Workin' the line

Greeting from the fortress of solitude!

I apologize for leaving D to handle all the article duties around here, especially with a new one at home and working a TV series - hats off to you sir!

I have been in a TV rut - I'm not complaining about work - I've just done four cycles of TV series back to back. I'm currently enjoying my first real time off in some time before I start back on another cycle of TV.

The shows I've been working on lately have been mind numbing. Nothing new or exciting to get you up in the morning. Standard Mon - Sat am (Fraturday). STVC (Standard TV Coverage - Master wide shot, med two shots and close ups - Two cameras running all the time). The last show had a huge cast, so to "save time" most blocking would have them lined up at a table (what I called the "South Park blocking") and have cast come and go. Talk about a slow burn. Especially if you're stuck in studio for what feels like weeks on end. Then, when the unit does go out on the road, it's trying to get 12 locations in a day and ten pages of dialogue. What are they thinking?

Scripts are boring (who watches this stuff?), directors are boring (who hires these guys?), and productions don't want to spend money. Every once in a blue moon a crane comes out for an establishing shot. No one wants to use it - as it's perceived to "take up too much production time". Don't get me started on the money waster of hiring a SteadiCam Operator & rig and not use it (SteadiScam as I've taken to calling it).

On the last show, the floors in our stage were actually usable. I think we pulled dance floor out once(?) during the entire show.

It just happens to be our market here. Feature films are poking their heads out of the gopher holes, but with the world economy, one doesn't expect the return of the feature film as a staple of the locale industry. I'm thrilled to be working as much as I have over the last two years, but it's really starting to feel like a assembly line job.

What do you do to help combat the monotony? Other than flipping for paycheques. As our boys in the photos up top - one can go a little looney.