Ellen D. McCarn

Thanks for looking everyone, they're going to a new home in the morning!

I've got a bunch of American Cinematographers that are collecting dust and taking up space here. Almost complete set from Jan. 1998-May 2005 plus Oct. '05 and Aug. '06. Missing 4 issues. They're yours if you want them. I'm in Canoga Park, just north of Panavision WH. Thanks!

It's almost entirely CG, actually. The first part where Josh Lucas is running and the last bit when the camera catches up with him aren't. Pretty much everything in between is CG, in fact, most of him running was CG as well. The last bit when he is looking at the sunrise is greenscreen with a CG background. When a friend who worked on the shot at ILM told me this, I was really impressed because it looked so good. Then, I realized how difficult it would be to do that kind of shot logistically, and it made sense to do it that way.

But, as of now, ILM is doing the VFX (according to a friend who works at there and as listed on IMDB). Crazy, huh?

When I got out of school, I decided not to go looking for a relationship until I had my career at least partly in order. I wanted to get settled and stay focused on my career before I had to think about including someone else in the crazy lifestyle of a freelancer. One guy I dated simply didn't understand my need to be in the film industry and kept pressing me to get a 9-5. That one didn't work out, needless to say. My boyfriend now is also in the industry. He's a visual effects artist, so he has a set schedule usually, but he understands my need to do what I do. His father was also a Director/DP for 30 years, so that made it easier. He's been on sets, so he understands that I can't tell him when I'll be home, though he may not always like it (especially night shoots). Having a family in this business is really hard to juggle regardless of gender, but I believe it's totally possible. There aren't a lot of female DP's, and fewer who have children, but it has been done. It all comes down to what you want in your life and how hard you're willing to work to make it happen.

What I've heard for the origin of the "Marsha" is that it refers to the episode of the Brady Bunch when Jan said, "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha". 3 Marshas = 3 more shots.

Something I've seen used is posting a sign somewhere out of frame (visible to people in the area, of course) saying that by walking through the area, you give permission for use of your image. Just make sure you get a shot of the sign where it's hanging so you have proof of it.

Thanks for the input, Bob. The math makes it feel more manageable, and, therefore, doable. Actually, the first 2 days, we didn't make our day at all. We were scheduled to shoot 15 on the first day and 25 on the second. We made our days on the last 2 days, though (26 and 30 pagers). Pretty much everything was a oner with 2 cameras, and we were aiming for getting it in one take. The long scenes took a painfully long amount of time, though. Of course, this has less to do with the actual setups than to do with an actor who decided that it was more important to go out for drinks with friends at night instead of learning his lines, so the short scenes went a lot more smoothly (a lot easier to memorize 2 lines in a short amount of time than 30). Also, on the last day we had 30 actors in. However, as it was more of a treatment than something for distribution and view by others than investors, it came down to, "If we don't have it, we'll cut around it. So be it." I think, even with the circumstances, that we got some quality footage, too. It was four very long days, though.

Right now I'm working on a show that's trying to shoot an 88 page feature/treatment in 4 days. We're not coming even close to making our days, but it's an adventure. Still, we're averaging about 12 pages and probably 60-70 setups a day, and 20-30 scenes. Can you say "low budget"? Luckily, it's DV, and most of the setups don't involve huge lighting changes, though.

In the state of California, you can go to the State Labor board and file a complaint. It takes a while though (I'm going through this right now). You fill out a form, and a month or two later, you get a court deputy, and he/she supoenas everyone necessary, and you go to a mediation. Also, according to state law, every day they do not pay you, the company owes you your day rate. More often than not (from talking to people who have gone through this as well), a simple threat of going to the labor board will have a check in your hands quickly. Something like, "If I don't have a check/cash/whatever from your company in my posession by whatever date, I will be forced to file a claim with the labor board." Here's a website with all the info, just in case you have to take it further: http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/HowToFileWageClaim.htm Good luck!

I went to Northwestern and the academics are excellent there, with plenty of flexibility on your "electives". The film department is quite good, if sometimes skewed more towards theory than practice. There wasn't really such a thing as minors when I was there, but things may have changed. I heard they had added a minor program right after I graduated. Hope this helps!

I've taken several courses at the Workshops in Maine, and I was quite pleased with them. If you're looking for a "crash" course, and not wanting to spend more time in school, I highly recommend them. They are VERY intensive, but well worth it. In the AC class, we learned 8 or 9 camera systems, top to bottom, in a week. I can't claim I remembered everything, but I had a very good basis to work from afterwards. I highly recommend bringing a tape recorder or camcorder, etc. That week goes so fast, so it's nice to have that reference for later. After that, it's all what you make of the experience.