Now that we are nearing the end of the first week of the shoot, it's time to reflect on some of the differences between shooting at home versus abroad:
1. No shoes in the house (sorry but I still can't get over this).
2. The technical crew (grip, electric, camera) wears t-shirts identifying which department they are in.
3. The craft service table is what it's supposed to be - a place for water, coffee and a few snacks. American crews can certainly learn from from this.
4. On-set visitors to set tend to be amphibians.
5. There are no union rules. No 6 hour meal rule. No turnaround requirements. No meal penalties. Of course, out of respect for the cast and crew (and humanity!) we try to abide by general 12 hour work days, 10 hour turnaround and meals every 6 hours, but in general the timing is much more flexible.
6. Catering serves both Thai and American food, which has been great as the US crew can be adventurous eaters when they feel like it but also have meat and potatoes when they need it.
7. We have one permit. Easy peasy. None of this bureaurocratic bs about city permits, FSO, ITC, neighborhood surveys and crazy permitting fees.
8. I have heard absolutely zero complaining. Granted, at least half the crew doesn't speak English so if there's grumbling I don't hear about it. But even so, everyone works hard and smiles.
9. The process for getting a Thai work permit is very involved. The Thai crew has been wonderful about helping us fill everything out and getting all the required paperwork done. So far only one person has lost their passport (causing quite a ruckus on set trying to find it, only to find that it was in said person's hotel room the whole time).
10. The only true necessity on set is mosquito repellant.
Other than that, shooting films is pretty much the same wherever you go.
Love reading your posts! Thanks for sharing your adventures!
ReplyDeletethis is so great, cole, such an amazing adventure. also? we have very similar feet. as does jonathan and abigail.
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