All right everyone, it has been a while since I've made a new blog post, but I do have a good reason :) My older brother, Jonathan, and I just returned two weeks ago from an incredible film internship on the set of HeuMoore Productions most recent film: Ace Wonder! I think it best for me to begin by explaining what my responsibilities were on set.
My official title for the film is Key Set PA, PA standing for Production Assistant. That's right, I did whatever needed to be done that no one else was available to do. However, some of my primary responsibilities were: maintaining and distributing walkie talkies every day, doing some office work, moving set vehicles, escorting actors and actresses, running errands for cast and crew, directing traffic, keeping everyone comfortable, trying to maintain a sense of order by keeping things moving and keeping people quiet during takes, and even [thanks to our gracious Assistant Director (Chip Lake) and Director (John Moore)] occasional opportunities to step into the Assistant Director's role and call the shots (see below).
Though my role wasn't huge, I counted it a joy to work along side godly men in creating a much needed film for our culture! All the while, I was gaining knowledge that I pray will propel me as I seek to glorify God in this incredible industry.
Throughout the shoot, though it was not always daily, I made a point of writing down things I did and learned, so as not to forget. Below are some excerpts from my journal. I hope you find them enjoyable!
Ace Wonder Film Internship – 4/24/10
“I walked into the office today at 9:00 AM and was immediately put to work. My mission was, along with Aaron Burns, to find an RV and Jeep Wrangler to be used in the film. This took most of the day, but by the afternoon we had located numerous RV's in the area and an old Jeep Wrangler on Craig's List...The rest of the day was spent doing office work; filing and collating papers and searching for storage space...”
Ace Wonder Film Internship – 4/27/10
“First day of filming was today! We filmed the exterior Morton home, the interior will be filmed at another location. I'm officially a “PA,” but our sound mixer didn't have his boom operator today, so I filled in for him.
Things I learned:
-1 to 1 method (Designed for capturing quality audio on close up shots, this is where you hold the mic one foot above and one foot in front of the actor's head).
-Master Audio (Overall audio of the set)
-Hero (The actor with the most dialogue)
-Wild Lines (When you record the actor's audio separate from the video and then merge them in post)
Additionally, I had the opportunity to help operate the crane...Isaac Botkin also came on set today to observe the filming and help out wherever he could. I had the pleasure of sharing dinner with him and got to ask him a lot of questions...”
Ace Wonder Film Internship – 4/28/10
“I'm extremely tired tonight, so I won't take much time...Today I was not a boom opp. and was able to resume my regular position as a PA. I moved vehicles in and out of frame, ran errands around set for Chip, and assisted the actors both on and off set...
Something I learned:
When filming wide, medium, and close up shots for one scene, you typically pick the shot that works best with the weather, or other factors, before moving to your other shots. For instance, today we started by filming our wide shots because our weather was right. We then moved into our medium and close ups where we could more easily control the lighting...”
Come back soon for some more journal entries.
In Christ,
Josh
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