You understand what needs to be done. Pass the lens to the 1st AC, take the previous lens back into the case, making sure focus is at infinity and the iris wide open. You lay down marks, fill in the reports, level the tripod and hand bits and pieces of camera gear up to the 1st. But physically fishing a 2.8kg 25mm lens out of tight foam casing (which sucks the lens cap off of the lens) and passing it to the 1st AC with one hand free to grasp the previous 2.8kg lens with a circumference as wide as your hand span is something else altogether. There’s no way of learning how to do that in advance. And of course, it’s not the most difficult task in the world… you’re not getting an Oscar for passing a lens correctly. But doing it quickly yet safely yet gracefully is more difficult than it may seem. You’re outdoors in winter, heavily encumbered with a big coat, a tool pouch and a bungee cord of adhesive tapes bouncing around your knees, with numb hands, trying to juggle lenses with camera reports, a slate and various non-permanent markers. If you do all of this well, it will look like you’re doing nothing at all. If you do it badly, you look like a potential lens-breaker and general liability on set.
I should clarify.. I’m not talking from a position of experience. I haven’t worked as a 2nd AC properly, not yet. But today I went in to VCA and went through a fast camera-prep with our shoot’s focus puller, and DP Brian Breheny (who shot Priscilla, Queen of the Desert back in 1994, and many features since). And during this prep, I suddenly realised how much dexterity is needed when working as a camera assistant. You’ve got to be nimble and organised enough to deal with all sorts of problems on set, and paradoxically you’re loaded up like a walking toolshed. There are tricks of the trade, of course.. ways of streamlining the way you work in order to make things easier and more efficient. The problem is that many of these difficulties don’t become apparent until you’re already being screwed over by them. For instance, I went out and bought a couple of permanent markers with detachable lids — only to later realise that I should’ve bought retractable markers with a click-button on the end, so that you can open them with one hand. The difference sounds trivial, but let’s face it — you’ve only got two hands, and so using a lidless click-pen effectively doubles your efficiency.
The other difficulty, when starting out as a 2nd AC, seems to be that the rules and standards vary all over the place. Every shoot will have slightly different protocol, depending on the DP, and so you’ve got to be able to unlearn old patterns and get used to new ones quickly. There are lots of details to remember for each shoot that will be irrelevant when working with a different camera crew, or even with different camera boxes. I’m going to list a few things here, just so that I remember them for 7am Saturday. (and so that I’ll actually understand what’s going on on a fully kitted RED.. at the moment it looks a bit like an incomprehensible octopus)
VCA’s fluid head has two resistance gears — pan should be set at 4, tilt at 5. (Either that, or 6 on both, but more likely 4 horizontally and 5 vertically)
Lenses should be brought to the camera with both front and back caps still on. Previous lens caps will be fitted onto the previous lens before being passed back to the case.
Lenses must focused at infinity and the iris must be wide open before being passed over to the camera. (This is a universal rule, especially when storing and transporting the lenses, as moving the lenses that are not set this way may damage lens elements or alter their alignment)
VCA’s RED cameras have a breakout box converting mini-coax to standard HD-SDI BNC connectors installed — split cables are run out from this attachment
The mattebox can be shifted forwards and backwards by turning a knob on the dumb side of camera. The mattebox swings out to accommodate lens changes, but cannot swing out unless it is first shifted forward by turning this knob.
The 150mm Sachtler 9+9 fluid head features a quick-release catch underneath the base plate, much like a larger version of the 100mm Arrow 25 Tripods at RMIT.
LEMO connectors have a red dot on the male side that must be aligned with a groove in the female side. To pull out the LEMO connector, you’ve got to push the back of the cable in while pulling the front of the cable out. (it’s like a pincer movement between both hands)
The RED onboard LCD viewfinder is released by pushing on a catch as you pull upwards, it’s similar to removing the onboard battery
When using an ND filter, remove the sticker from the filter case, stick it on the mattebox and flip the filter case around so that the missing filter can be quickly recognised.
That’s all I can remember for now.. I’m sure there was more. I’ve got one more day to sort out my tools, stationary and protocol, but I think I have to accept that I’ll be awkward and clunky at this job for the first few days. Hopefully by listing and reflecting on every single problem I have I can streamline the way I work and quickly overcome any teething problems. That’s the plan anyway.
[...] the life of, Lowdown, in retrospect) and posts on VCA productions (Strange Things, Trial by Fire, Like a Swan) are all quite honest and involved reflections on different aspects of filmmaking. Basically, [...]