art department

I had planned to blog frequently during the short film shoot I worked on last week, but I was working in the art department (in fact, I WAS the art department), and as anyone who's ever been on a low-budget fiction shoot knows, the art department never has time to do anything except work.

We (or, in this case, I) started crunch time at least a week before everyone else, rounding up the hundreds of things that need to be acquired, including everything from tools and hardware to vintage props and set pieces. During the shoot, I arrived on location long before the call time to try to get as much as possible in place before the lighting department took over with their dozens of stands and cables. When everyone else broke for lunch, I had to make adjustments, chase after the actors to ensure that they don't misplace their props, come up with last minute fixes to satisfy the director/DOP/continuity person's needs, etc. etc. I barely had time to scarf down a plate before the AD called out, "And, we're back." It was a night shoot so after trying to sleep until 11 am there was little time to run any errands during business hours. Then, once the actual filming wrapped, my work continued. So much to clean up, take down, return to rental houses, get refunds for, etc.

With the film in the can, I still have a few things left to take care of, not least of which is clean my apartment. My back room looks like a flea market and my hallway looks like an exploded hardware store. My fridge is empty and my kitchen table is littered with receipts, call sheets and random debris.

I am really looking forward to having my life back in order. The idea of writing scripts and leaving the practical problems of actually filming them to someone else seems more enticing than ever. Would I do this again? Ask me again once the dust has settled.

I always feel this way after a shoot: used up, emptied out, sore muscled, fog-headed. But maybe in a month's time, when I'm back to watching TV most nights, I'll wish I had something to make life interesting again. Maybe.

PS: I did learn two very important lessons during my dabbling as Art Director: 1) NEVER use LED Christmas lights in your set dec--they flicker like crazy on film. 2) Always, always, buy at least two of everything and have a back-up plan for irreplaceable set pieces. (Neon signs look great on film, but what do you do if one goes out in the middle of a night shoot? Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.)