Digital Video - December 2008 - (Page 42)

PRODUCTION DIARY BY STEFAN SARGENT NO INVASION OF NORMANDY TODAY COME BACK NEXT WEEK TO THE HOLE IN THE FENCE drunk. A fight breaks out. We stay overnight at Jerry’s mother’s place. SATURDAY MORNING Jerry takes me to his friend Pat’s beach restaurant. It’s empty. We wait. I have a Sony PD150, a tripod and a Sennheiser rifle mic. Eventually, Pat turns up. He has a pirated Saving Private Ryan production handbook. It’s as big as a phone directory. Details of where and when plus diagrams of how the cast will change into their costumes. It turns out that none of the local villagers is in the movie. In fact, the military cast is the same soldiers who were in Braveheart. We walk to Curracloe Beach. It’s a long beach, now surrounded by a high wire fence, security guards both inside and out. Pat thinks the real action may be on the far end of the beach. He has a brilliant idea: at night, we sneak through a hole in the wire and hide in the dunes. Today there’s nothing happening; just a long, empty beach full of security guards. “No invasion of Normandy this weekend,” says Pat. “Bummer!” replies Jerry. Spielberg’s D-Day invasion for Ryan and the Sock-Loupe that started it all (inset). T his week I ordered a Sock-Loupe from Hood Pro (http://www.hoodpro.com). The copy says a “fully rigid loupe” can be adjusted to have a “minor droop.” I pay by PayPal and within minutes receive an e-mail from the inventor, Mike Stevens. “It was great to see an order from you as I’m an avid reader of your little stories of weird shoots.” Always nice to get feedback, but little stories of weird shoots? My life’s work summed up as little and weird. Great e-mail, Mike. I’ll just go and shoot myself. Want another little, weird story, Mike? SOHO LONDON 1998 I’m onlining a one-hour program about the World Bank and in walks my client, Peter Delfgou, and his distributor, Alan, plus well, let’s call him “Jerry.” They pull up three chairs. Turns out that Spielberg is shooting Saving Private Ryan on Curracloe Beach in Ireland. Jerry’s mother lives in nearby Wexford, and his friend, Pat, knows everyone in the local village. Hey, they’re ALL going to be in the movie. The town is being taken over by Hollywood. The local postman is going to man a German machine gun. The baker will be a U.S. infantry soldier. Alan says he’ll finance it. Peter is keen for me to do it. Jerry says, “You can shoot the invasion of Normandy from the beach. It’s a public beach. You can film anything from public property!” I’m a cynic from way back. Nah, this isn’t going to happen. “Stefan, Jerry knows everyone in the village. Hollywood takes over small Irish village. Spielberg is shooting the invasion this weekend. You’ve got to go.” Only a day later, my good client Murray Withers phones: “Can you do a shoot next week in Ireland of an automated warehouse?” That settles it; I’ll go to Ireland on Friday with Jerry, shoot the invasion of Normandy over the weekend, then drive north to shoot Murray’s warehouse. PLAN B We go back to the local town. My English cell won’t work in Ireland. I find a pay phone. “Peter, it’s a disaster. The townsfolk aren’t involved in the movie and the beach is sealed off, top to bottom.” Just then Jerry appears. “Stefan, win some, lose some, but since you’re here, let’s make a program about music in Irish pubs.” I know when I’m beaten. We spend the night pub crawling. I shoot it all — one mic, no lights, no releases. Everyone is singing and dancing. The Irish know how enjoy themselves. Great fun. Is it saleable footage? Of course not! I MAKE MY ESCAPE Monday. It’s raining. I drive north. Half the road signs are in miles, the other half in kilometers. I shoot the automated warehouse in the pouring rain. For stock, I reuse the Irish pub tapes. Jerry and Pat sneak onto “Omaha” beach and are quietly led away. DV FRIDAY Jerry drives me to Fishguard in Wales. We catch the car ferry to Ireland. It is a very rough crossing. Our fellow travelers are very, very 42 dv december 2008 www.dv.com http://www.hoodpro.com http://www.hoodpro.com http://www.dv.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Digital Video - December 2008

Digital Video - December 2008 Contents DV Expo Gallery First Look: Ultimate 35MM Lens Adapter Vidock GFX Pro Videostudio Pro X2 Instant Expert The Making of Roman Close-up: Dave Ruddick Crypto Camerawork Click To Play DV101 Production Diary

Digital Video - December 2008

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