clapper loader - matt

Q: What is the name of your role? Clapper Loader or Second Assistant Camera

Q: Can you briefly explain what your role is? Helping Focus Puller on set, building cameras, changing lenses, reloading film for camera

Q: What is a Focus Puller? The focus puller operates the focus on the camera to keep actors in tight / sharp focus.

Q: Why is your job important? To help the smooth running of the camera department

Q: What do you like about your job? Everything (almost)

Q: What don't you like about your job? Poor block throughs (more on this in a later post).

Q: What qualifications / education do you need? Good work attitude. No official qualification - skills come from on-set experience

Q: What is the clapper for? The clapper allows you to sync the film clip with the audio. The camera records pictures only not sound. Sound is recorded by a separate machine

Q: What other movies have you worked on? Tomorrow When the War Began, Wolverine, Australia, Jindabyne

day 7 - sunrise

We arrived at 6:30 am. They start early in the morning so that they can get all the filming done before the end of the day. The photo is taken from inside my movie trailer and looking out at the sunrise.





On set when we had a break dad and I would kick the little green footy [the one really hard to kick] and we did 30 kick to kicks without it touching the ground!





After each take you get a 2 minute break. On my 2 minute breaks I eat BREAD!

production runner - mike

Q: What is the name of your role? Production Runner

Q: Can you briefly explain what your role is? Driving actors to and from set. Providing support to the production office.

Q: Why is your job important? To ensure actors arrive on set on time and safely.

Q: What do you like about your job? Meeting new people every day and visiting places I wouldn't normally see.

Q: What don't you like about your job? Some days the hours are very long and you don't get much time for yourself.

Q: What qualifications / education do you need? Drivers licence, good problem solving skills, good time management and ability to work under pressure. It helps if you have been to film school for an understanding of how the making of a movie works.

food

Some of you have asked about food. On set there is someone called Res. He is a chef. Each day for lunch he will cook us something yummy. He has to cook for about 30 people! For example today he cooked rice, two different curries and steamed vegies. In my opinion the best thing about lunch is the homemade ice-cream. Res also makes sure we have plenty of things for breakfast.

day 6 - watch your langauge

People swear! Crew, Director, Actors, Anybody [even me in some scenes].
I have invented something called a swear book. Anybody who swears when I'm around [if they're not doing their lines] pay me a $1 [ching ching] each time. I keep track by writing their name in the swear book [a little notepad] and put a tally next to their name.

day 5

At the start of every day you need to go to wardrobe. You need to go to wardrobe so they can give you the outfit you are going to wear on set. Next you need to go to makeup so they can do whatever they need to do to your appearance before you go on set.


This is a photo of me in my costume in front of the movie trailers. The tents behind me are where we stop to have lunch.







Quite often the director will come into the scene to compliment us and help us with what we could do better or give a completely new thing/way to do it.






Each week we are going to ask different people who are working on the movie what their job is, do they like it and if so what is it about the job do you like the best. There are so many interesting jobs behind the scenes so we will try and tell you about some.

day 4 - revisited

Today was my first day of filming. When we first arrived the Second A.D. (assistant director) Emma showed us to my movie trailer. A trailer is a place where each actor can relax. It is like a mini caravan with a TV, couch, toilet, fridge, DVD player. There are many trailers - some of which are used by other actors and there is one trailer for wardrobe which is where they check your appearance before you go on set.



My first scene was about me going to school. We filmed that scene in front of my movie school in an old car. The scene took about two hours to film. Filming of the scene takes such as long time because the production team have to film the scene from different angles and distances. Also, for each angle the director might want to film the scene many times. These are known as "takes". On this day the highest number of takes we did for one angle for one scene was 18.



This is a different scene of me being dropped off at school. The black screens are for blocking out the sun.



In this scene they used some special equipment called tracks. You can put the camera on the tracks so it can move. This is used so that actors can be keep in shot whilst they are moving.



This was the last scene of the day and we only had half an hour to film it. The reason we had not much time is that I am only allowed to mostly work 8 hours a day. In special circumstances I can work longer. I had to be off set by 5:15 pm as I had started the day at 07:15 (when most of you kids at school were probably still in bed). In this scene were were having music practice and I was playing the trumpet.

day 4 - massive day

Tired. Huge day. Want to go to bed. Come back tomorrow.

day 3 - rainy day

Today I had to do school work/maths. My Dad is a very hard/strict teacher! Give me Mrs.Hastie any day. I practiced my lines for tomorrow. Tomorrow is my first day of filming and I have to be there by 7:00 am. I won't finish until 5:30 pm. You kids at school are lucky. You are only there from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm and I work nonstop from 7:00 am through 5:30 pm. Bye!

day 2 - wardrobe check

Today Dad and I went to wardrobe check and my movie school is called Clayton Hill Primary school.
Tomorrow I was supposed to film my first scene but due to the bad weather it has been postponed until Thursday. This can be a big problem for the actors and the production team because they have to change everything to a different day. The actors ready on Thursday might have to film on Wednesday.
Stay tuned for tomorrow - Dad said I have to do school work!

day 1 - heading to sydney.

Today was the travel day. At the airport I got a boost smoothie! We got on the plane at 12.15 and arrived in Sydney at 1.40. We caught the cab to the apartment which is just near fox studios. Dad and I caught the bus into the city and saw my uncle at his work. Now the day is almost finished, about to have dinner!

Tomorrow I will have a report about wardrobe check! Stay tuned.