Hollywood North

[gilana]

I happened to be near Park Street last night, and there was a crowd around a Dunkin Donuts there, where Ben Affleck was inside filming The Town. There were crowds of people trying to see inside to spot the stars, but I wandered over to the side and watched the crew and started looking at all the equipment, trying to see if I could learn anything new. I had a nice chat with a wardrobe woman -- there were extras in the scene just walking past the window outside the shot, but since the movie is set in the summer, they kept having to take their coats off and try not to shiver too badly as they walked past.

I started looking at some boxes of lighting equipment, and when a gaffer came by I got to ask him about the drawer marked "magic gadgets". (Turns out it's a company that makes dimmers.) I got points with him for correctly identifying (and pronouncing) a Fresnell lamp, so after that he made a point of telling me what the other lamps he was working on were. And he showed me the "C-47"s he used to hold a gel on a lamp, very technical devices that I've always known as clothespins. Had a nice long chat with a grip who was local to here, and with a very friendly cameraman from LA, who's worked with the DP (Robert Elswit, who just won an Oscar for There Will Be Blood), on many films now. He was really great about telling me about cameras and showing me some of the functions on his.

I spent a while looking at a table full of cases that I inferred contained film; they were marked by length in feet, and I wondered why you would want different lengths, instead of always using the longest possible. But when I asked someone wandering by, he explained that if you're doing a shot in a car and space is limited, you're using a different camera and you want to use the 200' reel to keep things small. If you're using a steadycam, you might choose the 400' reel, so it's not too heavy. And the 1000' reel is only 10 minutes worth, although I don't think you see a lot of shots that long in a movie. Still, I never realized how many reels they must go through! I assumed you'd do many shots on one reel of film.

I stayed until the wrapped the shot, and watched as they went into what is usually a real Dunkin' Donuts and started tearing it apart -- changing out the posters on the wall, but mostly taking down ceiling panels and taking out the huge cables and electrical equipment they had hidden up there to keep it out of the shots. When I had first arrived at the location, I noticed how many cables there were in the streets, and followed them around the block to a portable generator -- I can't even imagine how much electricity everything used, especially the ginormous lights they had set up on lifts out across the street shining in to the Dunkin Donuts.

Anyway. Very nifty night, and if you come across them filming anywhere, as long as you stay out of the way and are respectful, are are clearly not star-hunting, most of the crew seems happy to answer questions. I highly recommend poking around a bit, there's a lot to learn!

Oh, and Ben Affleck was there inside the Dunkie's, but I did not see him. I could have -- plenty of people walked past and peeked in between shots, or stood in just the right spot across the street to get a peek -- and I briefly thought about it, but decided I just didn't care that much. I already know what he looks like, what's the point? And keeping the respect of the crew was much more important to me. Not that there aren't celebs I would go out of my way to catch a glimpse of, but Ben just didn't seem to be one last night.

Comments

[spatch]

That's really fascinating, and I think it's awesome that the crew treated you so nicely. Learned quite a bit!

[lillibet.livejournal.com]

Sounds like an awesome experience. You are so good at connecting with people like that.

[gilana]

Thanks! It makes me so happy -- I wasn't always able to do that, and it still amazes me that I am now, and how much fun it can be!

[catness.livejournal.com]

That's very cool. One thing a lot of folks forget is that Big Productions are made by *people*. So if you act like they're people, they will often act like you're a people, too. *grin*

[gilana]

True of much of life in general, really, and not a bad way to go through life :)

[ckd]

That's wonderful! I'm glad that you had the chance to geek out like that, and that you've given the rest of us a vicarious experience as well.

I can't remember the movie, but I recall hearing about one that was made with all very short shots because they were doing it on the leftover bits from reels used filming another movie (one that actually had a budget)....

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

What a great use of an opportunity to learn new things about film production! So much more edifying in the long run than chasing movie stars, IMO. :-)

[zendzian.livejournal.com]

i spotted affleck when they were filming in harvard square. they actually filmed the bank robbery part of the film at the cambridge savings bank across the street from where i work, so my whole street was sectioned off and lined with movie trucks for a couple days. it was a neat atmosphere.

unfortunately, i wish the rest of my experience had been as positive as yours. because they blocked off our street, the film crew started telling our members that they could not go down the street, so we lost a lot of business while we were here. then, while they were filming, as one of my colleagues was leaving to go to lunch, they yelled at him to "get back in the bank!"

of course, this was an indirect impact to me, as i'm not star struck and didn't hang around with the crowds, but they apparently rubbed a lot of people the wrong way around here.

i think it's exciting that there are going to be more movies filmed in the area, and that there are going to be some studios and sound stages built in plymouth. it'll make for a lot more opportunities.

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

:-) :-) That sounds really fun!


as a side note, I could identify that light/lens and pronounce it, but I sure as heck can't spell it! You get extra bonus points for that. :)

[skreeky]

One of the earliest side effects I noticed while majoring in TV/film in college is I completely lost the ability to be starstruck. The person in front of the camera was always called generically "the Talent" (always said with a hint of sarcasm) and how famous they were made absolutely no difference to the business of getting the job done except where it interfered. I don't think it's like that for everyone, but it was for most of us.

I've been away from New York and out of entertainment film (not counting sports) long enough now that I can be starstruck again, but that goes away the minute I have a job to do.

[skreeky]

I think it's a lot like I'm seeing people describe performing at the Somerville: what's it like being on the same stage as Springsteen and (insert other famous people)...

"I wasn't really thinking about that at the time."

[gilana]

Yeah, I thought a lot about it before and after (more about Ray Bolger and Busby Berkeley and Kris Delmhorst than Bruce, but I'm a big nerd), but when I'm onstage, I'm pretty much only thinking about the job I'm doing at the time.

[muffyjo]

That's wonderful. It really is. I never knew that about the film. Makes sense when you look at it, but...wow!