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Set Etiquette Emotions


orionflood

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I got into film/TV because of stories. Although probably not talked about a lot on here...has anyone had an emotional experience on set? This is aside from doing your job and getting the shot. I watched the indy film The Beginner's and thought about if I was on that set, some of it was pretty powerful and if I was the mixer I would have found myself going through some of the same emotions the viewers were intended to have.

If you the sound mixer get the shot as your supposed to, is it bad to shed a tear of laughter or sadness etc. Is this in the grey area of set etiquette? Also when being a boom operator, are you always supposed to avert your eyes from the actor/not make eye contact? I have had a few moments doing a few films, and no one has exactly said anything because everyone seemed to be on the same page. Anyway thoughts?

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Anyone who has worked on the set of a serious drama has been through this, and it requires a lot of self-control on everyone's part to preserve the mood and emotional space for the actors. You have to have your stuff just that more together so there is no possibility that you'll be scrambling at all where the actors can see (and hear you). It makes things tougher, but at the end you really feel like you were part of something amazing and great. I know a lot of crew people who say that those moments were why they got into this line of work.

phil p

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I did a "true" war movie, and at the end, shot on the very last day, we brought in family members of civilians who had lost their lives. They held up pictures and said a few words. It had only happened just over a year prior. We only had boom, camera operators, director, script, and myself in the room. There was not a dry eye. Of course these were not actors, and were speaking Georgian, but even those who could not understand them were moved to tears by their words. I am getting emotional now just thinking about it. When we wrapped, the rest of the crew were jubilant. Those of us in the room were drained, unable to celebrate.

I do recall being very moved by some fictional performances. You can feel the energy in the room from the whole crew. It's a beautiful experience to see someone use their craft so skillfully. I don't believe an actor would mind a tear or two from the crew. It would make them proud.

Laughter has happened more than anything. As a boom op it's very hard, but comedic actors quite enjoy when the crew laughs. The director also knows what they are doing is funny, which is good.

I did a movie with one actor who kept mispronouncing a word. It got to the point that they tried to pick up just the sentence. He couldn't get it. He had rehearsed it wrong many times. Part of a big speech. The other actor behind him was in my eye-line, and he started to laugh. I had to turn away. Very bad moment. NOT a comedy.

But these experiences are why I LOVE my job.

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Most Film and TV actors handle complements on their performance with appreciation and humility and in the right situation, I'll just mention that I thought their scene was really nice, or funny, or awesome - whatever. Since they usually don't get the kind of response that a stage actor will get - and I've see a lot of actors get kind of brushed off right after their scene so that the crew can move on - I'm sure that a nod to them feels OK.

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we work with our ears in the cans all day, so it's quite impossible not to be affected. we listen and hear words and emotions attached to the words. and lots of times, we're better listeners than others who are not in film or video or not.

we read voice patterns and hear nuances in people that other folks never give a thought to. listen with empathy when stuff happens and be in the moment with them and get the track down. this is your moment too. i get excited and really into it when great stuff happens. my alertness level goes through the roof. i'm on every word, and somehow--even if there's a lot of dynamic in the talent's voice/volume level--it's miraculously easy to ride the pot on the mixer as if you're on autopilot.

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My wife jokes that I am a sociopath (never show emotion), but I tell her that I get all choked up over Band of Brothers everytime I watch it. Mostly the VO work, must have been emotionally draining sessions.

so·ci·o·path

   [soh-see-uh-path, soh-shee-]

a person, as a psychopathic personality, whose behavior is antisocial and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience.

Tell your wife that just because you're stoic doesn't mean that you're an axe murderer -- as far as she knows.

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My wife jokes that I am a sociopath (never show emotion), but I tell her that I get all choked up over Band of Brothers everytime I watch it. Mostly the VO work, must have been emotionally draining sessions.

I've cried at that show and The Pacific. I get emotional watching movies where everything is perfect, story, acting, picture and sound. Just because I know how hard the crew and everyone works.

And yes I've gotten emotional during scenes and interviews.

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Good topic.

Two instances come to mind: Lorraine Bracco did a rape scene that was horrific and well and deeply played. At the end of the day I was passing the van where she sat, ready to roll home. She was holding a dozen roses (from Production I imagine). Through the window, I mouthed, "Thank you..." She smiled in gratitude. Donald Sutherland read a bunch of letters written from prison by his life-long friend Dalton Trumbo. Very emotional. Thankfully, I was off set and had a box of tissues on the cart. When Sutherland exited the stage right by the cart, I pointed at the huge pile of tissues and said, "Damn you, Sutherland..." He smiled and gently touched my ear. That spot on my ear still tingles.

Yeah. Two reasons I keep doing this thing.

-- Jan

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" Commercials not so much "

you don't get all chocked up by the announcement of the latested soft drink flavor?? ::)

A few years ago IKEA ran a great series of commercials that would make you feel very emotional about an inanimate object. This is one of my favs:

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I worked on a project once that followed different Therapists that worked with children who were born with severe disabilities. There were some points, usually when the Parents were talking about their experiences at the hospital when I began to get emotional. It's tough to prepare yourself for something like that, but the best you can do is try to keep your composure, and do your job.

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I worked on a late 1970s documentary about burn victims who filed lawsuits against Ford over the Pinto (which had a tendency to burst into flames when the cars were rear-ended), and I constantly had to dab my eyes. Very hard to deal with burned children on the set. Another doc on teenagers who became paraplegics after diving into the shallow ends of pools was almost as bad. The interviewer called breaks every so often, because he was affected as well.

In both cases, I was affected, not just by their injuries, but their surprisingly optimistic and upbeat attitudes. If this kind of thing happened to me, I'd be like, "waiter? Check please!"

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I interviewed this amazing teenager, who was from a poor family, who worked all summer to pay for her own LASIK surgery. She went to a discount place, her eyes got infected, and she became completely blind. Her family secured a very bad yellow-pages lawyer, and was barely compensated for her life-long disability.

Her optimism and lack of anger was inspiring.

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My magic moment was a student film, actually..

We were shooting a scene where two women were to give birth. We were filming it in a hospital, a real delivery ward.

So we shot some close ups of the two women screaming, pretending to be giving birth.

And then we brought in the newborns. (They were actually just born, 2 days or so. My wife was the 2nd AD and she was so proud she had come up with newly borns on this student film when Star Wars didn't)

Never heard such a quiet set. Everyone just relaxed, no nervousness, no anger. And the parents of the kids sat by the monitors and wept, as did we all. It was a sacred moment. And it sounded really, really good. :)

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