Creation Phases | On the Set

This is where all the action begins and the first part of hell breaking loose. Our relatively small productions consisted of maybe twenty people at a time - that is the the director, photographer, soundman/recorder, lighting technician, boom man (the guy that carries the microphone), the producer, several production assistants, several lighting crew, and the actors. Imagine all these people having to work in a coordinated fashion, while also having to eat, rest, drink, and be driven from one filming location to another. Twenty people is difficult - what happens when you have over a hundred people on set?!?

But even though, the set is probably the most exciting part of the filmmaking process - this is where you actually put the ideas to pictures and onto film or video. It is also the most fun if your in an indie production (like ours were) where you actually shoot on location and not in a convenient little studio.

Basic onset behaviour usually includes these typical stages:

1	Arrival on location
	Check breakdown, realize were an hour behind schedule - instill hysteria in crew members
2	Disappointment (it looked better when we were here last week)
	Check breakdown, realize were an hour behind schedule - instill hysteria in crew members
3	Frustration (I can't set up lighting in this place)
	Check breakdown, realize were an hour behind schedule - instill hysteria in crew members
4	Setting up the camera, grip, lighting and sound
	Check breakdown, realize were an hour behind schedule - instill hysteria in crew members
5	Small skirmishes between the producer, lighting crew, camera crew, sound crew, and sometimes even the actors
	Check breakdown, realize were an hour behind schedule - instill hysteria in crew members
6	Finalizing equipment setup
	Check breakdown, realize were an hour behind schedule - instill hysteria in crew members
7	Final rehersals
	Check breakdown, realize were an hour behind schedule - instill hysteria in crew members
8	Lighting/Camera/Grip/Food is not good - correction of setup
	Check breakdown, realize were an hour behind schedule - instill hysteria in crew members
9	Shooting - Take 1, 2, 3,...,n (n usually greater than 5)
	Check breakdown, realize were an hour behind schedule - instill hysteria in crew members
10	Major skirmishes (why can't you camera/lighting/grip/actors do this thing right?!
	Check breakdown, realize were an hour behind schedule - instill hysteria in crew members
11	Shooting - Take n, n+1, n+2,...,2n
	Check breakdown, realize were an hour behind schedule - instill hysteria in crew members
12	Finally a good take - wrap it
	Check breakdown, realize were an hour behind schedule - instill hysteria in crew members
13	realize the continuity girl forgot to write down what happened
	Check breakdown, realize were an hour behind schedule - instill hysteria in crew members
14	Shoot continuity girl
	No breakdown check needed, still an hour behind schedule and everyone is broken down
15	Next shot - go to top of list
	Check breakdown, realize were an hour behind schedule - instill hysteria in crew members

In High-School one of the projects I eventually had my exam on was as a photographer for a relatively large scale film (in our standards) - we shot at something like seven different outdoors locations, including at night in a little wooded patch!

The scene looked something like this - the lighting guy was running around like a lunatic trying to set up some sort of decent lighting for the scene. I was helping him to climb up trees where he eventually placed his equipment. The directress was psychologically coaxing the actors and telling them that soon this would all be over (we finished at four AM), and the rest of the crew were more or less asleep or walking around like zombies crashing into things. It got so hysterical that I actually fell asleep during a take!!!

But then, like I mentioned that is part of the fun and excitement. And it makes good stories for the grandchildren (?)

It's hard to pinpoint films where the onset stage was of major importance - without this stage - there would be no films. These following ones have, in my opinion, a little edge regarding the amount of work done during the onset shooting:

• Orson Welles' Citizen Kane, is probably one of the interesting on the set productions - a great deal to do with Gregg Toland's breakthroughs in photography. Many of the film's scenes were shot from beneath floor level to create a very low angle effect and must have necessitated lots of onset activity.
• A Bout de Souffle - or breathless in the English version, a French new-wave film, is in the essence of being new-wave, heavily based on onset creativity. The free camera work and the constant attempt to film in natural scenery give this film a very interesting facet, built heavily during the onset stage.
• Full Metal Jacket - The onset coordination, and the sewing together of camera motion and actors reactions, point out Kubrik's naturally strong onset style.
• Last, but not least, Scorcese's Taxi Driver, combines very powerful acting with strong camera work, a certain style that developed on site.