Key to Success

Today, several students along with myself began shooting a documentary on the short film "The Intruder." We had the opportunity to interview the 1st and 2nd assistant directors, as well as the director of photography and the 1st assistant camera. (You can see below the DP and his 1st assistant working on a crane shot.)

All four of these jobs require great discipline and an extraordinary knowledge of the subject matter, but none of these people could do their jobs effectively without someone to help them along.

"Anticipation is the key to a professional" said the 2nd assistant director during our interview. Knowing your superiors next move is essential to becoming a better employee. If you can make their job easier, than you have become much more important in the grand scheme. This can be true of all professions, not just filmmaking. And yes, the name of the game is collaboration. If you can't work with each other, then you can't do it at all. The assistant director has to bark at a lot of people to keep them moving, but it's not because he's a jerk and it's not because he doesn't like you. It is because he has a schedule to keep, and a budget to watch. People have to work together to get things done, and that's what measures how successful a production is.

The documentary shooting went rather well, and we will actually begin the editing process very soon. Once complete, it will be posted here along with other projects I have been working on over the last couple months.

An unrelated side note: It is Super Tuesday. If you have not already done so, please vote.

DM