lil things

In my short 25 and a half years of existence, I've only learned one great truth.  Live with purpose and don't dwell on the insignificant daily trials and tribulations.

For one of the most powerful things I've ever watched or listened to, watch This is Water.  The thing that it did and continues to do is it calls me out as a person and how easy it is to go to the default setting in my head that everything is about me.  It has helped me realize and figure out what I really don't want to focus on in life, helping me create time for the things that really matter to me.

All my life I've chosen to see the small miracles that happen on a daily basis around me.  I've seen the supernatural like my dad being cured of a horrible dairy allergy when I was young by the simple touch and prayer of someone that had also been miraculously healed of a similar allergy through the power of prayer.  I witness more frequently the simple miracle of human kindness.  Most recently this evening when my car broke down halfway to Vegas from LA and I had to call for a tow.  I called AAA and they got someone out to me in about two hours.  AAA only covers the initial 7 miles, then you're at the mercy of the Tow Man on what the rate per a mile is after those 7 miles.  In my case $9 a mile and I was 31 miles from the nearest mechanic.  So minus the 7 miles, that leaves 24 which comes out to $216 for a tow.  I witnessed two miracles in that 31 miles of riding with the Tow Man.  We stopped along the way to help another AAA member who lost her purse and had no way to pay for gas at the station to get home.  The Tow Man gave her the allotted amount of gas AAA covers plus out of his own generosity, gave her all the gas he had with him on the truck.  The second and most personal miracle witnessed was the gift of a free 24 mile tow to the mechanic.  He shook my hand after unloading my car and walked back to his truck.  I called out to remind him I still owe him for the mileage and he told me not to worry about it.

These last few days have really tested me.  I'm to begin work in Las Vegas on a movie working as a camera assistant tomorrow morning and the job runs for an entire month.  Housing isn't covered on this production and the rate is low so once again I find myself at the mercy of friends for a place to crash.  This is stressful for me because I'm terrible at receiving gifts, compliments and charity but I always have to remember a quote from Mad Men:  "we'll always owe each other one".  This has stuck with me since I heard it.  The notion that between myself and my good friends, we don't keep track, we just help each other out as and when we can.  I find it a joy to pay it forward as and when I can.

A couple days ago, my roommate informed me that she was putting in her 30 days notice on our apartment because she was moving in with her boyfriend in Texas.  This came at a terrible time because of the movie I was working in Vegas.  I was going to be gone until September 2nd and I had to be out before September 1st.  I had no time to make arrangements before I left whether it be finding a new roommate or moving so I'll have to make a special trip back to LA to put my things in storage so I'm out of the apartment.  What was great about the living arrangement was we were on a month-to-month lease so we just had to put in 30 days notice when we wanted to move out.  This was the ideal situation until my friends' lease on their current place is up at the end of October when we'd all get a place together.  So now when I get back after this movie I'll have to make temporary arrangements for two months.  Again, the joy of good friends has bestowed upon me more gifts.  I've had a couple of offers from friends allowing me to crash with them for a couple months.

I also always have kind words and encouragement from my best friend Catie.  It got to the point a couple days ago with everything that all I wanted was to just lie down on the couch and put my head in her lap.  I never get to that point where I'm having a panic attack and feel overwhelmed with everything that was being thrown at me at a particular moment.  I go with the punches and make the best of the situation.  Shit happens and I refuse to cry over spilled milk.  I've got better things to do.  But that day, everything got the better of me and I just needed Catie.  Unfortunately she's 3000 miles away so I only get her via my iPhone.  I made it through that moment and even today's events of being stranded in the desert with car problems didn't phase me much.  I made the best of it with a little help from my talks with my dad and grandfather on the phone as the events played out.

So finally in Barstow, I only have to wait until morning and the mechanic will get to work on my car.  I was worried about losing my job for the month in Vegas but they got someone to fill in for me tomorrow and I'll see them Tuesday.

It's the little things that improve a day.

The only downside to today's events that is eating at me is my weed is cheaper than Starbucks.

Day of the Cowboy and Cowgirl 2013

In March of 2011 I graduated from Full Sail University with my Bachelor of Science Degree in Film Production.  I skipped the graduation ceremony to go work on a movie called The Adventures of Loop and Rhett in Tucson Arizona.  A good friend of mine Michael Tushaus was producing and playing one of the lead roles and he invited me to come work on the project as a Camera Assistant.  On the production besides gaining experience and learning new skills, I made lifelong friends.  Two of those friends are Loop Rawlins and Joey Dillon.

Cast and Crew of Adventures of Loop and Rhett.  Photo taken by Collette Lash.

Loop at the time was working on the Cirque Du Soleil show Viva Elvis doing his rope twirling and gun slinging act and was playing the other lead along Michael Tushaus in the movie.  Joey Dillon was and is a multiple world title holder in Trick Gunpinning and Handling.  He was playing one of the many colorful characters in the movie and he also was our gun coach and on set armorer, something he does on large budget movies such as Gangster Squad and Jonah Hex.

Yesterday was Day of the Cowboy and Cowgirl at the Autry Museum in Los Angeles California and Joey and Loop were both performing an act together for three shows throughout the day's events.  I had a blast at the event at the Autry.  The museum's general admission price of $10 got you into the event as well.  You also got a free gift:  Western Amerykanski, Polish Poster Art & The Western.  I've had a chance to flip through it a little and there's really cool pictures of posters and is a fascinating read on the history and culture of Poland after the Soviet Collapse.

The museum of course was open and they were also debuting a new collection of firearms donated by George Gamble.  The collection included weapons used by Teddy Roosevelt and other notable persons in American History.  There were plenty of things to do for all ages throughout the day so I highly recommend attending the event next year.  I attended all three of Joey's and Loop's shows and got some fantastic photos you can see here.

Here you see Loop extinguishing a match with the crack of a whip.

Here's Joey doing his thing.

A mini reunion for 4 of those involved with The Adventures of Loop and Rhett.

New Music Video!

Right before I moved to Los Angeles, I shot a music video for The Solid Suns for their song The Garden.  The video is finally finished and uploaded as of this morning.  I definitely didn't get all the shots I wanted but in the end it is what it is and I'm proud of it.

When we showed up to shoot the performance portion out at the dry lake bed outside Las Vegas, my only concern going in was the potential of cops showing up and shutting us down for having a generator and several bright lights without a permit out in the middle of what I assume is protected land.  When we got there we were plagued by high winds.  When shouting, you had to be within three feet of the person you're talking to in order to make yourself heard.  Luckily I had rope in my car because we had to tie the lights to the vehicles to avoid them blowing over.  I felt accomplished that by the end of the night we only lost one light and a drum cymbal the wind.

Shooting it, there was sand blowing in our eyes and ears.  The result was some of the most badass footage I've ever shot.  The wind was so intense it added to the look.  The band members hair was all over the place and their cloths were on the verge of being torn to shreds.  In the end, if it wasn't for the help I received from my pals and fellow shooters Michael Tushaus and Michael Su, I would have had to call it due to the weather.  I couldn't have done it without them.  I'm very proud of this one:

THE GARDEN

Iggy Azalea Music Video

I recently worked this gig in Las Vegas.  I was coming in as a 1st Assistant Camera and have never worked with this DP (Director of Photography) before.  It was a Music Video for the artist Iggy Azalea featuring T.I. titled Change Your Life.  Usually DP's bring in their own 1st AC, but this DP didn't which right away tells me he doesn't have a lot of experience.  It would be one thing if his 1st AC would have had a problem with the rate but on this gig, there was a budget where I was very happy with the pay.

We built the cameras, me and the two 2nd ACs, and the first request we get from the DP is add a half soft.  I immediately ask what a 1/2 soft is.  I assume it's a filter but I want to clarify so we're not wasting time later because I didn't ask for clarification.  I've only been a 1st AC for two years now and it's only been in the last couple months where I'm finally landing gigs where I get a 2nd AC, which means it's only been in the last couple months that I've been working on productions that have the budget to be operated the standard "Hollywood" way.  So to say it the simplest way, I don't usually work with DP's who use lens filters above NDs and Polarizers.  Instead of just telling me, which if I have to ask I expect a little frustration and/or snide comments, but  I got a stamping of feet instead with a huge sigh and "really dude?"  There was a long pause before he finally told me it was a filter.  I feel incompetent enough as it is and deserve a little criticism but something he needed to realize was we were on his side and we were his support system in the camera department, in the end, he wasted our time, wasting his time and this could be forgiven if he was actually a decent DP, but he sucked.  This set the tone for the rest of the two day shoot.

The first day was a day of frustration, blood and sweat.  By the end of the day everyone hated the 3 French Directors and the DP.  The 2nd day I decided at this point, we're here on set, if they fire me at this point they still have to pay me for the day.  So I decided to have a good time and to not take this guy seriously.  In the end I had an amazing time not giving a shit but doing my job.  We did our job and we did it well and the DP still found ways to complain.  I didn't care, and to make it more fun, I decided to do a Production Tip every hour of the production and post it on Facebook.  It was too easy especially when most of the tips were created right when the event that inspired it had just taken place or was still in the process.

So here are the 13 posts I made that night on the hour, every hour for the last 13 hours of the day and gig:

Production tip #1: don't light then put in the subject. Get the subject or a stand in and then light them. You'll save time not lighting multiple times.

Tip #1 Explanation:  The second day we were shooting in a strip club.  We had just finished the first shot of the day which was Iggy and the girls getting ready for a show and T.I. walks in singing his bit.  Once this scene was finished we moved both cameras back to base camp where we waited 30 minutes for the DP to light the next scene for Camera B (my camera) which is a perfectly normal amount of time to light something.  But when I brought the camera in he brought in the talent that would be in this lighting setup, a prop gun and playing cards.  This is the first time he's seeing the talent in his lighting setup and he's looking at it through the camera.  A rule of thumb is to get the subject or a stand in in the location before you start lighting them.  You light by eye first and make final adjustments when you see it on the camera monitor.  Instead, he now has to relight the subject which are inanimate props, thus wasting 30 minutes.

Production Tip #2: Don't shoot your insert extreme close up shots on location. You're wasting time and money on something you could have shot in your living room.

Tip #2 Explanation:  This is a continuation of the 1st Tip.   The production wasted hours of time on shots that could have been done with a minimal crew in someone's living room or a small studio.  Instead they shot these insert close up shots while they had a full crew earning overtime and paying for extra time at the Strip Club location.  The money saved would have been 1000s of dollars.  Whatever, it's their money.

Production Tip #3: As the director, don't ask your 1st AC what the next shot is if you don't want a smart ass response like "you're the director, you tell me".

Tip #3 Explanation:  This one is pretty straightforward.  One of the Directors actually asked me what the next shot was and waited and expected an answer.  I was so dumbfounded at the request I couldn't suppress a smart ass response.

Production Tip #4: Hire a DP that doesn't know the camera he's shooting with if you want footage with an array of different compression ratios.

Tip #4 Explanation:  To keep this simple, he didn't seem to have a great understanding of the camera, which is fine since that's my job, but every time I brought up that he changed the compression ratio the last time he played with the settings, he would stamp his feet and get upset.  I don't know if he expected me to change the settings back or if he thought I was asking another stupid question.  In the end, his editor is going to be editing and cutting footage that will look different from the rest.

Production Tip #5: Don't drop an O'Conor head.

Tip #5 Explanation:  Yeah, the DP dropped the O'Conor Head (heavy duty tripod head) after taking initiative  and detaching it from the Dolly himself, cracking the floor of the house we were shooting in, consequently it was the Robert De Niro House in the movie Casino.  I believe he blamed one of us for him dropping the head.

Production Tip #6: Don't take a gig with 3 French Directors.

Tip #6 Explanation:  Cliche but unfortunately  true for both the French and the French Canadians.  I'm learning as I move forward in my young career the French are a difficult bunch and are into shooting sequences of a model shaving her hairy legs.  Yes, unfortunately that last bit actually happened on this music video.

Production Tip #7: You know you hired a "great" DP when he starts with an 18K HMI and decides to swap it out for a leko.

Tip #7 Explanation:  This is probably my favorite.  We were shooting a scene with a car.  He had the grip and electric department put up an 18K HMI and point it into a 12'x12' ultra bounce.  This may be greek but it's a lot of work.  It takes 4 men to lift the 18K and put it onto it's stand.  He had them do all this work, then had them change it out for a leko.  A leko is a tiny little light that only takes one guy to setup.

Production Tip #8: if the DP shakes the ladder your standing on and that's his way to tell you he wants to move it and you need to get off, save your energy and let it go. When he asks you to troubleshoot a camera problem mounted to a jib hanging 10 feet above the top of a car by putting a 12 step on top of the car to get to the camera, you tell him to "GO TO HELL".

Tip #8 Explanation:  This one pretty much explains itself.

Production Tip #9: Don't ask the 1st AC to get his focus, then move the talent's marker.

Tip #9 Explanation:  This happened to our other 1st AC.  The directors were setting up the next shot and had him set the lens to focus on a spot they put a marker down.  He set the focus then they moved the marker.  Not a huge deal but then they walked off with the stand in so we had to find someone else to stand in for him to set his focus.

Production Tip #10: A company move will take more than 20 minutes for the camera department.

Tip #10 Explanation:  The production coordinator came up to me asking me how long it'll take the camera department to move to the next location.  In order to move the camera we have to strip it down to where it can travel safely.  On this production we had two cameras and about 14 heavy cases to load into a vehicle, then unload at the next location.  Then of course we have to build the camera back up.  I told her it would take 20-30 minutes.  She then asks me if we can do it any faster which I can only flatly respond with a "no, we can't make it any faster".

Production Tip #11: Sometimes you just have to trust the DP knows what he's doing, even if he sets a frame of diffusion in front of the shot. 

 Tip #11 Explanation:  Simple explanation, DP had us set up his next shot, had us waste valuable time adjusting everything  to what he wanted, then he set an opaque frame of diffusion right in front of the camera.  We never recorded anything with that camera setup, still confused as to why he set us there.

Production Tip #12: Yes means yes.... sometimes.

Tip #12 Explanation:  The entire production, at least from the camera department, was plagued with a lot of us asking the DP specific questions, usually in the realm of camera settings, him telling us yes that's what he wants.  So we change the settings accordingly then he comes and looks at the camera after adjusting his lighting, when he sees the settings are changed, the closes AC gets an ear full of why was the settings on the camera changed?  There was no explaining to him we asked the question and he answered with a yes, which then he would argue he never said any such thing.  So sometimes when this DP says yes, he probably wasn't even paying attention to the question in the first place. 

Production Tip #13: If you're going to "plan" to do 33 hours in two days, rethink your plan and make it a three day shoot. Also, don't work your temp job 6 hours after a 15 hour day.

Tip #13 Explanation:  Lets just say I earned more overtime and meal penalties on this production than it would have cost to bring me out an extra day. 

At least in the end I get to say I've worked on set with a real white tiger!