How to Spot a Rookie at 100 Paces

[seth]

I ask the wise: I brought my guitar on an out of town ENG shoot. I thought it better than watching tv or drinking at the bar. The camera op that I just met told me that some producers would be upset about this. Is bringing your guitar to the hotel a newbie move(being "we're bringing around so much sh%t already") ?

[ccsnd]

I bring mine. I have been playing guitar 12 years and have a hard time going more than 1 day without playing.

It's your hotel room, you are the one carrying it, why should they care?

[Jim Feeley]

I work with a couple different producers who bring travel guitars. One guy's electric, the other's acoustic. Both producers, btw, are great players with deep music roots. Not beautiful instruments, but playable and easy to carry w/o more excess baggage.

The cheap Martin backpacker looks like this:

The electric something like this:

[ccsnd]

I used to bring my steinberger. Now I usually bring my LTD

[Peter Mega]

We had a producer doing hand claps on a shoot recently. We shot a scene (2 cameras, 2 sound) and required a tail slate. One of the cam ops says to do it up side down as a joke and the producer turned his hands up side down. We all just looked at each other.

Quite funny really, I guess!!

[MatthewFreedAudio]

I find it funny when people do tail sticks up side down on clip based media like 5D, RED, etc.

[Sam Mallery]

Put together blimp for exterior shot, hoist it overhead for the first take, look up, and cannot tell which direction the shotgun is pointing, scene begins, and yes, mic is pointed at the sky, dialog is lost.

[Olle Sjostrom]

Put together blimp for exterior shot, hoist it overhead for the first take, look up, and cannot tell which direction the shotgun is pointing, scene begins, and yes, mic is pointed at the sky, dialog is lost.

+1 Done it once. Never again. I called for a re-take, said something happened to the 744t.

[geordi]

Had that happen too - on a blimp that was too centered above the handle. Rather than put gaff tape all over the proper-end... I now just shift the blimp above the handle so the target end is longer.

[John D Matthews]

Apple Crate does NOT equal Apple Box

[Mike Ford]

I ask the wise: I brought my guitar on an out of town ENG shoot. I thought it better than watching tv or drinking at the bar. The camera op that I just met told me that some producers would be upset about this. Is bringing your guitar to the hotel a newbie move(being "we're bringing around so much sh%t already") ?

I wish I had brought mine on location on my current show (full season of episodic far from home) Instead brought my baseball glove. Today at lunch we had about 7 guys throwing the ball around....also have my Xbox with me too...

[geordi]

Seth - If it is something that you brought to your own hotel room and aren't asking anyone else to carry or store... Who cares?

I bring my iphone, ipad, laptop, and a gaggle of cables / accessories that aren't all for film use, and I consider that stuff part of my personal traveling belongings. If producers are concerning themselves with the personal belongings that aren't used when you are "on the clock"... I think they need to be politely told to sod off.

[ccsnd]

Showing up to a 200$/day gig with 50k-60k worth of brand new gear your parents bought....................

[mikefilosa]

Is bringing your guitar to the hotel a newbie move(being "we're bringing around so much sh%t already") ?


You asked of the "wise", but if I too could chip here….

On driving roadtrips longer than a day when I am doing my own driving, I usually bring my 'lil Ashbory Bass guitar and Korg Pandora -- I do NOT want to get lost in the drivel being offered up by hotel cable tv these days. It's soothing and certainly helps clear the head.

So NO - bringing one is not, by any means, a newbie mistake.

However, use common sense - NEVER make your toys an imposition - I.e. never on an airline trip, and never in a situation where you are merely a passenger in a vehicle. Bringing a guitar is not a "right" and should never be in the way taking up space, thus giving some PIA camera guy something to bitch about.

Just my opinion....

MF

[Marc Wielage]

I find it funny when people do tail sticks up side down on clip based media like 5D, RED, etc.

Naaaa, it's tradition. We didn't mind that in post.

I agree, it's not like you're going to look at the bench viewer upside-down like in the old days, but at least you know if you're shuttling through the scene that it's not the head sticks of a new shot. Wearing my post hat, I have asked assistants to tail-clap the scene with the slate numbers readable (right-side up), and then turn the slate upside-down after the clap. But that's because we were syncing in a telecine room, not on a flatbed.

[Olle Sjostrom]

Also, upside down slates can be really useful in a "take within a take" situation...

(null)

[seth]

thanks guys i feel vindicated. I will continue to rock out in my hotel room (with my 7506's irig and iphone).

[Marc Wielage]

thanks guys i feel vindicated. I will continue to rock out in my hotel room (with my 7506's irig and iphone).

Absolutely. What you do in your hotel room is your business. Tell 'em, "it's either the guitar or black tar heroin. If I just do the guitar, I guarantee I can be on time on the set in the morning. On heroin, it'll be iffy."

[geordi]

On heroin, they will possibly want to share.

[Jay Rose]

Put together blimp for exterior shot, hoist it overhead for the first take, look up, and cannot tell which direction the shotgun is pointing, scene begins, and yes, mic is pointed at the sky, dialog is lost.

Here in New England we use Good Ponytailers ("hair balls") a lot for cable management, standard is to put one on the boom near the blimp: Balls In Back.

[carbonhobbit]

After seeing a shot from "View from the office", does it seem like the rookies always seem to "paint" themselves into a corner where you can't light, flag or boom a shot, but if you turn around, there is all this open space. The apartment is so small, crafty is in the bathroom because they are shooting in the other rooms. They have never seen a set where the walls move and the ceiling goes on only when shooting that angle.

Scott.....

[Spencer Moore]

We had a producer doing hand claps on a shoot recently. We shot a scene (2 cameras, 2 sound) and required a tail slate. One of the cam ops says to do it up side down as a joke and the producer turned his hands up side down. We all just looked at each other.

Quite funny really, I guess!!

I brought the TC slate on a TV shoot and the director said he didn't want to use it because if the editors saw it they would start cutting the marks into the piece. So we just used hand claps for the entire shoot...

[Spencer Moore]

After seeing a shot from "View from the office", does it seem like the rookies always seem to "paint" themselves into a corner where you can't light, flag or boom a shot, but if you turn around, there is all this open space. The apartment is so small, crafty is in the bathroom because they are shooting in the other rooms. They have never seen a set where the walls move and the ceiling goes on only when shooting that angle.

Scott.....

I've been on stages and I like them, but I love location. Maybe its just a New York thing.

[Mirror]

Here in New England we use Good Ponytailers ("hair balls") a lot for cable management, standard is to put one on the boom near the blimp: Balls In Back.

I heard that saying in prison too.

[RPSharman]

I heard that saying in prison too.

:-0