Yveline Garnier

Just wondering what the difference is between II and III? Looking to purchase one too, but I don't really see which one would be better then the other?

I think basics have already been covered, but a few minor things that will make your life on set easier; -always tell the 1st A.C. if you need to leave the camera. You don't want to reappear on set with a cup of coffee to find a disgruntled first who wasn't able to get something vital because he had to stay with the camera himself. -When switching lenses, or anything else on the camera, call out a confirmation when he hands you a lens, or anything else. That way he'll know you have a steady grip on it, and when to let go. If you make that a habit, it'll be a lot harder to drop anything because both of you thought the other had it. -Depending on the 1st A.C., don't directly touch the camera. The rule goes; Second A.C. hands it to the first, who puts it on the camera. If you get along with the first fine, you can sometimes make an exeption, but it's best to stay in your designated area at first, make sure the trust is built up before you do anything that could make him nervous. -If the 1st asks you for something, repeat it back so he's sure you heard it and got it right. Little things like that will show you're serious about the job, and will help you gain respect and trust faster. About the slate; depending on the shoot, you might be in charge of loading, and you might be away loading mags at times when the slate needs to be done. try to set the slate right as soon as you can, and make sure the back-up man for the slate knows where to find it, and that you've left the set. That way nobody will get nervous when you're not around when it's time to nail the shot. Oh, and buy the book, it's worth its money ;)

Thanks much for the insight guys! I actually think the operator mentioned the collimator on the list, but I'll doublecheck to be sure. Prep apparently won't be until the 25th, which will make it interesting; first shooting day is the 30th. About first and second unit; we'll actually be shooting side by side quite a bit if I understand it right; lots of scenes that we'll just shoot from two angles at the same time to speed things up, since we only have 20 shooting days to wrap the film. There won't be a second A.C., but we do get a Video Assist, probably a (hopefully enthousiastic) film student.

A few weeks back I went into a commercial shoot without a camera prep; production called me last minute, at about 8 in the evening for the day after. Was unable to tell me what camera it was going to be, and neither could the D.P. Told me we'd find out the day of the shoot. Very odd. I ended up having to work without a follow focus, and a 15mm lens that was completely busted; had to put it on infinity to get it to focus at 3 feet. Ended up testing all the other lenses on set, and we were unable to get a replacement for the 15mm so we had to work around that lens for two days. Not fun. Looking back, there really was no way for me to do a prep, but I still felt as if I was at fault somehow. Any tips on what the best action is at a situation like that? Next question; In two weeks I'm starting as 1st AC on the second unit of a feature film. It's not my first feature, but it will be my first time on a second unit. What's the proper etiquette for having two 1st ACs on set? Do I answer to him, or am I on equal foot, or do we both just stick to our own unit? The camera will be the Sony HDW-F900R, so if anybody has any tips on that model, it would be appreciated. I've already picked up that the backfocus of that camera can be a pain to stay locked, so I'm hoping to find out in prep just how fragile it is. Will probably end up re-checking it for every shot anyway. (my first post, hooray...)