New York

So I am going to New York to work on my next picture with Rob Hauer. This will be the 4th project that I have gaffed for Rob and the 2nd time I have gone to the east coast with him... but only my 1st time to New York! I am super excited to not only work with Rob again on a very interesting and good project but to also explore a city that I have always wanted to visit and even wanted to live in when I was younger.
Today was also exciting at Mole. I helped interview Laszlo Kovacs ASC for a documentary by Jim Chressanthis ASC! He was really nice and a lot of fun to listen to his stories(like the time I got to grip for him on that PSA that was shot at Mole).
So if anyone was any suggestions of things to see while in New York, please let me know!

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
All cables(except sound cables) are coiled clockwise, following the cables natural memory. As you coil it, allow it to spin around in your fingers so it cols up neatly.

Daze in the Desert: Take 2

For a second time I have found myself out in Lancaster, CA in the desert near the Kill Bill church for a film, this time it was a UCLA thesis with my cinematographer Rob Hauer. This is only the 3rd project that I have worked on with Rob, however, our relationship as a gaffer/cinematographer team is very strong already. This is the same guy who took me to Boston to gaff a film only 2 weeks after meeting him and who, on every visit to Mole, has made Larry sneak up to me and tell me, "so you know you have a cameraman for life now, right?"

This shoot was alot of fun. We met some great people, including a 1st and 2nd AC who are almost certain to join the team under Rob. We stayed six Days in Lancaster and just finished up today with 1 day in Burbank. I was super pleased with the footage because we successfully made 12 hours of changing sunlight look like it was late afternoon/magic hour for 3 days! Rob and I tried a new tenting approach that we had never tested(tenting in the desert under direct sun and still expecting it to match the background!? That's crazy!) and on top of that we used only mirors and shinny boards with sunlight almost exclusively! We also got to use a Shotmaker tow truck(what the real guys use) for the car shots!

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
Household fluorescent bulbs can only be dimmer to abuot 50% max with a regular household dimmer.

IMDb

Look- I'm on IMDb!

http://imdb.com/name/nm2645700/

Spenser, Matt and Sam are down here in LA for the weekend, starting pre-production on the sci-fi... lots of fun! And we get to interview Isidore Mankofsky ASC tomorrow for a new video journal.

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
You can do almost anything with the three most basic knots: the square knot, the clove hitch and the bowline. Learn them, know them, use them.

Makin a Movie...

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
When you get someones business card, I find it helpful to write down where you met them and what they did to help remind you who they are when looking through your cards.

Long Time...

It's been a long time since I wrote last. I've been super busy on shoots and traveling. I was up in SF last weekend for an alumni panel and to visit friends and family but now i am back in LA. Anyway, real quick, I was a stand-in/actor today for a Kodak film test by Jim Chressanthis, ASC. It was fun... and I met a gaffer who will help me get more 728 days on "Ghost Whisperer".

Joe moved down here and we've been working together on a few pictures, he's been getting a lot of job offers, some of them paid, which is amazing! So things are going well. Our apartment is cramped and cluttered, we're slowly sifting through the mess and making sence of it all. Work is steady, we'll be on the Universal backlot for a night shoot from thurs to fri- that will be tons of fun! Well, time to do dishes and clean some more.

PhillM tip-of-the-day:
When giving your cards to some of the old timers and other union guys, make sure you have "electric" or "grip" only on your card, don't put "gaffer" or "best boy" because some of the older guys get insulted and say, "who does this kid think he is!?"