This project was a trial by fire for me, as my second project working with Toybox Films involved stepping up to the role of Camera Assistant for the very first time.
I was lucky enough to get a call back from Glenn Cogan from Toybox Films following my work on the Simplr stop motion re-shoots, the director on that project, Simon Rippingale, was kind enough to endorse my work with him.
So when I arrived on set of the model home we were shooting in I was immediately drowning in terms I had never heard before, I started learning very quickly, like that a set of sticks is another name for a tripod, or that when setting a C-stand always keep the knuckle on the right so that if it loosens and slips it will self tighten as it drops, confused? So was I.
For that project we were shooting on a Red Epic Dragon swapping between sticks (see above) and a DJI Ronin gimbal. Throughout this shoot it was my responsibility to keep fresh batteries on hand for both the Red and the Gimbal, while maintaining custody of the data cards to ensure that no footage was lost. I also found time to assist the gaffer (lighting technician) with blocking out curtains, setting up stands, lights and modifiers.
When it came time to shoot the Tesla cars I discovered an interesting safety feature of this set, because the Tesla cars are so quiet we needed wranglers to clear people from the street to ensure that everyone was aware that the cars were even there.
After a long day of sprinting from set to camera van and back, then down to the gaffer's truck just for good measure I can say I emerged from my trial by fire relatively unscathed. Check out the results below.
Director - Brian J. Breheny
Producer - Glenn Cogan
DOP - Aaron Haberfield