Ever wanted to rage on set?

[Daniel Rutter]

Hey guys;

Haven't posted in a while, figured I'd come back with a quick question for those of you who have spent a fair bit of time on actual sets, with actors and crew that are frustrating the hell out of you.



This is what sparked my question. It's an old clip of course, but it still sparks a valid question.

Have you ever felt the urge to rage at an actor/crew member?
Have you ever raged at an actor/crew member?

(Please do not post about the clip... it's already been done to death on Youtube and various blogs!).

[Erik Bien]

(Please do not post about the clip... it's already been done to death on Youtube and various blogs!).

Actually, it was discussed to death here too.

[azmyth]

I almost did. When someone brought over 30 something extras, to a location I was in charge of while the owners were on vacation who came in and trashed the place. I only needed like 6 extras.. and she decided she'd invite all her friends..

On a move of this scale, where everyone is volunteering there time.. its hard to be a prick, but I wanted to scream when we spent the next 4 hrs after a 12 hr shoot trying to clean up and the owners STILL noticing. They trusted us too, and thats what ticked me off the most.. People have no respect these days.

[HD-tography]

Why settle for just audio, when you can see the whole episode unfold on video?

[Shaunp007]

I've been working on a long term video project since about April. One Friday night I was going to have 3 actors show up. 2 of the actors are very hard to get ahold of (its like herding cats) and it turned out they were free at the same time, so bingo lets film. My other actor shows up about anytime I ask and never has anything to do, my old stand by. We were all supposed to begin filming around 8:30 pm when it got dark. The two actors who are impossible to herd together showed up on time, I had been set up for a few hours ahead of time. All we were missing was my old stand by actor who is never late. I called and called and could not get ahold of him. Around 10:30 pm he calls and said he was running late... he said he would be there at 11pm. Normally I am very very calm natured but I was sorta mad at this point. I never really lost my cool, but I'm sure he knew I was upset. In hindsight I don't really get mad at things on set because the people that show up are trying to support my vision, on their own time, for free. I try to look at it that way.

A couple things I have learned from filming that work for me.
1. Don't hurry a movie shoot, slow down and think about things or you will forget something that you will have to worry about later. The beauty about filming is you can shoot scenes over and over until YOU like it.
2. I can't film angry...the actors will feel it, the mood goes south, things turn to garbage.

[Daniel Rutter]

Whie nobody I've worked with has Christian Bales fame (definitely have MORE of his talent though), I've been a DOP on one film that had the director making me wanna rage.

A 3 day shoot, long days and short nights (almost bugger all sleep). The director insists on pretty much throwing away the shotlist we'd worked on and go nuts. At that point, I wasn't raging.... this is how I prefer to film my own projects: on the fly with little planning. But as a DOP working for someone, you quickly realise you need to know what you're shooting and how the director wants it shot.
Over the course of the weekend, he frustrates me with his direction... even going so far as to call cut on one scene, then reshooting (just calling "reshoot, action") without telling actors what they did wrong to screw up the last take. By day three (the last day) I was agnry, tired and a lit fuse. We were shooting on a beach, which I should have been happy about (I don't live anywhere near beaches, and in my 21 years of existance, I've only been to the beach twice). The director explains to me he wants such and such a shot, follow this actor up these stairs etc. I bring out the steadicam, and he calls action. I start walking behind the actor as he goes up the stairs... "CUT!!!". 'I said follow!'... Well, wouldn't you know it... he didn't want me to follow-walk with the actor up the stairs, he wanted me to stay at the bottom and film the actor going up the stairs.

I never did lose my cool filming that short, but I lost my cool when we were discussing the next one and he decided we could do shot lists, rehersals and start filming all on the same day (and I had to travel 6 hours to his place). That one was a whole kettle of fish I'd brought to this forum previously.

Anyway, you guys more than likely have better stories than I do. Lets hear 'em

[cammy]

Why settle for just audio, when you can see the whole episode unfold on video?

EPIC! And I don't mean RED EPIC!

[movielighter]

1st of all, I think you have to be in the money line to rage. Producers do it best, but it is not their rage that makes it entertaining, it is all the flunkies trying to make what ever they are raging about "right" again (start a car, fix a leak, move lights, sweep, move furniture, good stuff!). Directors rage is more technical, usually after getting a call from a producer. I watched one director rip everyone on the set a new one that was within 20ft of him over something he did himself while giving instruction to an actor. Right in the middle of his rage party, a young actor and his family came on set, he turned into a boy scout. Kind of an Eddie Haskell from Leave it to Beaver. Being real nice to the parents and speaking softly to the young actor. I did find out very fast that money is the root of all the rage for sure.