Production begins

I worked for 15 hours yesterday as a grip on Jack of Clubs. Some of the time was spent in training where I learned how to roll cable, set up lights, and identify a bunch of clamps and things. Production crews have their own names for everything -- a light bulb is a globe, an extension cord is a stinger, a clothespin is a C47, etc. It's like learning a new language.

We had a meeting over lunch to discuss some the ground rules and administrative issues. I ended up sitting next to our lead actor, who will be appearing later this year with a small speaking role in Rocky VI. Yeah, there's my big celeb story. Anyway, it gives you an idea of what league of independent film we are in. One movie's background actor is another movie's lead. That being said, I was impressed with the acting ability I saw during the courthouse shoot last night.

The results on the technical side were equally impressive. The crew is a tight-knit group that seems to work very well together. They certainly work hard, as did I last night. They have a ton of equipment, enough to fill multiple vans, and it needs to be moved around A LOT. This job is not paying me, but with all this exercise it will be like receiving a free gym membership.

Tonight we're meeting at a private home for another shoot. I believe I will be mainly working as a script supervisor / continuity checker this time, but I'm sure there will be some grip duties as well. That's okay -- I need to get my workout in.