Filmninja

Viggy, originally uploaded by Spike Walker.

Our new dog, Mr. Davignon. Viggy for short.

This shot is the first of many to come. I took it last night with a 30 second exposure and a maglite. Over the next couple of days, I’m going to be adding actual content to this blog, mostly just stuff that was leftover form the old filmninja site that won’t fit into this new hyperminimalistic aesthetic I’ve imposed upon myself. Also, I graduated.

I thought people might enjoy this short interview I did with Chuck for class. Chuck’s a producer, and a cool guy in general. Chuck’s IMBD page.

Here it is:

Charles: Hey Billy.

Me: Chuck, you’ve worked a ton of jobs in film, but today I’m mostly interested in your producing experience.

Charles: That’s where I’ve found my most success. Ask away.

Me: What got you into producing?

Charles: Actually, it was [UT Professor] Scott Rice. I wasn’t really interested in it much, but it was my only opportunity to take the undergraduate-thesis class he was offering, so I jumped at the chance. Turns out it was a good fit, and the film I ended up producing has gone on to play at several festivals, and winning 3 awards to date.

Me: which film was that?

Charles: Playing Chicken: The Movie, directed by Bradley Jackson.

Me: What were the hardest lessons you learned when first starting out?

Charles: I think the hardest thing for me, starting out, was not having had any experience with it, I often didn’t know where to begin. It was great, however, since it forced me to really learn the processes from scratch. The organizational aspect also trips me up a bit. I’m a bit scattered. But I’ve developed systems that really work for me.

Me: How hard is it to get work on a professional level when you are as young as you are?

Charles: Well, I graduated in December of last year. I had a professional job right off the bat, but it was very low paying, I hardly consider it my first professional experience out of college. Following that, I got a pretty good gig as the production coordinator on a TV Pilot shooting here in Austin. Unfortunately, we are currently having budget problems, and I have been forced to take a brief hiatus from it.

Me: Can you describe the transition from student producer to professional?

Charles: Well, the things I had taken for granted as a student suddenly became very visible. For example, we had to pay for equipment, which meant we had to get production insurance, and rent camera packages, and all sorts of other things that I hadn’t really had to bother with on the student level. The experiences I had as a student certainly prepared me to do these things, but it was still uncharted waters. It was a little strange navigating these waters at first, but pretty soon I felt comfortable to dive in. So, to answer your question, initially it was a little rocky, but ultimately it smoothed itself out.

Me: What are some of the responsibilities of a producer?

Charles: I sort of think about a Producer’s job as doing everything that needs to be done so the director can focus on all of the creative aspects of the production, and do his job. It consists of coordinating all of the details that need to come together. Most importantly, I think the job of the producer is to hire people to do all the various jobs that need to get done on a film production. On the student level, the producer tends to end up doing all of the jobs that a crew member wasn’t found to do.

Me: What do you look for when you’re hiring crew you haven’t worked with?

Charles: That’s a good question. I often post crew calls on the internet, and end up faced with the decision of choosing someone based on their resumes alone. Often, resumes can be very misleading, because it is often difficult to determine the credibility of some of the products that are listed. Since I consider competence as important as likeability, I have found that setting up interviews with prospective crew members is the best way to really feel out who these people are, and if they would be a good fit with the crew that’s already being assembled. One time I set up a meeting with a couple of potential crew members that responded to a posting I placed on craigslist, I believe. It was a 50-year-old man, and he was drunk, and started telling me how things were going to work. He told me he was going to shoot my movie, and all of this nonsense, and I was only looking to hire him as a grip. Fortunately, he refused to work for free, so I never had to deal with him.

If you have any questions, just leave a comment.

Red Room:
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Emo’s:
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Room 710:
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