We wrapped today.  (Considers executing a little happy dance; thinks better of it in case of total body collapse.) We had a wrap lunch of sorts yesterday as Mr Eversden and his ever-present assistant, Mr Hall, were no longer required for their lighting expertise – the camera was going to be operated from within the [...]

I was selfishly hoping that we could wrap today.  I hoped (not quite prayed, but came close) that what coverage/shots we’d got for the montage would be sufficient. Mr Meikle, through harsh and bitter experience, knows better than to take the hints of a tiring and decreasingly coherent multi-hyphenate.  So we’re shooting tomorrow. Oh well.

If yesterday afternoon‘s lesson about light-chasing wasn’t enough, today’s shooting certainly drove the point home.  You want two people talking outside?  Shoot the two of them both in frame (a ‘two-shot’).  Then shoot each one individually (‘singles’).  Then when you’re in a dark room with just you and a monitor and your awfully precious raw footage, [...]

Am buggered so shan’t stay long. This morning’s set-ups were delayed by technical issues:  a car-rig that had to be adjusted for changing light, then compounded by a lens adaptor that wasn’t as rock solid as expected.  After five hours of rigging, it was all ditched for hand-held coverage from within the car.  The DOP [...]

I really should be in bed. I’ve got to be up and about in seven hours. This is rather irresponsible. Despite a slow start to the day due to the late arrival of camera gear, we met our day with an hour to spare.  Back-slaps and handshakes abounded.  There was no shouting, no kicking of [...]

One sleep. Don’t know if it’ll be fitful like the last few. Hope not. Maybe. Probably. Mr Power had to gently talk me down from an incipient nervous breakdown earlier in the day (“Don’t be ridiculous”) (it was better than “Don’t be a drama queen” ’cause I would’ve clocked him) (not that I’ve anything ag-,… [...]

Holy crap. Two days to go – not even that: a mere two sleeps. Oh dear. Mr Power the producer is on the case working through all the things I’m unable to do, or have run out of time to do, or am too chicken to do, or that are his job anyway. Crew?  Check. Schedule?  Being [...]

Storyboardingstoryboardingstoryboarding. I strongly suspect this is something I should’ve done, like, ages ago.  After yesterday’s technical recce, I think Mr Forster noticed how much I kept deferring to Mr Meikle and recommended I do some.  Sure, I’d blocked some of the action with the actors during the workshops, but I’d avoided thinking about angles and coverage and owing reverses.  ’S [...]

This is the spirit: five adult males squeeze into a family station-wagon and travel the general Auckland area on a technical recce.  (Reality check:  it wasn’t always five, mostly it was four; and by ‘general Auckland area’ I mean from Mangere Bridge to Grey Lynn and some in between.) You know those pics they show [...]