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tight crew


David Edward Keen

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" PTA is known to rely on tight crews and ensembles of actors because it allows him to give the actors room to adjust the story. His scripts are his own, so he has no loyalty to their word over their intent."

_____

 

What is meant by "tight crew" here and how does that connect to "having room to adjust the story"?

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Oftentimes, directors work with much of the same crew on every

movie they make, which is probably what they meant by "tight crew."

I know from my own experiences that shows always run much more

smoothly when you work with a crew that you worked with before,

so I completely understand why directors do that.

Edited by Matthew Padraic Barr
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I'm not sure it's standard terminology. I'd just assume it meant "small", which can also be a good thing sometimes.

 

That kind of term is used in my line of work as well and usually means that the people involved have a very smooth rhythm going to the point that very little verbal exchange is required.

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Yea, like a tight rock band.

 

On a film set, if everyone is trying to learn how each other works, the director can be side tracked with ancillary things that pull them away from the actors. So it's great to have a tight crew, that doesn't need any real guidance, so the director can focus on their actors and telling the story instead.

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It's fantastic to be a part of a tight crew. My camera department has been together (a few of us) for almost 35 years. The newest full time member is at 10 years. We have spent more time together than we have with our families. We've been through weddings, child births, divorces, funerals, etc that brings a team very close and that translates to professionalism and efficiency on set. The entire company witnesses how well our crew works together and respects one another. I know how lucky I am to have this. I wouldn't trade my team for anything.

 

G

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It's fantastic to be a part of a tight crew. My camera department has been together (a few of us) for almost 35 years. The newest full time member is at 10 years. We have spent more time together than we have with our families. We've been through weddings, child births, divorces, funerals, etc that brings a team very close and that translates to professionalism and efficiency on set. The entire company witnesses how well our crew works together and respects one another. I know how lucky I am to have this. I wouldn't trade my team for anything.

 

G

A bit of a closed shop then.

Sorry.

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A bit of a closed shop then.

Sorry.

 

Well on the one hand I can see the benefits to it in film, and I'm glad Gregory has such a relationship with his crew. But yes, frustrating to those trying to break in, and or move up, etc. I have used many of the same people over again, and keep others on the permanent do not call list.

 

Funny thing if you're the director....you cannot afford to get chummy with any member of the crew. You need to be able to "correct" that person on set if needed, and you can't do that to your buddy. Everyone needs to be kept at arms length. Although this is no different from any managerial position, VPs in a company can't be best buddies with the people that work for them, only to find they have to fire one of them at some stage.

 

I certainly would not begrudge the camera dept from being best friends and going out after work etc. Especially if on a distant location.

 

R,

 

PS: Besides I will plant a small listening device on one of them so I can hear what they're saying about me. :)

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A bit of a closed shop then.

 

 

I'm sure Mr. Irwin can attest this is pretty common with successful directors. Look how many Spielberg movies Mark Spath 1st AC'd, and from his IMDB profile it looks like he was brought in by Janusz Kaminski from their work on "Cool As Ice." When you gather a truly well-oiled-machine, it's probably hard to change it up.

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A bit of a closed shop then.

Sorry.

This comment makes me sad. What this shows is not a closed shop ( I don't think that way) but rather a loyalty and respect for one another. Would you want Liverpool or Arsenal to trade their star players every year in order to not have a closed shop? That would be crazy! Same for us. And beyond everything, we have a college trainee from my alma mater on every movie we can who learns the proper way to work and goes on to have a prosperous career of their own. So, let there be no question, we give back and promote our future generation.

 

G

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This is one of the problems with a constant diet of no-budget, one or two-day shoots. One attempts, of course, to keep a crew together, but it's incredibly difficult - both because people's availability ends up being so patchy, and because of the constantly varying requirements. One day we might be out with four or five people in a proper camera department, the next it's one camera and a sound guy.

 

Naturally there's a skill to that as well, and it puts a lot of pressure on people to know what they're doing and to work according to something like a standard approach, but the idea that every show is an opportunity to hire all your best buddies is not, I'm afraid, something that's universal.

 

P

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There is one point I need to make clear regarding my camera department. I would never hire my "buddies". That would have been a grave mistake. I hired the best people for the job and then over time, we became close. As a department head, if I do my job correctly from the beginning, a large part of my job is done.

 

This bears repeating: Hire smart, not your friends. If I have to spend over one minute managing my crew members, then I'm micro managing. If that has to happen then I didn't do the first part of my job. I didn't hire smart. It's a very simple managerial philosophy that I truly believe in and practice everyday. Trust the people you hire and allow their talents to shine on their own. My job is then to keep the team as a whole on goal. I am still ultimately responsible for the performance of my team but this managerial style makes my world very easy.

 

G

Edited by Gregory Irwin
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I thought the 'sorry' rider clarified it a bit. It's irony. I must remember not to use it on Americans.

 

Are you just going to come on here and cause a poop storm every time Mark? Sheesh! :)

 

R,

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I thought the 'sorry' rider clarified it a bit. It's irony. I must remember not to use it on Americans.

You made what appeared to be a rather snide comment. Tacking 'sorry' onto the end of it did little to remove that impression. But of course, it's not your fault, it's the Americans.

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