Category: Film Crew

notes from the basement

4/12/2016

Gray O'Brien and Shabana Smith

So here we are, deep in the heart of post-production. So much to tell, but so little time because…post-production.
Everybody keeps asking “when is that movie of yours going to be done?” It’s like when you’re nine months pregnant and everybody keeps asking when that baby’s going to pop. The answer is “Pass me a sandwich, and one of those nice pickles. Oh, and a bucket of coffee, please. Because I haven’t had time to eat or sleep this week."

Been busy looking at stuff like this (eyes right)

So here’s what you need to know about how we're doing...

It looks beautiful. Stunning. We are wildly happy.
The performances are outstanding. We expected a lot, but this is beyond the beyond of the beyond. And don’t even get me started on the chemistry of our two young leads, Lauren McQueen and Sean Stevenson. You can’t tear your eyes off them.
While we’re on about chemistry, Alexz Johnson and Brendan Flynn are a riot to watch together.
Our editor is a superhero.
Our composers have started their work on the score and every day is a beautiful revelation. They are innovative, talented and they really understand the deep connection between the story and the music.
Every time I sit in front of the screen (and so far it’s been hundreds of times) and see all our hard work coming together so perfectly, I’m newly grateful for the miracle that is my cast and my crew.

Cast. Crew. Lunch. Much miracles.

Yes, post-production takes long time. So do babies. But in the end, they’re both worth it. And unlike babies, The Wasting won’t throw up on you.

1 Comment

kind of like a superhero woman

1/1/2016

2 Comments

I love my crew. I keep saying it, and everybody wants to know why. So I’ll tell you, one blog at a time.

ANNA TOMBACZ

2nd AD

How Anna Got the Gig: Chutzpah. She didn’t have a pile of experience coming in, but she told me she’s very clever and she can learn anything quickly. I loved that she knows she’s clever, and mostly, I love that she isn’t afraid to say it. (Women don’t say that enough and spend way too much time apologising for being clever) It meant she wouldn’t be afraid of anything. On a low-budget film set, there is no room for fear.

Braving the river for the cause

Anna’s Greatest Asset: Exactly as advertised. She’s very clever and can master anything quickly. I never worried about the things Anna was responsible for. I never had to check twice to make sure the job was done. I could count on her.And if things got stressful, she never panicked. She just put her head down and carried on. I love that.

Anna’s Greatest Challenge: That time she arrived by train and there was a problem with the car picking her up and she sat for an hour in the dark at a tiny deserted station in the middle of nowhere, with nobody around except probably whatever bit the American Werewolf in London and turned him into a werewolf, lo, those many years ago. Like everything, Anna took it all in stride.

Anna’s Hidden Talent: Taking pictures. She took the most gorgeous behind-the-scenes photos, and we didn’t even know she was doing it.

What Anna is Always Game For: Pretty much anything. Fishing props out of a river in the rain. Scary things in scary cellars. Getting her hands dirty. And my favourite - Zombie attack on the director’s car.

2 Comments

the two faces of tom

12/24/2015

0 Comments

I love my crew. I keep saying it, and everybody wants to know why. So I’ll tell you, one blog at a time.

TOM PRATT, 1ST AD

Tom’s Greatest Challenge: Being mean. This was his first crack at being a 1st and he did an admirable job with logistics and organizing and making sure the cast was happy and the director was never caught carrying stuff.

But being a 1st also means that sometimes you have to be mean like that drill sergeant in Full Metal Jacket to make sure the set runs smoothly. And Tom is nice. Oh, how hard he tried to be mean. Sometimes he scowled. But he’s not a mean guy.

Look below, for a time Tom was mean. He gives us what-for at 19 seconds.

Pensive, yes. Mean, no.

The Thing That Made Tom Mean: A series of unfortunate events, on a day that pushed nearly everyone to the brink.

Our lead actress ran out a gate that was supposed to slam behind her, and it did. But then it got stuck, and she was trapped on the other side. In the rain. With no umbrella. Tom always took the actors’ safety and comfort very seriously. We got the gate open in about 30 seconds, but it was probably the longest 30 seconds of Tom’s life, and it set him up for Unfortunate Event #2.

That time we got Lauren to rattle the gate. This time, Tom wasn't worried about the actress, he was worried about the gate. It was old. And the more she rattled it, the more worried he got. Until he snapped. Or got very very stern. There would be no more gate rattling. But it's ok. We got the shot.

Tom’s Biggest Regret: That he didn’t get to go in the camera boat on the last day. He really wanted to, and he deserved to, but it wasn’t big enough and the water was choppy. Sorry, Tom. My next film will have water in it too. You can go in the boat then.

An Important Thing An Anonymous Crew Member Said About Tom: That it’s good he wasn’t like that drill sergeant. That his pleasant personality helped us. The crew worked hard, and this was not a big budget film. If somebody was yelling at them all the time, they might not have stayed. But they did stay, because Tom helped to make it a nice set to be on. I love it when niceness wins.