Category: Life

These shoots were smaller in scale. The October 4th shoot focused around the two main characters while the October 5th shoot was all about an extra.

There was to be a shoot tomorrow, and that would have concluded the “major filming operations.” However, The Weather Network has forecasted constant rain for tomorrow – and as such I’ve canceled the shoots.

This complicates matters a bit. The set I’m using is closing up shop after this weekend. Everything is gonna go – the boats, the booths, etc. This means that I’ll have to store a few of the massive props myself, and then bring them back to the company’s official storage place in a town about 45 minutes away. Eh well.

Sunday – Work 10-6. Takes me an hour to get to work.
Monday – School (10-11), then work (1-6)
Tuesday – Work 9-9.
Wednesday – Work 9-9.
Thursday – DOCKS shoot in the morning, School in afternoon.
Friday – Work 10-6.
Saturday – DOCKS shoot. Then I do hours of volunteer work for the Shared World Initiative. Then I try to do homework/socializing/other things.
Sunday – Work.

(cycle repeats)

That’s how it’s been for me for the last three weeks. I haven’t had so much as more than 3 hours break. And in that time, I had a pretty massive lab assigned to me. In my attempts to complete it, I pulled a few semi all-nighters. It didn’t work.

So now I’m about to lose %10 of my final mark in one class. Eh well, that’s the lesson I learned from this. As for what that lesson might be, I’m not too sure really. Though it’s my fault, the situation couldn’t be avoided – this is the only time I can shoot DOCKS, or that I could work at this job. As for my workplace, I did not have the option to reduce my work hours once I realized the kind of loads I was to face. But hey, whatchagonnado.

On a positive note, the main shooting for DOCKS is coming to an end, as is my job. On this Tuesday, my job as captain will be over for the season. I’ll look for something else, but in the mean time I’m going to take a 2 week break to concentrate on my studies. I especially need that time to focus on my undergrad research project.

Funny thing that happened: So for a scene today, the crew smoked weed. Now since I’ve taken on the role of one of the actors (see last blog entry), that meant that I needed to smoke weed too.

Well, it really worked well. And it’s all caught on tape. In any case, let’s just say that there’ll be lots of blooper footage for this film.

The shoots are coming to a close. There’s one next Thursday, one next Saturday, and that should be it. There might be the need for another one on top of that followed by the one-on one interviews that I’ll do with everyone after. This is getting done!

Well, this morning was another shoot. It was a small team this time round – only me, the lead, and two supporting actors. Unfortunately, one of the two supporting actors copped out. This is the second time (in three shoots) that this particular guy has done this to me.

Last Saturday, as I found out later, it was because he decided to go canoeing instead. It’s not because he had forgotten about it either – a day or so before the shoot he informed me that “something had come up”, and that he wouldn’t be able to come. As for today, it was because he chose to attend a protest. He didn’t even bother to let me know. It was only after I called him this morning that he finally got back to me.

This scene really focused on him, the lead, and the co-actor. His absenteeism screwed me over, and I didn’t really appreciate it. I spent $1,500 of my money to make this movie a reality. Not only that, but I have a very tight schedule – the boat company I use as a set is closing up shop for the season next week. Had he even bothered to let me know a day in advance, I wouldn’t be writing this here. People tell me dates they can’t make it for all the time, and I work around it.

But I can’t work around the issue if he only lets me know half an hour before the shoot. Furthermore, I’m already going out of my way for this guy doing a series of videos as part of a project he’s part of. In fact, I stayed up until 4AM finishing one up for him last Monday/Tuesday night.

It’s clear he has different priorities, and that I’m not in there. He claims it was a rather novel protest, and that his attendance helped. So be it. It still means that I am, on his priority list, somewhere between “worthless” and “oh hey, I have a few seconds free.” It has me questioning how much I’ve been putting myself out to help him. I work seven days in a row; he doesn’t. He doesn’t even have a job.

It’s frustrating. He even had the audacity to try to switch the blame to me. There’s truth to his argument – I could manage without him last Saturday, and I did say that I could manage if he couldn’t make it today. But that’s before he said he would show up today, and before the whole “not letting me know until the shoot itself” ordeal. In any case, he is no longer part of this movie. I used myself as a substitute for his character today, and I’ll have to come up with some kind of reasoning with regards to the switch of character. I’ll also have to find someone else now to play the part of the character I was going to do.

He’s since apologized. I don’t believe it to be sincere. Had he actually cared, I wouldn’t of found out he wasn’t coming half-an-hour before the shoot began. It would of been before, or he would of chose to attend the shoot. The only reason I think he even apologized to that extent was because I let him know under no uncertain terms that I was rather upset at his dishonest behaviour.

I think he’s scared that he might lose me as a video editor, which would screw him over royally. I won’t screw him like that, but he better be more considerate in the future – or I /will/ drop out. I haven’t had much sleep over the last few weeks, and working on his thing will insure I don’t get any for a while to come. This means that I’m more confrontational than my typical pacifist self, and that I will bite back if necessary.

I work in the service industry. In other words: I deal with the general public. I’m not in an office where it’s the same people everyday, presumably with some level of common sense. No, I get to deal with all types.

I’ve been in the service industry ever since my first “real” job at the age of 15. Whether it’s being a ticketseller, being a computer sales associate, or being a tour guide – and over that time, I’ve dealt with some pretty nasty folk.

For instance, one guy a few weeks ago railed on my boss on my boss’ apparent inadequate French skills. He then came to me, to rail about something else. Getting weary of putting up with his crap, I gave him a choice – get on our boat, or get a refund. He wasn’t pleased. Lo and behold, a few days later he sent that same boss (he was unaware of my boss’ status) a nasty letter about me. Essentially, making up shit that I didn’t do as to get me fired. It failed.

Today, my roomate got spit on by a customer. He works in the deli department of a big chain grocery store. The man didn’t believe the price of the meat he was buying. So he spit on my friend. My friend calmly walked away.

Had it been me, I would of been over the counter in a heartbeat. Had it been another captain I work with, the guy would of been on the ground with a black eye. That’s the one downside of the service industry. You deal with a bunch of good, honest, people… but then you have to deal with all the fucktards too.