Lowdown, in retrospect

It’s now been almost a year since I worked as a lighting intern on Lowdown, the ABC comedy written by Adam Zwar. It’s still by far the most professional production I’ve had a chance to work on, which is depressing since it makes everything I’ve done post-Lowdown feel like a step backwards. But on a more positive note, working on Lowdown definitely held me in good stead for working on large-scale productions of all sorts. Above all else, you’ve got to be conscientious and aware of the fact that on a small, crowded set, you are often a potential hindrance rather than a help. There’s a correct time to do everything, but no way of knowing what time will be correct. I learned to never stand in corridors, to stay quiet near the camera, to ferry gear and then evacuate the set. At times, this made for a fairly stressful atmosphere, but even on a professional set, pressure comes in waves. There’s a big push at the start of the day, which suddenly halts when we’re ready for a take. At this point it’s easy to lapse into carelessness and start talking to someone to pass time. Inevitably, this is going to happen at times — but it’s easy to be caught talking at the wrong moment and this never looks good. You never know when the DP will call for a lighting adjustment, or when bad weather will hit and send everyone running to secure gear. So above all else, I think that being attentive and eternally aware of what will be required at any given moment is the most important attribute to have on set. This comes before knowledge of equipment, and also before speed. Initially on set I rushed to bring lighting gear out from the truck, or I juggled 5 different things, taking them all down to the truck in a bundle. While I did this because I worried that I’d be yelled at for being too slow, I think the reverse was correct. I should have taken my time, disconnected the header cables from the kino ballasts and brought everything down in a more logical order. It took me a while to realise this.
I guess that in a broader sense, working on Lowdown gave me an idea of how large and mechanical a professional crew can be. Being at the helm of a professional production, as a director or a DP, still intimidates me to some extent when I think about Lowdown. There’s a lot of pressure to perform and make good decisions, with so much money riding on every hour that you’re still in production. I also wonder how I will ever earn the respect of a professional gaffer if I were ever to work as a cinematographer. After working as an intern under Chris Parkinson and Daryl Pearson, it’s hard to conceive of ever telling such experienced people what to do on set. Maybe if I’d worked as an AC or best boy for 15 years I’d feel more comfortable doing so, but if I wanted to work my way up faster (ideally I do), I wonder how awkward it would feel, working with a full electrics and grip team under me. Having a camera crew doesn’t intimidate me so much because I’ve had some experience there, but my understanding of proper grip and electrical crew is still substandard.
In any case, there’s still a long way to go, and Lowdown has made this increasingly clear to me. The degree of respect and responsibility necessary to effectively oversee the entire technical production crew on a professional shoot is quite daunting. So, if nothing else, Lowdown has made me realise that professional cinematography is much more than understanding lighting or cameras or digital imaging technology. Working with and orchestrating such a large body of seasoned filmmakers is something massive in itself.

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