No, not Alcoholics Anonymous. I’m talking about a good attitude and the ability to anticipate.
Attitude
Things can get hectic and stressful when there’s a lot of shots to get done in one day. An enthusiastic, can-do attitude will go a long way when you’re on set. Being optimistic and resourceful when there’s a lot of activity will help keep things moving forward. This is so important, I cannot stress it enough. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed with everything that needs to get done in a short amount of time, especially on a large production, so much so that people will inevitably start getting grumpy and uptight under the stress. It’s the job of the assistant to make the photographer look good to the client, and this can hardly be accomplished if the assistant is all bent about something going wrong, or maybe someone snapped at him in the heat of the moment. You need to get over it, smile, and keep going. Nothing, should ever phase you.
Anticipate
After you’ve worked with a photographer a few hours, you should be able to start anticipating his needs. You can start with the small stuff, like getting a meter reading, before he asks for it. Let him know that he’s close to filling the CF card. Setting a flag for any lens flare. Even having a water ready for him when you’re working out in the sun. After a while, you’ll understand his lighting better and you can anticipate tweaks to the lighting design. Or, you’ll know when to mention something that doesn’t look right on set that he may have overlooked. These are things that will make you indispensable during a busy shoot.
Let me know what tricks you use to stay upbeat during a long day on set. And, what are some other ways to anticipate the photographer’s needs?
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