Some Grip Work / Zombie Film Work - Check It! Plus Pictures!

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Gyro
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Some Grip Work / Zombie Film Work - Check It! Plus Pictures!

Post by Gyro »

Anyone ever work on a set? I've recently gotten into some larger productions working grip and electric. Specifically, a couple of features, one entitled "The Rising"--yes, a zombie flick. And the other, titled "Darkroom" a drama thingy... anywho, thought I'd share some images.

On "The Rising" I worked as a grip/dolly grip. The picture had a three ton truck package, so a mess load of heavy equipment and lighting to play around with.

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Picture of the truck o' equipment, Braxton's face is in the way, sorry.

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Day we were shooting on a roof top, got a nice tan, and here's a nice rig. Jib ontop a five stick track. Had to put the thing ontop apple boxes and cribbing to clear the roof pipes.

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They had about three hundred zombie extras for this shoot.

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More zombie extras

The feature I'm still currently working on, "Darkroom" I've moved to the camera department as 2AC (Second Assistant Camera), which means I help set up, take down, change lenses and run the slate for the camera.

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Here's the camera, HVX200 with a mini-35 m2 redrock depth of field adapter.

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Video Village-where I hang out, all the camera equipment goes here. Including playback for the director.

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5 Second shutter night speed image of the camera for kicks.

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Blasted a 6K HMI ontop a parallel into a bedroom to replicate "morning".

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More track.

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This is from an all night shoot last night, had a stunt driver wreck this car with a truck. Since we only had one go, we shot the scene with seven cameras. 3 HVX's and 4 DVX's. Felt spoiled.

Thought you'd all enjoy these, thanks for any feedback.
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RE: Some Grip Work / Zombie Film Work - Check It! Plus Pictu

Post by F.F.F. »

Sweet! How exactly did you get this job?
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RE: Some Grip Work / Zombie Film Work - Check It! Plus Pictu

Post by Kentertainment »

He and I are apprentices at a sort of Youth Learning type place called Spy Hop Productions. It is centered around Film and Music and there are multiple classes that can be attended to enhance your filmmaking knowledge. The dude in charge of the documentary classes produced the zombie flick and Gyro and I's mentor is a cinematographer who's doing the cinematography for the film with the car flipped. So we pretty much say, "Hey I wanna come." and he says, "Hop on dudes!"

I worked on the first shoot of the film, "Darkroom" where they filmed the interior of that car crash. There was a massive 20x20 green screen set up and the car was hooked to a fork lift which had a pole running through the center of it so they could lift it off the ground. The camera was mounted in the car (pointing out front window looking at green screen) and the fork lift brought it off the ground where we then span it around to simulate the look of a car crash. It was wild! I am probably going to go film with them this Saturday as well.
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RE: Some Grip Work / Zombie Film Work - Check It! Plus Pictu

Post by DarkElastic »

I wonder if this Zombie film 'The Rising' is the same as the book I read by Brian Keene. It says on his website that both of his books (The Rising and the sequel City of the Dead) are in Production.
http://www.briankeene.com/

If you like zombie stories then these books are a must. I couldn't put them down.
The Rising:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rising-Brian-Ke ... 524&sr=8-2
City of the Dead:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/City-Dead-Brian ... 85&sr=1-20
O. M. G.

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www.orkneymoviegroup.co.uk
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RE: Some Grip Work / Zombie Film Work - Check It! Plus Pictu

Post by ctbullet »

those pics look sweet as, if you're apprentices are you getting paid? or is it slave labour?
Our Combat Years: In production
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Post by Lawriejaffa »

Well doesnt matter either way really its a great opp for Gyro and K that their teacher is letting them help on a feature they'll learn some great skills - and just think Gyro you might even learn humility ;)
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Post by Gyro »

Probably never going to happen.
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Post by Lawriejaffa »

muhahahaha well thats cos your still an obstinate teenager Gyro! In a professional working environment (when your getting paid to be a 2nd assistant camera operator) then WOW do you learn humility fast. This can become particularly stressful when dealing with film stocks, especially changing magazines (this comes to some folk naturally but im a producer thank god rather than a 1st camera assistant). If your finding this field interesting (working ur way up to 1st, focus puller and operator and so on) then you should ask for tips and advice on the differences that may be encountered using film or video shoots. Your too young probably to be taken seriously by commercial companies (but this info serves you really well) if you get some work as a runner or prod assistant on a commercial project (impress the director or producer enough and you can get to 2nd a** camera operator on a commercial rate.)

So what about you K what is it your doing on this project :)
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Re: Some Grip Work / Zombie Film Work - Check It! Plus Pictu

Post by Kentertainment »

Gyro wrote:Anyone ever work on a set?
I'm sure anyone whose ever made a movie has.
Lawriejaffa wrote:So what about you K what is it your doing on this project
Like most of the other apprentices helping out, we're pretty much gofers on a please and thank you basis. Whatever we are told to do is what we do, whether it be grip work, etc. The only time I helped I was given a DVX and asked to film behind the scene stuff and then I also helped flip the car around the axis it was on.

Gyro is somehow able to help almost every other day, but I'm in the last month of high school and I'd sort of like to graduate (we have a strict attendance policy) so I'm not going as frequently as I would like to.
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RE: Re: Some Grip Work / Zombie Film Work - Check It! Plus P

Post by Lawriejaffa »

Yep I can understand if its frustrating having the cool chance to do the guys film every other day but also having to balance it with finishing highschool (with the grades you want.) Don't mean to pry but are you thinking of doing a film degree? Gofering can give you a surprising opportunity to learn a lot though i bet, its good how frank you are about what your doing also. Eventually there comes a point after doing so much of this kinda stuff (that you no longer need too) and are ready to go apply for work.

Are you hoping to be a director working from ur own indy stuff to getting picked up 'one day' or are you intending to try and work from inside the system hehe (if you don't know yet thats obviously understandable you've got years to think about it anyway) :)
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Post by Gyro »

Lawriejaffa wrote:muhahahaha well thats cos your still an obstinate teenager Gyro! In a professional working environment (when your getting paid to be a 2nd assistant camera operator) then WOW do you learn humility fast. This can become particularly stressful when dealing with film stocks, especially changing magazines (this comes to some folk naturally but im a producer thank god rather than a 1st camera assistant). If your finding this field interesting (working ur way up to 1st, focus puller and operator and so on) then you should ask for tips and advice on the differences that may be encountered using film or video shoots. Your too young probably to be taken seriously by commercial companies (but this info serves you really well) if you get some work as a runner or prod assistant on a commercial project (impress the director or producer enough and you can get to 2nd a** camera operator on a commercial rate.)

So what about you K what is it your doing on this project :)
Yeah, you're absolutely right, I am terribly sucky at just about everything, and never take any real responsiblity realisticly.
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Post by smokeythebear »

whore yourself out, Make alot of freinds trust me. I have a job on a big film since I had a freind who needed a trusting crew. 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
www.myspace.com/kendallfx
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Re: RE: Re: Some Grip Work / Zombie Film Work - Check It! Pl

Post by Kentertainment »

Lawriejaffa wrote:Don't mean to pry but are you thinking of doing a film degree?
I am. I'm still thinking if I want to either major or minor in it.
Lawriejaffa wrote:Are you hoping to be a director working from ur own indy stuff to getting picked up 'one day' or are you intending to try and work from inside the system hehe (if you don't know yet thats obviously understandable you've got years to think about it anyway) :)
I'm still deciding but I'm hoping for the first...I really would just like to make films; it's fun and if at least someone sees it I'm happy. Although, getting picked up would be nice. I'd still hop onto any chance of working on a bigger production though.
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Post by SgtPadrino »

"If you go to Hollywood, you've already sold out. By the sheer act of going there, you're saying 'I need to go there because this is the only way I can get my movie made.' Baloney! Indiana's the place to make your movie. Pontiac, Michigan. Whatever. Then you're just making it on the merits of the movie. You don't have to have any discussions about what's hip now. Who can we get to do the soundtrack? You can actually put a score to your movie instead of a soundtrack. I get this thing all the time. Filmmakers go, 'can I send you a script, you'll read it and attach yourself and we'll package it.' Why can't you get the money based on nothing, just the script? This whole packaging thing is out of control. Then you get absurd casting because it's all packaged by the same talent agency. The sensibility is so bizarre."

- Bruce Campbell

Pretty much sums up my feelings about trying to make it from the inside.
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Post by Lawriejaffa »

Great quote Padrino ;) - for a sec i didnt see the quote and i was thinking wow check out padrino he's turned into gandalf or something hehe ;) Bruce Campbell a hero to indies eveeerywhere :)
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