Lighting the first shot

Spring Break – Gaffing in the Valley

Over Spring Break I spent a few days working as a gaffer on a student film.  We shot on location in the Valley and in Malibu.  My friend, Andy, was the DP, so on this production I was able to help him with the lighting and learn while watching him work.  As you can see from the pictures, the film was shot on a RED camera, which was another reason I wanted to crew for this film.

Some of us loaded up the grip truck the night before the shoot, so we could get an early (6:45 AM) start the next day. During some downtime on location, we passed time with a game using the C-47s (what film crews called clothespins), where we’d try to clip them on someone without them noticing and then see how long it would take for that person to realize they’d been clipped.

Take a look at the pictures I took and you’ll see what goes on — and just how much people-power, materials and cooperation it takes to make even a student film — behind the scenes.

 

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