I am the Entertainment Tycoon

Chapter 197 Technical Crew

The cloudy night arrived, and the city lights of Elffire City illuminated the darkness.

Vehicles drove through the crowded streets of Bluecorn State's Capital.

Sunday night was the perfect time to go out before the start of work on Monday.

Citizens could be seen heading to their favorite places to enjoy the wind night.

On one of the avenues in the city, a truck could be seen driving at the speed limit.

This truck had 13 passengers and 1 driver.

But each one of them had gleaming eyes as the truck took them to their destination.

White Willow Plaza!

Arthur and the crew finally were heading to the location of the first scene they would film.

Everyone was feeling a multitude of emotions.

They were nervous about the shoot.

They were anxious to start shooting as soon as possible.

They were worried about possible problems that may occur and if they would be able to perform well.

They were excited about filming the first scene.

And many other emotions.

The only exception was Ayia and Shizuka.

Ayia was just curious and excited about the filming process.

And Shizuka was only curious.

Everyone had focused faces as they drove to the White Willow Plaza.

"Nervous?" Ayia asked as she looked at the two young actors.

But at that moment, they did not seem young anymore.

Kate worked on her magical makeup skills.

And the result was that Helena and Ishii looked at least 8 years older.

Ayia was amazed by Kate's skills, she had never seen something like it before.

The purple-haired girl had to admit that Kate was super talented at her job.

"A little." Ishii replied honestly with a shy and nervous smile.

It could not be helped.

For him, this would be the first time he would act ever!

After all, even though he acted in several rehearsals on the plays he worked on in the past, he had never performed for real.

With crowd fear, when he got on the stage he would freeze.

When he acted later in front of the cameras, it would be the first time he would perform for real.

Therefore, it was normal for him to be nervous.

But even though he was a little nervous, his eyes were full of fighting spirit.

He wanted to make his grandma proud of his work!

"I am a little bit." Helena also replied with a focused face.

Even though she seemed focused, only she knew how nervous she was inside.

Even though she performed as a supporting actress in some plays, her lines were so short that she couldn't even enjoy the thrill of acting.

With the pursuit and discrimination she suffered from the association director, Helena never was able to enjoy what she loved the most.

But now she was going to be the main female lead!

If she did not perform well, how could she convince her parents?

This thought constantly appeared inside her head, but she fought against this insecure feeling.

She wanted to show the people who did not believe in her, how stupid their decision was!

And that's why her eyes were boiling with fighting spirit.

Ayia smiled as she heard their replies.

Even though they said they were nervous, Ayia could feel their determination to give their all.

10 minutes later, Bobby parked the truck on one of the adjacent streets to the White Willow Plaza.

"Now, everyone knows the drill! Let's go!" Arthur shouted as he saw that they arrived.

Everyone stood up from their seats and quickly started doing their work.

The technical crew started moving the equipment out of the truck.

Bobby was responsible for the lighting equipment.

As it was a night scene, his job was challenging.

After all, the nighttime exterior shot is one of the greatest challenges for filmmakers on a budget.

Every one can imagine why is that.

Nighttime exteriors typically require a ton of powerful lights (and generators) to illuminate the scene, which naturally poses a problem if the budget is limited. This is especially the case for wide shots where there is such an expansive area that needs to be lit. It doesn't matter how fast the lenses are or how sensitive the low-light camera may be, there is no substitute for great lighting techniques when trying to capture a cinematic look.

So, that's why Bobby's role in this scene was essential.

But Bobby was lucky because in the afternoon Elffire City experienced a moderate rain falling.

But why the rain would make his job easier?

It is because one of the best and most effective tricks of the trade in this type of situation is very simple: water.

For years filmmakers have been using water on streets, sidewalks, asphalt, etc. to create a more reflective surface.

By evenly spraying the concrete surfaces in the shot, the production can brighten up the scene drastically.

Some might be wondering if this technique will make it seem as if it's raining in the scene, however, if done right, this will never be an issue.

In fact, some of the biggest feature films use this very same method on set to do exactly what was described above – Not because their budgets can't accommodate proper lighting, but more so because they prefer the aesthetic of the shiny street at night.

Obviously, Bobby and the production crew would not be able to throw water throughout the entire White Willow Plaza.

So, when Bobby saw the rain falling in the afternoon, he beamed with joy.

With the wet ground, his job would be much easier!

He had just to set the light to be reflected in the wet ground and the scene on the cameras would be perfectly visible.

Another member of the technical crew that was unloading equipment was Kaitlyn.

As the only electrician on the crew, Kaitlyn's job was essential.

The Electric Department is the backbone of any production. Let's look at the roles, tools, and responsibilities behind safely powering a set.

The Electric Department is one of the most important in any production.

So, it is safe to say that without Kaitlyn's work, the crew would not be able to shoot any scenes of the script.

The primary job of all members within the Electric Department is to provide power to everything on set. This means everything from the craft service's microwave, talent trailers, and video village, to each of the lights illuminating the set.

As a result, the Electric Department forms the backbone of any production.

Kaitlyn had to be sure that all pieces of equipment were working and that it was safe for everyone.

After all, electricity was dangerous.

Members of the Electric Department work with electricity — obviously. All members must have a solid understanding of electrical safety, as they operate tools and machinery carrying dangerous amounts of electricity.

So, Kaitlyn had to have these notions.

The other two members of the technical crew were Buddy and Nomura.

Buddy was the camera operator, and he had to be sure that the cameras and tripods were working perfectly.

But Nomura was the director of photography, his job was to coordinate the lighting and camera to attend to what Arthur, the director, and himself devised in the shooting plan.

Nomura and Arthur spend the whole afternoon planning the shooting of the scenes.

The director of photography works closely with the director, the production designer, and the rest of the art department leaders to brainstorm the look and feel of the film. During this phase, the cinematographer raises questions like: What is the tone of the film? What is the color palette? What other films inspire the look of this film? What visual effects do we need? Directors and cinematographers often communicate with each during this phase using mood boards or lookbooks.

But on set, the director of photography is responsible for monitoring the settings.

The DP controls everything that affects what the camera can capture (i.e. composition, exposure, lighting, filters, and camera movements). The director of photography is the head of the camera and lighting crews on set and also selects the cameras, lenses, and filters to be used on a shoot.

That's why Nomura was overseeing the pieces of equipment as they unloaded them to go to where the scene would take place.

While the technical crew was working on their assignments, the rest did not dwindle.

Everyone was focused.

Would the first scene of the production be a success?