G/E crew for the first schedule. The DP Tim was a cool guy who showed me a few music video tricks which I was thankful for. All in all I must have worked for 10 days over a period of couple of months on this film. They’ve only shot about 40% of the film and I’m guessing they will try and finish the film early next year. Since nobody was getting paid each time any of the cast or crew got a paid job this shoot was put on the backburner or cancelled. Another pitfall of no budget shoots,
Half Kenneth (AFI Thesis Film)
35mm/ Moviecam with Zeiss Lenses
Job- Grip
This was a couple of days of reshoots for a film that had been shot earlier. The first day was at the AFI soundstage which to be honest is kinda underwhelming considering the prestige of the school and the caliber of the DPs who pass out from there. We had some problems with a 12k HMI which refused to strike. I’d never seen an HMI being used inside a stage before and it’s purpose was to sell the idea of daylight coming through a window of a set. It worked superbly with the help of some nifty production design. The next day was exteriors on a movie ranch in the desert. It was hot as hell there and couple of people fainted due to heatstroke. I personally can handle the heat much better than I can handle cold weather. No lights used on the second day so all grip stuff. Helluva long drive home as well.
To Wander in Pandemonium (UCLA Thesis Film)
35mm / Panavison Gold
Job – Grip
One of the most enjoyable shooting experiences I’ve ever had and my initiation with the UCLA Film students whom I would work on a regular basis. Extremely awesome and friendly crew and the story was kickass as well. Starting to notice that the better the story the more enjoyable the shooting process is even from a below the line position. The director Eddie had got a bunch of grants on the basis of his script, which included free camera equipment from Panavison and free stock from Fuji. This one ran the gamut of locations including practical location interiors, exteriors as well as greenscreen on a stage. UCLA has superb soundstages complete with pre-rigged lights and greenbeds as well which makes rigging and lighting so much easier. Superb learning experience and made a buncha friends.
Psytrix (NYFA Thesis Film)
HD/ RED One with Zeiss Primes
Job – Grip
Rohin who’s close friend of mine was shooting his thesis and he was extremely keen to shoot on the RED. His original DP bailed on him over money issues and I recommended a DP whose short I had seen at a festival and had been blown over by. Had never met him before but just by watching the film he had shot I could make out that he had poetry in his soul. That’s something very important for a DP to attain greatness. It’s quite easy to make an image look good but it’s quite difficult to make it poetic. I feel that skill is innate and can’t really be learnt. That’s why there are hushed tones of reverence when names like Chris Doyle, Roger Deakins or Slawomir Idziak are mentioned. Not that this DP was anywhere close but he hadn’t been a DP for very long either. When I finally met him it turned out he had been a musician before switching to cinematography, which explained his sense of rhythm and symmetry. The shoot went quite smoothly despite some production hiccups and the crew was comprised of people mostly from the Jefferson shoot including the director Karen and DP Shweta of that film who were 2nd AD and 2nd AC respectively here. You can’t have egos when helping out pals you see ☺
LESSON # 1 – Who needs Sleep?
I almost got killed the last day of the Psytrix shoot due to some extreme stupidity of my part. What had happened that I had tickets for the midnight showing of “The Dark Knight” on the Thursday of it’s release and there was no fucking way I was gonna miss first day first show. So we wrapped on Psytrix at 9pm after a solid 12 hour shooting day and after reaching home and having dinner, I walked across to the cinema and stood in line for an hour to ensure a good seat. They opened the gates at 12.01 AM and there I was. Now we all know it’s a fucking long film and it was 4am by the time I reached home.
I had told Rohin and Shweta that I was going to watch the film and they had made a bet with me that I wouldn’t be able to make the shoot on time the next day. To prove them wrong I decided not to sleep coz I knew if I slept I wouldn’t wake up till evening. So I reach the studio sharp at 7am on call time and proceed to shoot for the entire day and since it was the last day it took an extra 2 hours to wrap everything. I had somehow willed myself to stay awake primarily by playing the extraordinary film I had seen in my head over and over. I also tried to rub it in amongst the crew that I had seen it before any of them. So anyways after wrap I’m driving home and out of the blue I fall asleep at the wheel for a good 30 seconds. I must have had a stockpile of good karma as I woke up with a jolt and by some miracle I had a clear stretch of road ahead and I hadn’t slammed into another car or even the embankment. I was scared shitless and exited the highway, stopped and drank 3 cups of coffee and smoked 4 ciggies before driving back home.
I’ve learnt my lesson and realize how lucky I was. People have actually died due to falling asleep at the wheel after long hours of shooting. That’s why having adequate turnaround between shoots it’s something I absolutely don’t budge on now. 12 hours is ideal and 10 hours at the very minimum. If production has a problem then they are welcome to replace me. In this instance it was completely my fault but at least I wrestled with death over The Dark Knight. God forbid if it had been the new Indiana Jones. I would have died all over again of the shame.
Anybody who wants to or does work in films, please watch Haskell Wexler’s stellar docu on the topic titled “Who needs sleep”.
The Honey Sting (AFI Directing Women’s Workshop Film)
HD/ Sony F900 with Zeiss Primes
Job – Grip
One of the producers of “The Indian and the Samurai”, Maria, had signed me up for this months in advance and I actually missed the first day of the shoot coz it was clashing with the last day of Psytrix during which I danced with the grim reaper. The DP of “The Indian and the Samurai”, Anthony, was a fellow grip and it’s always great to work with a friend. This was a pretty cool project and the first time I actually worked with Union Grips and Electrics and they basically wiped the floor with my ass. The DP was actually a very nice guy and he’s sorta become one of my mentors whom I turn to for advice now and then. The director and her husband were super nice folks too. By this time I had realized I loved to work with female directors and DP’s, primarily coz they are more interested in the story rather than technique. Also they are much easier to work with coz they don’t resort to screaming in most cases as men are inclined to do to release some testosterone.
Again a good story concerned with Bear poaching and one of the best produced films I have worked on. Everything ran like clockwork, there was more than adequate crew and the food is the best I have ever had on set. Whole Foods donated meals and beverages, which put me in organic heaven. One day there was an Indian lunch, which had the best desi khana I’ve had in the US yet. It came from a joint in Redondo Beach and the chef there is from Goa. He actually served the food himself and we chatted for a while. When he learnt I was from Delhi he sheepishly apologized for the lack of mirchi in the food. I was like “hota hain, chalta hain, duniya hain.” I had a Butter Chicken overdose that day ☺.
18 (AFI Directing Women’s Workshop)
HD/ F900 with Zeiss Primes
Job- Grip
For the DWW films the directors are given a fixed amount of money by AFI along with equipment and they have to raise the rest themselves with a ceiling of 25k dollars. “The Honey Sting” had been able to raise that much with resulted in top class gear which included a Technocrane. This film however had only managed to raise about 15k and the production suffered a few hiccups due to it namely lack of adequate equipment. Plus the fact that there were consecutive night shoots made for some unhappy neighbors since we were shooting in a house smack in the middle of a residential neighborhood. I learnt how to light night exteriors with limited lights, which would come in most handy. I didn’t stick around for the entire shoot coz the night shoots were messing up my class schedule, which I had told the producers in advance about. Fun experience especially since I spent most of my downtime playing with the gorgeous husky who was the pet of the house.
I HEART HUSKIES !!!!
Sundust Particles (AFI Thesis Film)
HD & Super8 / HVX200 & Canon Super8 Camera
Job – Grip
Kasia who was another one of the producers of “The Indian and the Samurai” emailed me saying that she needed some extra hands on reshoots for this film. She was the production manager here and I’m always eager to help out a friend. Three days of shoots on the AFI soundstage with some simply incredible lighting and production design. The gaffer outdid herself and I didn’t stop complimenting her. Add the fact that it was a post apocalyptic scifi love story, and I was basically in heaven. I cursed myself that I hadn’t worked on the entire film but I guess hota hain, chalta hain…….
I still have dreams about that set, the lighting and the fact that it was shot a mixture of HD and Super8mm. I can’t gush about the lighting enough coz it was done in an organic manner with high contrast. The style I hope to make my own soon. Awesome experience for me and I can’t wait to see the final film.
This is who we are (USC Thesis Film)
35mm / Moviecam with Zeiss Primes
Job- Grip
The AC on “The Indian and the Samurai”, Rob, was the DP on this film and he asked me to grip which I was more than happy to do but unfortunately they were shooting days and 18 was shooting nights on the same dates. After my past experience I wasn’t gonna put in double shifts unless the fate of the Japanese anime industry was dependent on me doing so. Since it wasn’t I ended up only doing one day. The DP of “Indian and the Samurai”, my pal Anthony, who also worked on “The Honey Sting” was Key Grip on this shoot. Again see no egos amongst pals. It may seem like a minor thing but I’ve met lotsa ppl who have huge problems to demote themselves in crew hierarchy. I’ve never had a problem with that ever since I come from the land of “Bhai saab please adjust”. Pretty simple shoot really, with us shooting inside a house and using naturalistic lighting. Not my style really but I get every film can’t look like “Sex and Lucia” or “The Conformist”. Again very important trait for a crew dude. Don’t give your opinion, idea or suggestion unless specifically asked or unless you have a prior working relationship with your superior. Nobody likes a know it all busybody.
The Man who knew how to fly (Independent Short)
HD/ Sony F900 with Zeiss Primes
Job – Grip
Another job off the internet which was to be shot in this cool warehouse location in Pasadena where a lot of stuff is shot. Interesting period film about a man who discovers that he can fly. This shoot was kinda tough coz it was mostly nights and involved a lot of work rigging and lighting stuff from the roof. I suffer from Vertigo so heights isn’t really my thing but by the end of the shoot I had almost conquered my queasiness with heights.
Nocturnal & Last call (Independent Shorts)
RED One with Zeiss Primes
Job- Grip
This was a cool gig. Two short films shot back to back inside a week by the same crew. Nocturnal was an experimental piece with one actor shot entirely on a stage while Last Call was a narrative shot in some awesome locations, which included a hip nightclub in Hollywood and a Krav Maga dojo. Would work with the G/E team from this one on multiple projects in the future as well when they would call me for gigs.
Lesson #2 – Imagine you’re in a Rock Band
One of the best advice I ever got was from a teacher of mine who gave me a brilliant analogy about working with other people. He told us to imagine that we were members in a rock band and were looking for a new addition. There are two final candidates to choose from. One is a amazingly talented dude who’s a pain to work with while the other person though not as talented is a laidback guy who gets along with everyone. Now imagine you have to go on a tour for a year. Which one would you pick ?
This is the fundamental truth of the filmmaking business and people who ignore it do so at their own peril.
People wanna make films coz it’s fun for them and they don’t want to work with dudes who are a fly in the ointment. Going by my personal experience, I got calls for work from people I had worked with previously on other shoots partly because I did a decent enough job but more importantly coz I was cool to work with. I wasn’t like the life of the party or the most talented person on set. I was simply a cog in the wheel who was content at that point to be a smaller cog till the time came for me to be a bigger cog. That particular transition happened in due time, infact almost 6 months ahead of schedule.
The tortured artist while might be a highly romantic notion, is also universally detested by the people who have actually to deal with said person. I don’t think it’s acceptable to scream and shout at anyone on set. After all no matter how wonderful, it’s only a movie. We’re not Medecins sans Frontieres nor are we finding a cure for cancer. If the process of making the film isn’t fun then I don’t want to be a part of that.
This post covers the first 6 months of my year. The concluding post will detail the rest.
PS – I highly reccomend this book as a must read for some hilarious anecdotes during the making of Apocalypse Now.
http://www.amazon.com/Ready-When-Coppola-Spielberg-Crowe/dp/081084964X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1229753434&sr=8-1
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
“it’s only a movie. We’re not Medecins sans Frontieres”
That’s a great line!
Mitch…lovely account & good writing as always. It must be great doing the gigs.. i finished my first short on Panasonic AG-DVX100B in 3mths, you are so right about getting the right people to work with ….it was great experience for me but from now on i will talk to my cast & crew twice before i actually lock them…
I love the DVX. Lost my digital virginity to that camera and it will always have a special place in my heart. It was such a pleasure to use it after the ARRI S which is a nightmare to do handheld on.
i regret to cause this inconvenience to you ,as my curiosity about filmaking tends to conquer my inhibition.could you plese pass some info on filmakin at your university regardin direction n stuff.Once you guys graduate,what is the next thing you get to do …..how do u go and fetch your work?…..how is ur market like???
You gotta meet people, network, schmooze yaada yaada yaada if you are a director. For us it’s much simpler coz we get called when the money is in place and the project is ready to roll. Most of my friends who are directors here try one of the following steps -
a) Get a job at a studio or a production company and learn the business from the inside out.
b) Get an agent and start pitching for work. Its tough to break into features so they do commercials and music video work.
c) Continue to work on crews in varying capacity to learn other people’s directorial style and meet like minded people whom they want to work with.
In any case all I can really say is that having a career in film can’t be plan B. It should be plan A and you shouldn’t even have a plan B. It’s films or bust.