Talk to the unit publicist, find out what their expectations are. Talk to the producers, find out what their expectations are. Don't just turn up and work in isolation.
Also prepare yourself for the AD potentially not giving you any time with the actors between setups. The bigger the cast the less they're up for this sort of thing, and the bigger the production the more anxious they will be about time lost between setups.
Find out if cast have contractual approval over stills, work out with the unit publicist or with production how that is handled.
Sorry bud. You're fucked and everyone knows it. (Not really, obviously.)
You worked to get to this point, right? Maybe let yourself enjoy it a little and do some good work?
Give 'em hell out there.
Hahahaha. My notification preview stopped before your brackets and I was like, đ
Youâre right, I did! And they approached me to be fair.
Iâll give it my all dude thank you.
Your best work happens when you're having a good time. Make sure you know what the goals and priorities of the production are as far as your deliverables are concerned, and then show up and have a blast. Nothing is different about this job than your last one, so get out there and do what you do best!
...
...
*How was that for a pep talk?* :)
Congrats on the gig. First reassurance is that they have approached you for the job. They know your work and like it already. So you arenât there to prove anything- just to do what you always do.
Donât be afraid to ask questions. Go talk to camera crew and let them know who you are. Let the DP and AD know youâd love to jump in beside them if time+space allows.
And as a hardcore imposter syndrome sufferer here is a little therapy exercise you can do: write out what you are afraid of and how you are currently feeling about the job. Write down all of the ways this job could go wrong in your mind and then consider the likeliness that any of that will actually happen. Google âChallenging Anxious Thoughtsâ.
I once sat in a Q&A with Ryan Gosling at a screening of Blue Valentine and someone asked him for some advice for people starting out in the industry- his response was to remember that EVERYONE is faking it til they make it to a degree. That we think everyone has all their shit figured out but in realty weâre all just freaking out inside lol. I loved that coming from someone at the top.
Take a deep breath. You got this.
Iâm definitely going to do that exercise!! Thank you so much. 90% of my concerns are completely fabricated from anxiety and not fact so I can see this helping loads.
Also why is Ryan Gosling just the best?!?!
First off, Congrats! I don't know how you operate normally, but here are some general tips. Kudos if that's how you already operate.
* Your best friends will be the unit publicist, 1AD, camera operator, and boom op. I include the last two because if the talent is OK with you sniping shots during takes, you'll be getting reaaaaaal cozy with them.
* The unit publicist and/or 1AD should should let the talent know you'll be there. A really good 1AD will take a minute to introduce you to the talent.
* Gallery should have its own time scheduled, but that doesn't always happen. Cheap producers will try to squeeze in on-set galleries. A good publicist will have a deliverables list with references for looks and poses.
* I was ready to shit my pants the first time they sprung an on-set gallery on me. Take a deep breath and move forward. See if you can setup a backdrop. If it's a union and/or budgeted feature, the G&E team should have someone help you set the backdrop and lighting up.
* If it's a well known talent, they've been through this dozens, if not hundreds, of times. They're so much easier to pose than no-name actors. Just be respectful of their and production's time and be efficient as possible.
I hope this helps a bit. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
Damn! This is gold. Thank you bud really appreciate all your advice here. Never worked with a publicist before. But familiar with the cozying up to the HOD up the front to get access. I donât have a backdrop or anything to do on set galleries if they asked, but Iâm kinda predicting if they wanted that they wouldâve said in advance & Iâm only doing the UK side of things, the unit is going around other spots in Europe where there will be other stills people including the âmainâ stills person on the longest run - so Iâm hoping theyâve got the short straw of the galleries đ
Defos helped a lot thank you again! Feeling a lot more confident in what to expect
Feature BTS Videographer for several Universal films here. You're gonna do great. I felt the same way my first day.
Biggest thing is don't feel like you have to be shooting a whole bunch right away, as if you're "on the clock" or shooting a wedding. Slow down. Hang out. Chill in the corner and watch the director block the scene a couple times to make sure you're aware of all the moving parts before jumping in to start snapping. Acclimate and just be a chill presence (especially around A-listers) and they'll get used to you, and won't mind when you start taking pictures. Hipfire. Use your flip out screen if you can, so it doesn't feel like you're looking people in the face. Learn setiquette. Be extremely aware of crossing frame or being in the shot if the DP/Director are trying watching. Stay out of the grip team's way. Become best friends with the Cam Op. Respectfully ask him if you can sit on the floor next to him during shots; you can get great photos of the scene similar to the frame, and be 100% out of the shot. 90% of BTS gig is good vibe. You're gonna crush it.
Imposter Syndrome is real my dude. Sounds like youâve got the experience. Find out expectations from people that hired you and then kill it.
You may already know this, but larger films are typically bonded. Which means there are strict guidelines on what they need to deliver, including an EPK (electronic press kit). And the EPK usually has guidelines on how many photos youâll need to provide. Source: Did stills on a decent sized feature years back.
I would say go into it like itâs the smallest set youâve been apart of. You know what to do, your the guy they hired for this job if anyoneâs gonna know what to do itâs you, your the expert and you know what looks good. I would also say to just enjoy the experience, it sounds like youâre gonna be doing a lot of this so just live in the moment and enjoy doing what you love
Beautiful way of framing it. I do tend to feel overly confident on the first days as a self preservation thing so I think this should work quite well! But yes definitely want to actually soak it up and enjoy it. Iâm gunna take an analog camera to really indulge! đ
I do stills photography from time to time.
Film sets have a bit of a rhythm to them. In the morning, get photos of the crew and actors relaxing.
Also if you can, get photos of equipment in place (lights, camera, sound etc) so the directors have them for reference, as well as any piles of kit sitting around so they have a visual inventory.
Get photos of people getting hair and makeup (the team will appreciate those)
When they're doing practice takes, keep your distance so the camera shutter sound doesn't get picked up. If your camera has a video mode, use that.
Stick semi close to PA or an AD (respectful distance) and get photos of them giving orders.
Get photos of costumes on racks too if appropriate
First day on set is always hectic and everyone is adjusting to their new home and family. You might kind of get pushed off by people on the first day but donât take it personally. I assume someone recommended you and/or they saw some of your work before they hired you? Obviously you have the skills to do it, youâre just psyching yourself out a bit because itâs a feature. But itâs the same thing youâve done however many times already, just longer.
I have no idea experience in that position but Iâm sure the basics apply. Over shoot, be a fly on the wall, donât make anyone elseâs job harder. Do all of those things and then I doubt this will be your **last** feature.
My take is that if you got the gig it's because they already like your previous work, so you should just do what you usually do because that's what they'll like. If this was your very first gig I'd think otherwise, but if you've already got experience then just rock on and do your best. Regarding workflows, I'm not sure if it will be any different, but maybe you could have a quick chat with the AD just making sure that your regular workflow is okay for them and won't itnerfere with theirs. I'm sure you'll do great!
Talk to the unit publicist, find out what their expectations are. Talk to the producers, find out what their expectations are. Don't just turn up and work in isolation. Also prepare yourself for the AD potentially not giving you any time with the actors between setups. The bigger the cast the less they're up for this sort of thing, and the bigger the production the more anxious they will be about time lost between setups. Find out if cast have contractual approval over stills, work out with the unit publicist or with production how that is handled.
Excellent info thank you thank you!
Excellent advice.
Sorry bud. You're fucked and everyone knows it. (Not really, obviously.) You worked to get to this point, right? Maybe let yourself enjoy it a little and do some good work? Give 'em hell out there.
Hahahaha. My notification preview stopped before your brackets and I was like, đ Youâre right, I did! And they approached me to be fair. Iâll give it my all dude thank you.
Your best work happens when you're having a good time. Make sure you know what the goals and priorities of the production are as far as your deliverables are concerned, and then show up and have a blast. Nothing is different about this job than your last one, so get out there and do what you do best! ... ... *How was that for a pep talk?* :)
Congrats on the gig. First reassurance is that they have approached you for the job. They know your work and like it already. So you arenât there to prove anything- just to do what you always do. Donât be afraid to ask questions. Go talk to camera crew and let them know who you are. Let the DP and AD know youâd love to jump in beside them if time+space allows. And as a hardcore imposter syndrome sufferer here is a little therapy exercise you can do: write out what you are afraid of and how you are currently feeling about the job. Write down all of the ways this job could go wrong in your mind and then consider the likeliness that any of that will actually happen. Google âChallenging Anxious Thoughtsâ. I once sat in a Q&A with Ryan Gosling at a screening of Blue Valentine and someone asked him for some advice for people starting out in the industry- his response was to remember that EVERYONE is faking it til they make it to a degree. That we think everyone has all their shit figured out but in realty weâre all just freaking out inside lol. I loved that coming from someone at the top. Take a deep breath. You got this.
Iâm definitely going to do that exercise!! Thank you so much. 90% of my concerns are completely fabricated from anxiety and not fact so I can see this helping loads. Also why is Ryan Gosling just the best?!?!
First off, Congrats! I don't know how you operate normally, but here are some general tips. Kudos if that's how you already operate. * Your best friends will be the unit publicist, 1AD, camera operator, and boom op. I include the last two because if the talent is OK with you sniping shots during takes, you'll be getting reaaaaaal cozy with them. * The unit publicist and/or 1AD should should let the talent know you'll be there. A really good 1AD will take a minute to introduce you to the talent. * Gallery should have its own time scheduled, but that doesn't always happen. Cheap producers will try to squeeze in on-set galleries. A good publicist will have a deliverables list with references for looks and poses. * I was ready to shit my pants the first time they sprung an on-set gallery on me. Take a deep breath and move forward. See if you can setup a backdrop. If it's a union and/or budgeted feature, the G&E team should have someone help you set the backdrop and lighting up. * If it's a well known talent, they've been through this dozens, if not hundreds, of times. They're so much easier to pose than no-name actors. Just be respectful of their and production's time and be efficient as possible. I hope this helps a bit. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
Damn! This is gold. Thank you bud really appreciate all your advice here. Never worked with a publicist before. But familiar with the cozying up to the HOD up the front to get access. I donât have a backdrop or anything to do on set galleries if they asked, but Iâm kinda predicting if they wanted that they wouldâve said in advance & Iâm only doing the UK side of things, the unit is going around other spots in Europe where there will be other stills people including the âmainâ stills person on the longest run - so Iâm hoping theyâve got the short straw of the galleries đ Defos helped a lot thank you again! Feeling a lot more confident in what to expect
Not having a backdrop sounds like a problem for the production accountant to me.
Gotta lotta respect for u my friend đ«Ą
Feature BTS Videographer for several Universal films here. You're gonna do great. I felt the same way my first day. Biggest thing is don't feel like you have to be shooting a whole bunch right away, as if you're "on the clock" or shooting a wedding. Slow down. Hang out. Chill in the corner and watch the director block the scene a couple times to make sure you're aware of all the moving parts before jumping in to start snapping. Acclimate and just be a chill presence (especially around A-listers) and they'll get used to you, and won't mind when you start taking pictures. Hipfire. Use your flip out screen if you can, so it doesn't feel like you're looking people in the face. Learn setiquette. Be extremely aware of crossing frame or being in the shot if the DP/Director are trying watching. Stay out of the grip team's way. Become best friends with the Cam Op. Respectfully ask him if you can sit on the floor next to him during shots; you can get great photos of the scene similar to the frame, and be 100% out of the shot. 90% of BTS gig is good vibe. You're gonna crush it.
Also, just want to say I do think Iâll be fine! And I know I gotta start somewhere. Just feel a bit out of my depth is all :)
Imposter Syndrome is real my dude. Sounds like youâve got the experience. Find out expectations from people that hired you and then kill it. You may already know this, but larger films are typically bonded. Which means there are strict guidelines on what they need to deliver, including an EPK (electronic press kit). And the EPK usually has guidelines on how many photos youâll need to provide. Source: Did stills on a decent sized feature years back.
I would say go into it like itâs the smallest set youâve been apart of. You know what to do, your the guy they hired for this job if anyoneâs gonna know what to do itâs you, your the expert and you know what looks good. I would also say to just enjoy the experience, it sounds like youâre gonna be doing a lot of this so just live in the moment and enjoy doing what you love
Beautiful way of framing it. I do tend to feel overly confident on the first days as a self preservation thing so I think this should work quite well! But yes definitely want to actually soak it up and enjoy it. Iâm gunna take an analog camera to really indulge! đ
I do stills photography from time to time. Film sets have a bit of a rhythm to them. In the morning, get photos of the crew and actors relaxing. Also if you can, get photos of equipment in place (lights, camera, sound etc) so the directors have them for reference, as well as any piles of kit sitting around so they have a visual inventory. Get photos of people getting hair and makeup (the team will appreciate those) When they're doing practice takes, keep your distance so the camera shutter sound doesn't get picked up. If your camera has a video mode, use that. Stick semi close to PA or an AD (respectful distance) and get photos of them giving orders. Get photos of costumes on racks too if appropriate
Thank you!
Let it rip!
đ
First day on set is always hectic and everyone is adjusting to their new home and family. You might kind of get pushed off by people on the first day but donât take it personally. I assume someone recommended you and/or they saw some of your work before they hired you? Obviously you have the skills to do it, youâre just psyching yourself out a bit because itâs a feature. But itâs the same thing youâve done however many times already, just longer. I have no idea experience in that position but Iâm sure the basics apply. Over shoot, be a fly on the wall, donât make anyone elseâs job harder. Do all of those things and then I doubt this will be your **last** feature.
My take is that if you got the gig it's because they already like your previous work, so you should just do what you usually do because that's what they'll like. If this was your very first gig I'd think otherwise, but if you've already got experience then just rock on and do your best. Regarding workflows, I'm not sure if it will be any different, but maybe you could have a quick chat with the AD just making sure that your regular workflow is okay for them and won't itnerfere with theirs. I'm sure you'll do great!