Behind the Cameras

I thought today I'd go into some detail about what happens behind the scenes on a movie set. It's been a little while since I've done a movie related post, which is surprising since that's what my whole life revolves around most of the time.

A normal work day lasts about twelve hours or longer, and quite a bit can happen in that amount of time. You could lose the director several times, you could have sword fights, you could eat your weight in snacks, you could get run over by a golf cart, you could run a 5k marathon going from one side of the stage to the other, etc. All that and more has happened to me in any given day.

One thing it never is though, is dull. There's always something going on at some point during the day, and that's one of the things I love. The rhythm never changes either. It's like a finely tuned clock. When we arrive at each new set, we always have rehearsal first, the actors go through their lines, the director blocks, and then madness ensues. The actors leave to change, and the rest of the crew descends. Electrics put in the lights, Set Dec touches up the set, Grips set up the camera equipment, Props lays out all the things we'll need for the scene, and so on.

You would think that with the number of people in one area, we wouldn't be able to move let alone work, but it goes so smoothly. You know when to move out of the way, and when to side step, and where to be.  I also love the days on set where Audio blasts music while there's a set change, because then everyone sings along while they work. Those silly moments are some of the best. I remember a day on Hunger Games where we were in the apartment set in the Capitol. My Props team was covering all the fish dishes from the dinner scene before we went to lunch and Audio was blasting "Landslide" My bosses, and the rest of the group were all yelling and singing along, and it still makes me laugh when I think of that today.

My favorite moment on set though, the one that will always be my favorite, is right when the camera begins to roll. Everyone knows we're about to start filming, and the whole crew gets really quiet. There's a hush that falls among the people, seconds before the director yells Rolling, and then Action! It's that instant when the camera rolls that I know I'll never love anything more. That's the moment when we make someone's vision of this movie into a reality.

Stand By and Stay tuned, there's more to come.