Deciding...

Local 600- Day 2

Scratch that- it wasn't $100... it was $228.16, the wage a camera assistant gets paid when they are just starting out!

Today was day 2 of that Local 600 workshop. I got to Mole at 7:30AM, got a free craft-service catered breakfast, helped set up some lights, got a free craft-service catered lunch(it was good, too!), and got some overtime because I locked the doors five minutes after 6:00PM.

Big Mike Martin gave me a ride home and then Andrew and I watched Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang an amazingly shot and executed film(...ohhh, that sounded violent- haha). Andrew has been getting over a cold so we went to Cafe 101 a few blocks away because he was hungry. I got fries. Yum.

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
When creating a make-shift boom to help boom in a light or anything else(known as a menace arm), please, please, please don't forget that the ratio for weight distribution is 2:1. That means So your pivot point is 2/3 from the boom point(where the item is being hung) and 1/3 from the back of the "boom arm". So you have 2/3 out front and 1/3 in back. This will prevent your boom from snapping.

The Magic 8-Ball Was Right, I Did Eat Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles and Didn't Have to Pay For It!

So I got into Mole a bit behind schedule, around 8:45- I was soooo tired. But Edwin, the DP from the long-dayed shoot I helped on, brought us Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles from breakfast at Mole! It was yummy!
Local 600(the camera/cinematographer's Union in LA) stopped by to pick up the equipment they were borrowing for a workshop at Kodak that I was hired on for. Fred Goodich, the professor from AFI who always asks too much of Larry's hospitality at Mole, asked if Larry had anyone he could spare for the workshop... so Larry said that he would have to pay me. It feels good to have your boss watch out for you- all bosses out there: take notes.
A cool $100 just to play with some lights and try out the new Arri 416 camera that isn't even on the market yet with a top cinematographer! So I did that until 5:30... and it involved some manual labor and heavy lifting, but I miss that, so I don't mind getting paid for it. So I did that from 1:00 to about 5:30 and then I have to go into Mole tomorrow for the continuation of this Local 600 Camera/lighting workshop. I am gonna have to get there extra early to clean up the mess of gear just piled on the floor(what we returned today for the workshop at Kodak) so I will be at Mole around 7AM... leave at 6...

............get up at 5...

..................................... ... 4... 3(yawn)... 2... 1...zzzzzzzzzzzzzz


PhillM tip-of-the-day:
When ordering or renting Kinos or any other type of fluorescent lighting, it is always a good idea to get both tungsten(3200 K) and daylight(5600 K) tempered bulbs. This way you can instantly change the color temperature of your source without loosing your footcandles by having to add a color correction gel.

The Saga Continues...

There was a screen test being shot in Larry's stage today by one of his old students for this feature he's shooting. I met this gaffer who graduated from AFI and has known Larry for a while... he's worked with Spike Lee six or seven times and does a lot of stuff in New York. So it was pretty exciting.
A buddy of mine from State, Derek Jackson, stopped by Mole for lunch, too! He's gonna be in LA for a few weeks trying to get some money together for this film he is working on up in San Francisco. I showed him the lights and where I work, introduced him to Larry and the guys and had some lunch. It was good to see him, like all those childhood fantasies about meeting your director friend for lunch to talk about his next picture!
After we wrapped, I got a call from Edwin- he needed my help on their night shoot that was happening. So I was picked up by one of the PAs and driven out to Van Nuys for the shoot. I hung around till about 3AM and then was driven home by one of the grip/electrics. I hated to bail on them, but I have to be at Mole tomorrow(...er...today) at 8:30AM.

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
When checking out an HMI from a rental house, ask for a color temperature meter and check the lights, make sure they are as close as possible to 5,600 degrees Kelvin. If you find one that is close, make sure you hold onto that light because most HMIs are a lot hotter- around 8,000 or 9,000 degrees Kelvin!

Alive In Joburg

This short by Neill Blomkamp depicts a fictional world where extraterrestrials have become refugees in South Africa. Producers: Neill Blomkamp, Simon Hansen, Sharlto Copley, Shannon Worley.

Wow, this is a film by the guy who will direct the Halo movie! It is amazing!

Larry got back from Europe on Saturday so he was back at work today. He had me do some tests with the Mole Beam Projector lights- that was fun! I learned how to replaces a 20K globe(the biggest globes you can get in the industry... and the most expensive) by myself! We went over the schedule for the next couple of weeks and then Larry went home to get over the remaining jet lag. I went home, made dinner, and Andrew and I watched Studio 60!

Saturday, Sept 23rd, 2006
Saturday I got picked up at 3:00AM by Edwin, a cinematographer friend of mine who I am helping out by gaffing his feature. We drove out to Burbank to this club where we were going to be filming from 4:00AM - 4:00PM. However, the director(who is also the producer) forgot to confirm the location, so the club was closing as we arrived and the employees went home. So I was driven back home around 4:30AM.
I slept in a few hours and then got up, made breakfast, played video games, cleaned a bit and then I took a bus quick bus over to Silver lake for the wrap party/BBQ for the desert movie Pitstop that I was Keygrip/Best boy on. It was fun, we had burgers and hotdogs and the 1st AC, the gaffer, the grips and I all got into this huge discussion about cinema and film history and film school.
And USC won their football game- fight on!

Sunday, Sept 24th, 2006
The next day, Edwin was going to call me with my call time for the same club location, but it ended up getting canceled and they weren't using lights so they didn't need me. Yay! Jenna came over to pick up her iPod that Andrew ordered for her because he got a new Mac Book. Andrew and I made pancakes(declaring Sunday's as Pancake Day like in the TV show How I Met Your Mother) and watched whatever football games were on. Later that night we watched The Inside Man, I loved it, a very good looking film.

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
If you are directing, don't be the only producer. The director is supposed to have the vision, the producer is the one who helps deliver or not deliver that vision. You can't have someone who is supposed to be money conscious also be the one with the vision. If you are directing/producing, always have a couple other producers to help you and DON'T be afraid to spend money because you get what you pay for.

BBQ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I woke up this morning around 10:00. I got up, did some dishes, took a shower and the played some video games in between doing chores. The Feinerman's picked me up around 4:00 and we drove over to USC to pick up Peter. They wanted to give us a home cooked meal so we decided to BBQ some burgers.
We got down to Torrance and started the grill. We had delicious cheese burgers(they made us take home the left overs-haha) and chips and corn. It was good to see them, sharing stories about Peter being at USC, me being at Mole and the good news about Becca(their daughter I know from college) who just got an internship and will possible get a job as a buyer. We ate and hung out for a while and then they drove us home.
I am going to go to bed now, I am getting picked around 3AM for this shoot that I am helping out on.

PhilM tip-of-the-day:
On the topic of sleep, a lot of people don't realize how important getting sleep is for a crew. Make sure that when you are planning your schedule, have at least a 12 hour turn around- 12 hours between when you wrap one day and the call time the following day. Remember, a tired crew is not only slow and grumpy, but dangerous(to themselves, the talent, and other crew members)!

Practically Brown

I slept in today a bit and then went to Mole to clean the stage and check on the Carbon Arc. John in the art department ordered pizza for everyone today because Patrick's last day is Friday. Patrick Lee Brown(or Practically Brown as he calls himself) has been with Mole for almost 16 years, but recently got married in August and has decided to move on. It was sad, I am gonna miss Pat's humor and the goofy voices he makes when answering the phone sometimes. As a parting gift, he put together a complete Mole catalogue for me with all the sales, rental, and parts info together in one 3-ringed Mole-Richardson binder.
Big Mike came over and quizzed me by having me start the van generator on DC and then had me strike the arc. I passed. We were trying to spot the problem we were having on Tuesday with the smoking wire, it turns out there is a loose connection in the fuse that us built into the cable, the arc is fine. I sat outside eating pizza and talking to Mike for a bit, he gave me his card and told me to call him if I ever had questions while on a shoot.
I came home, played some video games, checked my e-mail, and watched a bit of A Streetcar Named Desire before forcing myself to go to bed.

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
If you an electric, it's always a good idea to carry at least one regular photo-flood bulb with you. You never know when if will come in handy for a china ball, gem ball, or practical.

Sorry No Posts...

Sorry I haven't posted for the past few days, here is what happened:

Monday Sept 18th, 2006:
I went into Mole and finished my prep on the stage for the class. I got my coffee in the morning to help me get over my tiredness from the shoot the day before. I painted the set, ordered some 10Ks from rental, got the Carbon Arc out, and just made sure the stage was ready. Malibu Rob Hauer stopped by to visit for a bit, he got a call and may have gotten "us" another job, as he put it- a very good sign that he might take me on his next project. I also got a call that day that a friend of mine just got on as the cinematographer for this feature, so he's going to try and get me on. The camera was dropped off just before I left and then I went home and relaxed... went to bed super early because...

Tuesday Sept 19th, 2006:
Call time is 8AM, but I got there at 7:30 so that I could get trained on the DC generator and the Carbon Arc light. Big Mike Martin showed me how to run the van generator on single and triple phase AC power as well as DC power- what the arcs need to run. He then showed me how to load and trim the carbon rods, how to strike the lamp, and how to maintain the lamp as the rods burn.

Malibu Rob was there to help me with the AFI class and to meet Allen Daviau. The class screened some scenes from Avalon and discussed Allen's approach to lighting the scenes and choosing colors, etc and then started setting up some scenes to shoot. We broke for lunch and then I fired up the arc and we did a few shots with it at the end. We had to turn it off sooner then expected, however, because one of the cables was smoking. It was too bad, too, because the arc in the lamp was perfect and I struck it at the perfect angle with the right amount of force. Mike Hodgens(another arc operator and big guy at Mole) came over in the morning to check on my progress and said I was a fast learner- yay!

Then after the class, my friend Edwin, who just go the feature, called me to ask if I could help out that night on the shoot. I said that I would, though it was going to be a late night- he sounded like he needed help with it. So he picked me up and we went out to the guerilla shoot(no permits- yikes!) and helped them. I don't want to sound full of myself, but I have no idea what they would have done without me!

Wednesday Sept 20th, 2006
So Edwin dropped me off at 5AM, I had to wake Andrew up so he could let me it- they installed a new gate and lock as part of the remodeling to our building. And then I slept till noon, Andrew came home from work and we went to lunch(breakfast for me), lounged around and watched Mrs. Henderson Presents and then he left for a few hours of projecting at USC and now I am doing chores.

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
Please remember... try to stay in your own department unless you are asked to help. Offering to help is good, but don't take it personally when someone tells you that you can't do anything to help. Having too many cooks in the kitchen spoils the soup, as they say. I(no offense) don't trust a lot of people with lighting or grip equipment unless I know that they know how to use and treat the equipment. Just be cautious, there is a big territorial thing with a lot of crew members, so try not to step over those boundaries.

Desert II: Cruise Control

Wow, the desert was actually hot today... and not windy! We came, we shot, we conquered.

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
A little tip about set food: pizza gets old, try to mix it up, keep it healthy, and have lots of filling and nutritious snacks available. A well fed crew is a happy crew. Some good ideas for snacks include: vegetable and fruit slices, crackers, cookies, bagels, muffins, cheese, and anything else that doesn't need to be refrigerated. Always try to have complete meals for everyone, including a salad, some type of meat, and some carbs. Also, make sure you have plenty of water, Gatoraid, coffee, tea, and try to avoid(but do have) sodas as well.

28 to 10

That was the score of the USC-Nebraska game. USC won. Fight on!

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
It is always good practice to thank your crew at the end of everyday for all their hard work. Don;t forget- you are only as good as your crew, so please, please, please treat them right, have respect for them, feed them well, and be patient with them and they will attempt to perform miracles for you.

Desert Sky...

Got picked up at 5:15AM today by Brian, we drove out to Lancaster and got to set around 7:00AM. We shot in the windy, cold but sunny, and very dusty desert for almost 12 hours. It was fun, it looked good, and I am tired- so I am going to bed.

Our first set up in front of the fake gas pumps. The "dinner" is actually 2 trailers put together, the whole exterior is fiberglass, and the inside is all movable bar and dinner set pieces. I guess there are a bunch of these sets out here in the desert. Turns out Pirates 3 is filming a few miles from us... in the desert!?


It was so windy, Chris had to hold down the 6x6 even though it was close to the ground. Still, he's all smiles!


I love this picture of Nikkola, the Cinematographer.


A lonely stop sign.


The set.


Brian in front of the Kill Bill church... seriously, they shot it right there!


Edwin relaxing in the muscle cart.


Sunset as we drove home.

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
Always bring rain gear and cold-weather gear to set you never know when it will rain, snow, flood, or the wind might pick up, so be prepared.

The Third Man on a Thursday

So I went into Mole today around 11 to get as much done before the weekend as I could for the class on Tuesday. I swapped out the set windows, got the gel rolls we needed, called rental for some 20Ks and 10Ks and painted part of the set. I got a lot done, so now I just need to prep everything on Monday and the class should be good to go.
I am really excited about Monday because I am going to be taught(fingers crossed) how to operate a Carbon Arc. It turns out that only 3 people in the entire Mole-Richardson company(a company that once manufactured arcs) know how to operate them... and the one that does it the most is out of the country(Larry). I will be the 4th person at Mole who will know how to operate an arc and I am very, very excited. It is a dying art, only a hand full of guys exist in the industry, I'm told, and I look forward to the opportunity to become one of them.
Today was also pay day- yay!

I came home and finished watching The Third Man. All I can say is "WOW!" ...I had seen most of it before, but never finished it, boy is it a beautiful film. Not only is the acting incredible, but it is one of the most visually elaborate and fine-tuned films I have ever seen. Talk about a movie to set your lighting standards by. I love it, what a perfect way to tie in the theme of learning an old art like the carbon arc by watching a film that taught so many people how to light! I agree with Roger Ebert who says this is among the top ten best films ever made!
Matt Elium and his dad treated me to Roscoe's tonight for dinner- boy was it good... as always! They were down here working on a small TV show pilot thing his dad is putting together. It was good to see him and to talk about LA and San Francisco and everything. One thing that came up, something that I am still trying to understand, is how fast I seem to be "moving up the ladder". I don't really understand why it has been so easy(I'm sure a lot of it is being lucky) or if it means anything. It is just kind of odd to me, I don't really understand it, but I'm just gonna go with it, see what happens.

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
When lighting, start with bigger units and scrim down. You can always lower the intensity of a big light but you can't make a smaller light brighter. However, the saying goes: What do you call a light with too many scrims in it? The wrong light.

Allen & Me

I came into Mole today around 11:00, cleaned up the sound stage a bit and hung out until Fred and Allen Daviau stopped by. Allen is a great guy, very funny, loves telling stories. We discussed what they would do for the class, what equipment to have ready, all between stories of Allen and Spielberg on E.T. or The Color Purple or Empire of the Sun. It was amazing all the stories he told about his films.

I got home and started watching The Third Man before re-heating some left over pizza and doing a bit of cleaning. Matt Elium just called me, he and his dad are going to try and stop by Mole tomorrow evening, they are down here shooting a pilot episode of this TV show idea they are working on. If they can't stop by Mole, then we are at least going to go to Roscoe's for dinner.

Some behind the scenes footage of the basement scene.

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
Use paper loads to calculate the total amperage of your lights, this way you leave a bit of a safety space between your actual amperage pull and what your equipment can handle. For example, use the following table as a guide:
1,000W= 10 amps
2,000W= 20 amps(a modern household circuit maximum is 20 amps)
5,000W= 50 amps
10,000W= 100 amps

Two New Shows!

Wow! The only word I could say or think of after watching screener copies of two new shows that are coming out: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Heroes.
Studio 60 is all about a SNL type show that has gone down hill by submitting to censorship but must hire back its old writing/directing team when the current director, during a live broadcast, rants about beginning censored in America. So talk about a very powerful and poetic opening! The characters in it are easy to relate to and very endearing, the subject matter is exactly what people need to hear right now, it is funny, fast, political, and very fresh! On top of the incredible cast, impeccable writing, and exciting story, it is shot beautifully! Plus, since it takes place on a set, I see Mole lights everywhere! If you are able to, please watch this show, it is going to be huge!
The second screener I watched is called Heroes. This is shot in the same way as the CSIs, the Grey's Anatomy's and other crime or medical dramas: like a film. Only this show is not afraid to light realistically(not tons of blacks and shadows). Even though there is a semi-dark subject matter(a handful of individuals across the globe who have special super-power-like abilities who are being hunted...?) it is still a well light and bright show with very deep blacks yet shadows only where they need to be. Cinematicly, it is beautiful, and story wise, I wished that I could have shut it off so I could get stuff done that I needed to do, but I was stuck to the couch and the screen. Like Studio 60 I route for the characters, yet they are all normal people(not doctors, cops, or soldiers). I have a feeling the show will have a lot of amazing in-camera visual effects, so far there have been some breathtaking, gruesome, scary, and exciting visuals(I had to hold my breath more then once) and I think that they will keep it pure leaving most of the suspense and horror to come from the audience's head.
TV is getting good!

Allen Daviau didn't come in for the class today, they had another DP come in... Boring. But Fred is stopping by tomorrow around noon(so he says) to bring Allen by and prep for next weeks class. We'll see.

Here is that music video I worked on in July:
http://www.people.virginia.edu/~azt5a/Films/rockyou.mov

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
When bouncing a light, make sure that you completely fill the surface you are bouncing in order to get the maximum punch out of your bounce. So make sure the light is completely filling the space without spilling off.

Got a Case of the Monday's

So I got to sleep in a bit, at least I didn't have to get up at 5:00AM today. I strolled into Mole around 9:00 but Fred called me and said that him and Allen were not gonna come in today because of scheduling... which meant I could go to USC and save the day on set!
I got three hugs as I walked into Carson stage. They had been moving slow in the morning I guess(I arrived around 11:00) and were glad to see me. I had to laugh, wasn't expecting the praise. We shot all day, had a good lunch of California Pizza Kitchen and then wrapped around 6:00PM. I got a ride home from Roberto, an AC who's subbing on G&E for this shoot.
I cleaned the kitchen and living room and sat down for dinner and a movie. I just got The Caine Mutiny on Netflix so I popped it in, had dinner, ice cream, and then some popcorn. And now I go to sleep because call time for me is 7:30AM so I leave around 6:30 so I wake up around 5:30... dang.

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
A note to all directors, make sure that your Assistant Director does not say, "Roll sound," as a way to get everyone to settle down. The sound guys don't appreciate that. Make sure the AD follows the proper command sequence... should go something like this:
-AD: "Is sound ready?"
-Sound: "Ready."
-AD:"Is camera ready?"
-Camera:"Ready."
-AD:"Ok, let's settle for a take, picture is up."
(everyone settles for the take)
-AD:"Ok, roll sound, please."
-Sound:"Sound is rolling."
-AD:"Ok, call it."
-2nd AC:"Scene 2 Delta, take 1."
-AD:"Roll camera."
-1st AC:"Speed."
-AD:"Mark it."
(2nd AC closes the sticks on the slate and exits frame.)
-1st AC or DP:"Camera set."
-Director: "Action!"

A word to all Assistant Directors: be polite, don't swear, don't yell(but talk loud enough for your intended audience to hear), and always say please and thank you. The 1st AD is THE most important crew member on set to have and a good AD keeps moral up and the project on time.

Lazy Sunday

Like the Calvin and Hobbs book, it was a lazy Sunday today. I woke up and went to breakfast around the corner at Roscoe's with my Uncle Johnny, my cousin Eric and Peter. Roscoe's was good(like always) and then we walked down to Amoeba Music afterwards to explore. Uncle Johnny and Peter had never been there before so Eric and I took them.
After Roscoe's I came home and cleaned the whole kitchen. Then I relaxed and finished watching Man of La Mancha. And now it is time for bed, got to get to Mole on time to meet Fred and Allen.

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
When you dim an HMI, the color temperature actually goes up and it becomes bluer even though the amount of light decreases!

"Pitstop" Day 2

Today was day 2 of Pitstop... man am I tired! Considering I got only about 4 1/2 hours of sleep. Nikkola(the DP) called me at 5:30AM and said she was gonna be at my place in 10 minutes... I was still in bed! So I got up, threw on clothes, and jetted out the door.
Another great day of filming on the Carson stage. I had a lot of fun, again- I love working on stages. Oh, so I got a call today from Fred Goodich's TA. Fred is a professor at AFI and they are coming in for a class on Tuesday. His TA told me that they were dropping the camera off on Monday in the morning Fred and Allen Daviau are coming in. Allen Daviau is a world famous cinematographer who did a few small pictures like Amblin', E.T., Twilight Zone: The Movie, The Color Purple, Empire of the Sun, Congo, The Astronaut's Wife, and Van Helsing. I'm excited.
I came home after the shoot, did some dishes and cleaned a bit and then got a call from my Uncle Johnny. He and my cousin Eric are coming up tomorrow and want to meet me for breakfast. They might pick up Peter, too.

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
On HMIs, you should only be concerned with flicker if you are shooting frame rates other then 24 frames per second. The electronic ballasts have a "flicker free" button on them that creates a square wave and gets rid of flicker... but then you get singing from the HMI bulb... but if you're running anything other then 24fps, you're not doing sound anyway, so it shouldn't matter.

USC Shoot and Dragonforce

So I was supposed to go into Mole today to help teach a group from Tijuana, missing the first day of this project that I'm helping out on as a grip/electric/bestboy/gaffer/etc, but the DP called me and said that the really needed my help. So I called Larry late last night(which I felt bad about) and he said it was ok cuz he had five other former interns coming in to help. When I build my studio I am going to build a statue of Larry, talk about having the coolest boss/mentor ever!
So I got up at 5:00AM, threw on some clothes and got picked up to go to USC.
We were shooting in the Carson Television Studio where they have their sitcom classes. The set was amazing, we set up a backdrop of the desert outside of the set windows of this almost deserted gas station. I loved working on sound stages and I love working with backdrops. It reminds me of Disneyland or something, I just see endless lighting and shooting possibilities when working on a stage with a backdrop. Something about how it looks makes we want to light it and it seems to have endless possibilities for how to use it.
Peter(my little bro and freshman at SC) stopped by the stage between classes and I showed him the set. He liked the big classic 10K light(he takes after me, what can I say?) and he brought me some snacks, too, haha. After we wrapped I went over to his dorm. It's amazing how much dorms are alike no matter the school. We went to the EVK, which is one of their dining centers... ah, memories of the DC back at State. EVK had the same unreliable yet frighfully adventurous menu choices that I remember from school, but I was hungry and it wasn't that bad. I saw Pete's room and met his friends on his floor before we headed out to the Wiltern, a concert venue on Wilshire and Western.


Now, the reason we were heading to the Wiltern is because one of Peter's friends sent him tickets to the sold out Dragonforce show. Dragonforce is a supposedly awesome power metal band. Honestly, after seeing the keytars, permmed hair, and trampolines(yes: trampolines) I have to agree: very awesome! So we get there and the first band to play was All That Remains, they were ok but their singer screamed instead of sang so they got booed. The next band, HORSE the Band(yes, that's they name) was better, the singer only screamed half the time and sang the rest. Then we thought there was going to be a band called Five Finger Death Punch, which just sounds like awesomeness is oozing out of their pours with a name like that! I have an old kungfu movie called Five Finger Death Punch, I wonder if this band has seen it.
Anyway, so they are getting the stage ready for Dragonforce and we first see them set up a wide platform in the back with the drums on the right and the keyboards on the left. They put small stairs in the middle of the back platform. Then they bring out this little stage and put it in the middle of the stage at the front. We were like, "why are they putting a little stage at the front?" And then they brought out the trampolines and the crowd cheered! Peter and I just looked at each other in eager anticipation for the awesomeness to come! The one of the roadies seemed to take one of the trampolines away and the crowd let out a resounding awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, but he was really just switching them around, to the delight of the audience.
The lights went down, we all stood up, and this powerful voice introduced the band members one by one as they started to play. And when a band who has songs with such titles as Through the Fire and the Flames, Disciples of Babylon, Heart of a Dragon, Operation Ground and Pound, or Trail of Broken Hearts begins a show, they begin it right... with choreographed leaps onto stage using the trampolines to get as much air as possible while soling on your guitar. One by one they leaped forth and then ran and jumped to the small front stage with cheers from the awe-struck audience. This was when we realized why they had paced the small stage there. The platform was there to elevate the band members enough so that the five power fans under the stage blew they long permmed hair back as they struck their epic power metal solo pose! Amazing!

The band was complete with a drummer, and keyborardist, two guitarists, a bassist, and a lead singer, ass of which jumped on the small stage after a power metal jump off the trampolines. They played super fast, complicated songs with epic lyrics of fighting armies, dragons and unicorns(seriously) in the singers high-pitched wailing voice as they pranced around the stage in synchronized formations, no song having shorter then a 4 minute solo in it! At one point, the guitarists stood on the center platform and soloed and then the keyboradist ran out to join them with his keytar! It was AMAZING! They played seven or eight songs(long solos=only a few songs) and after 2 encores, the show was over and a loud, new memory was burned into my brain!
Andrew picked us up and we drove Peter to USC and then headed home. Now I can get four and a half hours of sleep before I am gonna get picked up for day 2 of the USC shoot.

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
You know you have to replace your 12/18K HMI globes when they start to bulge on one side. This means they are getting old and WILL explode once the glass gets too thin.

Boston Pics 1

The plane ride out.

1st AC Connor Robinson, DP Rob "Malibu" Hauer, and Key Grip Brian Deutch on day 1 of shooting.

It's Karolina in spring water form.

Day two at the park where we built the largest work-in, on-location "soft box" I have ever seen!

Connor T. Robinson, 1st AC with a Panavision Gold II 35mm camera.

Rob Hauer inspecting the first attempt at the car rig.

The first car rig, after the park scene.

Boston Pics 2

Our second attempt at an amazing car rig

Angus on the hood of the car. Look at those headlights!

Day one in the New England Aquarium at the top of the Big Ocean Tank.

Following the camera van into downtown Boston.

The New England Aquarium- the first modern aquarium ever built, the first to have a large ocean tank.

Looking down through to the bottom of the Big Ocean Tank four stories bellow.

Connor and I doing a myspace picture at the top of the tank... but how many myspace pics have a Panavision Gold 2 35 in them?

My Kino trick that saved the day and made up for my earlier embarrassing disaster moment of not being prepared.

Boston Pics 3

Old State House.

Brian posing while we got lost on the T.

The dock at the pond location.

Spielberg couldn't make a better sky.

What an awesome leveling job! Only in Boston do you see track done like this!

How many guys can we fit on a Fisher 11 dolly?

Angus the lake pirate and his trusty dog Precious.

Not bad for a digital camera, eh?

Boston Pics 4

The drowned stuffed animal dog and wagon... how morbid!?

Our crazy rig that took five hours in the dining room.

Connor re-threading the camera in the dining room... sounds like a clue game.

Our amazing tents to black out the windows. Did I mention that there are Kinos under there and it was raining the whole time?

The schedule board.

The last day's location. Look at the amazing color of those tanks and all the Indian Jones type practical lamps hanging everywhere!

The amazing TJ and my kino trick that saved the day.

A shot from the camera position. I lit that!!!

Boston Pics 5

Fred pointing out the cool Kino trick- Amazing!

The floating c-stand leg grip trick by the grand master, Key Grip Brian Deutch.

Brian practicing for the union; coffee in one hand, the equipment in the other, and his head fast asleep- he'll make 80 in no time!

My and Connor in the basement, last day... it shows.

Connor and Rob in the basement on the last day. I just love the color in this picture, especially on Rob's face.

Nick giving the thumbs up on the ol Kino trick.

The final Kino trick in all it's glory(applause, applause)