first time asisstant

[siddharth diwan]

I'm going to assist a D.O.P from next week which would be more of a training for me but still i want to be well prepared so that i could be an asset for him rather than being a burden, so please can someone guide me in detail about the various responsibilities of an asisstant and what all will the DP would expect from me.......thanks a lot

[Dimitrios Koukas]

I'm going to assist a D.O.P from next week which would be more of a training for me but still i want to be well prepared so that i could be an asset for him rather than being a burden, so please can someone guide me in detail about the various responsibilities of an asisstant and what all will the DP would expect from me.......thanks a lot

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Film or video?

Dimitrios Koukas

[siddharth diwan]

Film or video?

Dimitrios Koukas

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I'm sorry 'Film'.

[Dimitrios Koukas]

I'm sorry 'Film'.

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There are many things, but I will tell you some basics.

If you are the only one, u have a lot to take care.

Charging the batteries before shooting(sometimes need a whole night or more),

checking camera's registration (needs a shooting test), condition of lenses, condition of magazines, (need to be clean and neat), checking all equipment that is ok from the rental house, all cables, tripods, heads, accesories, monitors.

As for the shooting and if you are the only one assistand, u have follow focus, magazines loading/unloading, video assist seting appropriate, cleanning the gate,

make coffee to the D.P.

And maybe I forget some.

Dimitrios Koukas

[Lars.Erik]

Always keep a small vacuum cleaner with you. Clean the film changing tent at a regular times. This way you'll avoid hair on the film.

 

ALWAYS check the remaining of the roll after each take. This is very important. Say you have a important scene which involves great drama from the actors. You need to know how long the scene is and how many minutes are left on the roll.

 

Write down the f-stop number of each scene. This is helpful for re-shoots.

 

Remember to learn. Listen to the DP and the focus puller. Being a assistant is also about the learning process.

 

And the most important, well almost, if you are unsure about ANYTHING, even the most simplest thing. Ask the focus puller or the DP. This way you'll cut down the chances of any mistakes.

 

If there is a video assist on the set, this person will take care of the monitors.

 

Good luck

[siddharth diwan]

Always keep a small vacuum cleaner with you. Clean the film changing tent at a regular times. This way you'll avoid hair on the film.

 

ALWAYS check the remaining of the roll after each take. This is very important. Say you have a important scene which involves great drama from the actors. You need to know how long the scene is and how many minutes are left on the roll.

 

Write down the f-stop number of each scene. This is helpful for re-shoots.

 

Remember to learn. Listen to the DP and the focus puller. Being a assistant is also about the learning process.

 

And the most important, well almost, if you are unsure about ANYTHING, even the most simplest thing. Ask the focus puller or the DP. This way you'll cut down the chances of any mistakes.

 

If there is a video assist on the set, this person will take care of the monitors.

 

Good luck

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Thanks a lot this was an eye opener but i'm really nervous now......hope i do well

[Lars.Erik]

Being nervous is part of the process. This is a good thing, I believe. This way you'll stay humble to your profession. The day you are no longer humble, is the day you may become arrogant. Which may make you sloppy.

 

Just remember to get a good nights sleep and stay positive. Film making is not rocket science. It's a difficult job, yes. But hell of a lot of fun!

 

PS! I've been in the industry almost 10 years now. DP last 3. Still I am quite nervous before the first day of a job. Even the easy ones... But after a day or two, it's all good.

 

Have great fun!

[David E Elkins]

I'm going to assist a D.O.P from next week which would be more of a training for me but still i want to be well prepared so that i could be an asset for him rather than being a burden, so please can someone guide me in detail about the various responsibilities of an asisstant and what all will the DP would expect from me.......thanks a lot

 

Check out my book, "The Camera Assistant's Manual" published by Focal Press. It has complete descriptions of the job responsibilities of both the first and second assistants.

 

David E. Elkins

[Stephen Williams]

Check out my book, "The Camera Assistant's Manual" published by Focal Press. It has complete descriptions of the job responsibilities of both the first and second assistants.

 

David E. Elkins

 

 

Hi,

 

I recomend Davids Book.

 

Stephen

[Dimitrios Koukas]

I'm going to assist a D.O.P from next week which would be more of a training for me but still i want to be well prepared so that i could be an asset for him rather than being a burden, so please can someone guide me in detail about the various responsibilities of an asisstant and what all will the DP would expect from me.......thanks a lot

Another book from focal press that helped me a lot, is Sylvia's Carlson, ''professional cameraman's handbook''

DImitrios Koukas

[Bob Hayes]

It will be a real baptism of fire. Here are some tips.

 

Spend as much time with the camera you will be shooting with as you can. Practice changing lenses and loading mags. Go through the manuals know what every switch does. Practice loading mags.

 

You main job is to anticipate what the DOP needs. Watch him/her like a bird dog. Ask yourself what you think he might need. Is he thinking of using a high hat? He is down on his knees with a finder. Hmm. He is talking to the director and now the director seems to be agreeing. Ask someone to get the high hat. Now if the DOP looks up and says he wants a high hat you are ready. Anticipation is the key to your job.

 

Be sure you always lock your cases. ?An open case is and empty case? and if you are in a hurry and don?t lock it someone will open the case and out will fall your lenses.

 

Take a tape measure and practice estimating distances in your room. Being able to estimate distances will reduce your stress greatly.

 

Get yourself a four wheeled cart a cheap one will be OK. You will have many cases to move around.

 

Keep your gear organized. It is not a job for people who are sloppy.

 

Take pride in you job.

[Adam Frisch FSF]

All the above advice is good. I'll give some of mine.

 

Always check the gate so there isn't a hard matte forgotten in there. It is rare, but is a disaster if left behind by the last crew and not checked. Easy to miss for rental houses.

 

Double check T stop, since it might have changed and DP's are sometimes forgetful (as I am).

 

Don't check the gate all the time, that introduces more problems than it solves. Check them after the last shot on the setup - that's usually enough unless you're running chippy film or are in sandy or otherwise dirty conditions.

 

Check that the lens alignment is Super-35 when that's what you're framing for, and vice versa. Many times I've gotten cameras on set with the wrong alignment. On sphericals you often can get away with it even if that would happen, but on zooms it shows immediately.

 

Check that the shutter hasn't been left skinny unless that's what you want. It should be 180 degrees when it leaves the rental house.

 

Keep track of filters on the camera and mark it properly. It's easy to forget what you've got in there when your juggling and changing filters all the time.