Gabe Shedd

That's a fantastic idea... Especially if you have a DV camera.

Agreed... In fact, I'm pretty sure I just lost a friendship due to an argument about this very thing. The 'friend' said that crew members just didn't matter and the discussion escalated from there. I honestly don't understand how the people who make it possible for the film to be made don't get the respect they deserve.

That's if you're working hourly... Think about how many independent shows are non-union and pay a flat rate. You're getting $X / day - They decide how long your day is if you care to maintain your position. I'm not union and yeah, you're right, no one is forcing me to work those long hours. But if I want to remain in good standing with the people I work with and continue getting work that could lead to a union position I have to work a 22 hour day if that's what the show calls for.

Who Needs Sleep? I can relate to the idea behind this film on so many levels. I can't count the number of times I've been driving home after working 20+ hours and start dozing off at the wheel. In fact, I can recall a specific incident just a couple of weeks ago. We were shooting pickups for this low-budget horror feature I had worked on and wrapped at around 6:30 AM - I had been there since 8:00 AM the previous day... Working straight. On the way home I dozed off a couple of times and luckily woke up before I slammed in to the back of the truck or car I was traveling towards at 80+ mph while they sat still. The most frightening, though, was when I was in the right hand lane (The last thing I remember was being in the left hand lane) and had to swerve on to the shoulder to avoid taking out a motorcyclist. That gave me a huge shot of adrenalin so I was actually alert for a few more minutes before I started getting drowsy again. Anyway - I eventually pulled over and slept for twenty minutes or so before making it the rest of the way home. All that so I wouldn't be stuck in traffic for two hours... Heh. I'm sure many of you are familiar with this documentary but I felt it deserved a posting.

Some wedges probably wouldn't be a bad idea.

This may be a bit too simple but have you thought about dulling spray or streaks and tips? Also, if you just want to have the exterior blown out you can take the wax paper found between sheets of gels, that I'm sure you have, and tape it over the window with your source hitting the wax paper. It would be free. *shrug* Also, to get a fire effect, I'm not sure if it's in your budget but I'd say a flicker box would be a wise investment. One small ligth with a red gel, one with an orange gel, the both of them on a flicker box... If you toy with it enough it looks really nice; I did it with a 650 and a 1K and I think it turned out well.