THE MARK OF A SMOOTHLY RUN SET IS GOOD COMMUNICATION.
We’re losing the light! – welcome to the time honored mad scramble as the sun is setting. We’ve all been there, some call it “magic hour” - though it rarely lasts that long. I call it “tragic hour” - because it sometimes can be. If the shot or setup is accomplished successfully, it will likely be because you correctly anticipated problems and the concept was communicated to everyone clearly and concisely. “Move the canteen upstage camera right!” “I’ll get the over, you get the 50-50”. “You take the big slider, you go hand held.” I’ve found that once I give instructions, I get out of the way and quietly observe the progress without micro managing every move. Needless interruptions can doom the entire effort and everyone would rather have a slightly flawed scene than an unfinished one – or worse. So I usually keep quiet once the building process begins.
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