This week, I started preparing for my role as a boom op by setting up a meeting with the sound crew on the film that I will be working on, and watching the films recommended by the director and producer to gain a better understanding of what sort of sound atmosphere the director would want for this film. Additionally, I also started watching some youtube videos on what recording good sound is like, and how to hear the difference between good and bad sound levels to start preparing for what I will be doing on set. Next week I am going to try and talk in person with the rest of the sound crew and check out a boom pole so I can practice with recording sound in a low-pressure environment to ensure that I will be able to perform to the best of my ability on set.

This week I was unable to attend the talk, but was able to rewatch the lecture on learn and catch up on everything that Louis Paxton had to say.

1. It is a good idea to start rolling before calling action for a bit of time to get the actors feeling natural before the take, and sometimes it can be better than the actual performance. This is especially true with children.
2. To start working in film it is a good idea to watch as much media as possible to really involve yourself in film and learn about all of the different story structures and how different tv shows and films create story arcs.
3. It is not always necessary to follow a script to a T. Oftentimes when the dialogue is not extremely specific it is much more natural when actors create their own way of speaking that they think really reflects their character.
4. It is unlikely that you will get to direct a script that you wrote.
5. Sometimes a simple shot does more for the story than a really overcomplicated one.

Week 2 – Blog Post / Dahlia Hellerstein / Film and TV 1C: Introduction to a Film Set (2023-2024)[SEM2] by is licensed under a