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Being a set photographer on a film production
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Behind the Scenes getting the "clap board". Photo: Brad Garner.
Working as a Production Stills photographer can mean you're going to be on a movie or television set wearing a few hats, especially if the production company is a small one with a budget to match. Some of the things you'll be doing will be: behind-the-scenes documenting; promotional portraits; promotional images for media kits; continuity images, and more.One of the main things you'll be called on to do, though, is to be unseen, unheard, and out of the way of the other crew members.
Some tools you'll absolutely need in your bag will be a selection of lenses from wide angle to extreme telephoto. You'll need several memory cards. You'll probably need to understand ISO and f/stops to a high degree since the crew will be lighting for a video or film motion camera, not for you. You also may be required to own or rent an item called a "blimp". This is a container for your camera, similar to an underwater housing, that dampens the sound of your shutter completely. This allows you to shoot close to the camera while they're filming. The main thing you'll need is to keep your wits about you. You'll have to be able to understand how the crew works well enough to stay out of their way without missing key shots.
One of the first things you should probably shoot when you get on set is the makeup artist doing their thing. Besides helping document what special effects went into a particular film, you can help the makeup artist add to their portfolio. Networking while on set is not only smart, but expected. Make sure that any contract you sign allows you to retain ownership of your images before you promise them to anyone else.
From there, move on to capture images of the crew setting up for the day. Lights, rooms, set decoration, and various crewmembers attending to their daily work, makes for great images. As always, stay out of the way, and keep one eye and ear out for dangerous things nearby such as heavy lighting rigs going up over your head. If you just fade into the background and stay quiet, you should have plenty of opportunities to capture candid images. Wait for work breaks to capture posed shots, though.
Crew hard at work filming a scene. Photo: Brad Garner.
The most exciting part of the job comes when the camera is rolling. It sounds cliche, but it truly is magical watching the puzzle pieces be assembled. Most of the crews I've worked with shoot non-sequentially. This means scenes are shot in order of complexity, not in the order they're pieced together in the final product. Trying to figure out a story from this jumbled process is part of fun.
Promotional shot during filming. Photo: Brad Garner.
It's key to get shots of the film crew and the actors while they're working, but also try and get shots just of the actors, so that the production team can use your images later for any number of things. I try to find out which lens the camera crew is using for a particular shot, and take a moment during rehearsals to line up a shot very similar to the ones being filmed. The actors may also enjoy these shots and use them in their portfolios, which is another way to network.
Continuity items placement shot. Photo: Brad Garner.
The final use my images have been put to by production teams is for continuity. Anything that gets touched by an actor or crew member after it's been placed and seen on camera must be meticulously documented for future shots. You may have seen the "goofs" section of your favorite movies on IMDB.com, where viewers note anywhere something strange happened. Glasses of water mysteriously refilling themselves, clothing items or hairstyles moving around, are signs that someone wasn't paying enough attention to continuity. It's very easy for you to just document the placement of items that you know have a chance of being moved around while you're shooting.
In the image at right, the crew was able to ensure that the new food, dishes, and wine bottle, were placed exactly the same in concurrent scenes.
Finally, try to document the crew having fun while they work, doing what is very likely their dream job, just as you are.
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