Haze or Vape?

Bring Me a Skin, Bring me 2, Bring me 3, Fourskin.

The famous set joke, created by the 2nd AC. He found it hilarious. Guaranteed, it was after about 9 hours of work so we were a little out our minds, but sometimes it's hard to figure out if something is actually funny afterwards or if you've lost the love for the joke somewhere in the tiredness... In the haze.

I have never met an actor who hazes as much as one of the leads in this film, and looking over to see our Soundie giggling because the actor left the room and he immediately heard a massive intake of vape was hilarious. Definitely bad for his health, but good for the rest of our laughter.

And laughter was needed on this set, as it was one of the most gruelling ones I have been on. 12 hour days are hard, but as Production Assistant part of my role involved driving 45 minutes to and from set each day to transport the crew back to the AirBnB we were staying at. Combine that with people the cook for people on set, and also subbing in as a camera trainee due to being the Assistant the DP trusted the most as I had AC'd for him before, gosh were the days long.

I grew a new hatred for wafting haze - why does it have to be wafted for so long and then immediately run away and create a need for more? Stay! I hate you! And I cooked for more people than ever before - cooking ego LIFTED.

I also started seeing the need to look after actors, to run in with a warm coat and gloves for them between each take. Sometimes, and hear me out here, actors aren't whinging, they're just in freezing conditions in summer clothes.

Yeah.

That might be my main take-away here. Sometimes, actors simply need to be looked after and that's okay.

And I do say this like I had never realised before, but ensuring that someone is looked after when you’re their director or their AD is different to when you’re just a lowly crew member. Then, it is on my mind. Here, it’s not technically part of my job - except it should always be your job to make sure people are content. Even when your ADHD says out of sight, out of mind.