Students On Feature Film Crew
First year graduate film students worked on a full-scale feature film production with Tisch School of the Arts Asia faculty and local film industry professionals on 27 February 2009. The exercise, created by Malcolm Young, producing instructor, was designed to show students how a professional film crew operates.
Faculty in Action
For students, it was exciting to observe faculty members play their professional part, especially given their knowledge of the substantial bios of their faculty. Each student was given time and instruction with the sound, AD, camera, directing, grip, gaffer and continuity (script supervisor) departments.
A Complete Experience
Both an exterior location and an interior scene from Midnight Express were used to give students a comprehensive experience. Kyle Haskett played Billy Hayes (Graduate Film, Class of 2011), Ajay Zadho played the Taxi Drive, and Peer Matze played Ziat. Students can now apply their experience when they shoot their ten-minute adaptation project.
Roles on a Professional Film Production:
Film Producer: Creates the conditions for making movies. Producers initiate, co-ordinate, supervise and control matters like fund-raising, hiring key personnel and arranging for distribution.
Film Director: Directs the making of a film. A Film Director visualizes the script, controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and guides the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of his or her vision.
1st Assistant Director (1st AD): Directly responsible to the producer and "runs" the floor or the film set. The 1st AD has overall AD responsibilities and supervises the 2nd AD.
Director of Photography: The chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image.
Script Supervisor: Responsible for maintaining the film's continuity and for producing a daily editor's log.
Location Sound Mixer: Responsible for recording all sound and sound effects on set during the photography of a motion picture.
Key Grip: Directs a crew of grips, some with specialized skills such as dolly grips, crane operators, camera car operators, etc. The chief rigging technician on the film set.
Gaffer: Works directly under the Director of Photography to make decisions on the creative lighting on the set (or on location), and is responsible for executing those decisions.
