Assistant Cameraperson-ing for Dummies!

Hello and welcome back! I hope everyone's weekends were filled with splendor and fascination. Keeping up with our century-long tradition, today I'll go into infinitely specific detail of a film crew position. Bet you can't guess what position it is! Can you? You can?! Wow, you're smart! Here's a cookie.

Last week, we discussed the importance of the 1st and 2nd Assistant Directors. Today, we'll be discussing a very similar topic. Like the director, the director of photography has two assistants. Can you guess what those assistants are called?...You're right! They're the 1st and 2nd Assistant Camerapersons.

The camera assistants' main responsibilities involve assisting the Director of Photography in camera operation and maintenance. They essentially help the DP with the execution of their (hopefully) well-planned shots. They assist. It's what they do. It's what they've always meant to do. It's their destiny.

More specifically, in helping the DP in camera operation and maintenance, the 1st Assistant Cameraperson's duties include:

      -Operation of cameras

      -Slating and loading

      -Focus marking and pulling

      -Preparation, maintenance and management of camera equipment

Where their responsibilities really differ from the 2nd AC is in the physical operation of the camera. A person may think, "Oh, they're just an assistant, what could they possibly be allowed to do?" Well, frankly, that's a very silly question. While 'assistant' is in their title, an AC is really anything but an assistant. They're practically part-time director of photography.

What about the 2nd AC? Where do they come into all of this madness? It turns out that the 2nd AC actually shares many of the responsibilities of the 1st AC. It'd be too much to do for one person, so the film industry thought it'd be good to get a second! The 2nd AC is responsible for:

      -Slating and loading

      -Preparation maintenance and management of camera equipment

      -Maintenance, labeling, logging, and safekeeping of reels and tapes

The last point is where the 2nd AC stands out from other AC's. Basically, they work in coordination with the script supervisor to make sure all the reels and tapes are labeled and organized so those who work with them later know what they're messing with. The process of digitizing the film would be a much more grueling process without this step.

So who are AC's? What do they do? Why are they here on Earth with us? What is their purpose in life? In layman's terms, they do everything the DP has to do but doesn't have the time for. While the DP is setting up the perfect shot, the 1st and 2nd AC's are busy doing everything else camera related. Thank you, AC's!

The Importance of Slating

After our first weekend of shooting, I am very pleased overall with the footage. Although we did not finish all the shots we were planning, we did a good amount, and I'm happy with how it looks. One thing we definitely need to improve upon for this weekend is using the slate more. In order to keep our editor sane, we really need to use the slate for every take.

I've been reading articles about slating, and it is a very crucial part of filming. Not only does it help organize the shots, it makes it so much easier for the editor to synchronize the audio and video. It will keep an accurate account of which shot is which to go along with our shot sheets, and make editing so much easier and more efficient. It's going to be difficult and time consuming for our editor (sorry Skyler...) to put everything together because we did not slate for every shot. Without the slate, he will have to do trial and error to synch the visuals with the audio. It will be a big waste of time.

A tip for everyone, in case you don't know: the best way to ensure the slate is in frame is to slate on the actor's mark with the slate at eye-level.

Another interesting tip: sometimes there are shots that using a slate before would not be advisable. For example, a shot that requires spontaneous action or a shot that may distract the actor in a very crucial moment. So what should be done in these situations? You use an end slate. Once the shot is recorded, the slate is placed upside-down (to signify an end slate) in front of the camera, the voice slate is said, the clap is made, and the director yells, "Cut!"

And here is a funny article about slating by Evan Luzi: The 10 Commandments of Slating
Another great article about what words to say when slating: Slating the Alphabet from Apple to X-Ray


Here is a behind the scenes look of the clapper/loader, Cameron Matheson, from Van Diemen's Land:

And here is a montage of all the fun slates Geraldine Brezca did on Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds: