Cold Embers BTS

I usually keep my mind pretty on track when on set. Because of that, I don’t get behind the scenes pictures too often. However, when we were shooting a Western film, I had just enough time while we were moving equipment to grab some shots. The different point everyone is in their walk made me think of an album cover for a mediocre cover band.

Room 131

We wrapped production around 10 pm tonight/last night for “Room 131”. This was my last production with the 4381 crew, and I’m thankful for my time with everyone and to have been able to help out on set as a key grip. Here’s a random pic I snapped of our prop/set decor of Mary. Looking forward to the watch party on Thursday.

 

Room 131 is officially locked down!

We just wrapped “Room 131” and while this was technically the last production I’ll be working on for a bit, I will certainly miss it and working with genuinely amazing people! See you guys soon!

Poor Herman Wrap up

This is just one of many of the BTS photos from the set of “Poor Herman” that I had the amazing pleasure of working on. Horror, violence, and pure talent.

Challenges

We had our picture wrap for D4K on Tuesday and I let out a breath of relief. This was the most challenging project I’ve ever had to produce and I’m glad to have shared the experience with my crewmates. They are amazing and I cannot thank them enough.

Despite all the obstacles, we finished it and are now entering post-production. Looking at the footage, there’s one thing I can say, and that’s ‘our efforts show’ y’all. Best of luck to our post-production team and hopefully we’ll get to share the final project soon!

Night Shoots

A common factor for the productions this semester has been outdoor shootings, a new facet I had not previously tackled. I really enjoyed tackling this challenge, utilizing wireless lighting setups and monopods to make moving light setups swift and easy. I look forward to future challenges I encounter and learning more techniques to approach them!

Crammed in a Bedroom

We had the first day of shooting a new project I’m producing on Thursday. I was able to get an architecture student to let us use their apartment as a location since we needed a bathroom and bedroom. It was a really nice apartment, but it was somewhat cramped when there was 7 guys in the bedroom with multiple pieces of production equipment.

Back From Quarantine and Hiatus

Hi, everyone. I know it’s been a long time since I’ve posted on here. Honestly, the past month or so has been rough, as for the entirety of this semester, but these past few weeks have been like limbo for me. I don’t know how to describe it exactly. A couple weeks ago, I had to rush to quarantine after a possible COVID exposure at my work, and with that I was possibly putting myself at more risk since I was quarantining with my brother who has also tested positive at the time. With lack of access to my familiar resources, I attempted to stay up to date with my classes and production work, but felt myself starting to fall behind. I’ve found it hard to reach out lately.

Things could feel better.

Since I’ve gotten out of quarantine, I’ve been attempting to catch up, but have also been doing a lot of production work for CoogTV, which feels both rewarding and tiring. I like my job a lot and I love the people I work with–that I get to work with. There’s so much in store for us and I’m excited to have made it happen and make it all happen. Things pile up, though, as things tend to do. I enjoy the work more than anything, right now though. It’s a stressor for me, for sure, but a lot of the time, it gets me through the day.

I’ve felt weaker lately. Not really physically so much as mentally, but somehow I’m still here and still learning, and learning to do the things that I love. I get asked by my peers in my Entertainment branch how I’m able to balance running all three shows and maintain order for my teams, schedule, and make time for them and all the productions (I haven’t missed a single Entertainment production this fall/winter), and I honestly don’t know how to answer that. I think I’m able to because a part of me wouldn’t be able to function well if I didn’t, if that makes any sense. I’m grateful for all the experience and the work. It means a lot to me when my peers and co-workers take the time to thank me for the work I’m doing and the effort I put into them and it all.

There’s this pressure I’ve always felt, though, and sometimes it’s much lighter or heavier, but I want to put out the best possible products as I possibly can, when I can. I hate to be inconsiderate of others’ time or my own. I really do. I also hate making things that don’t feel right to me. So feeling set back so often by the twists of my personal life and health makes it all weigh a little more. When can taking personal time for myself stop feeling like time wasted?  I wish some things would alleviate so I could only focus on my craft and myself, just at least one thing. Whether it’s my financial situation, or my health or insecurities, or something. I just hope to accomplish what I’ve always set out to do.

Don’t mean to be too dramatic about all this, though. It’s just something, realistically, that I deal with from time to time, or maybe at all times like it’s background noise. Nat sound or whatever we call it.

I’m going to get back to planning for my next shoots and thinking deeply about… Something. I hope you all have a wonderful night, truly.

– Erin K. B.

Story Song with Leandro