Have you ever visited the set of a TV show or stumbled upon a movie being filmed on a city street? Maybe you’ve been part of a stage play or musical production. Or maybe you’re hoping to “break in” to the film & television industry and are dying to work on a movie set. But do you truly know what “lights, camera, action” means? I thought I did. But as I learned while serving as a crew member on a locally produced TV pilot, I really didn’t.
As I mentioned in Part 1 of this blog, God has brought me a new friend and mentor in Jeanie Nuanes King. Jeanie is a writer/producer/director who has a number of credits to her name. (Tim reviewed one of her films, The Healing Garden, in a blog post on June 17th.) A few months ago, Jeanie invited Tim and me to work as Production Assistants on the set of her new TV series, 3 Tablespoons of Faith.
As a Theatre Arts major in college, I was involved in several stage productions. And not surprisingly, there are similarities between producing a stage play and producing a film or television project. But a TV project, especially one with a modest budget, has A LOT more “CRAZY” going on behind the scenes! I mean that in the best possible sense… crazy collaborative, crazy productive, crazy fun.
First, in any production, there’s the prep work leading up to the “shoot.” Sets have to be built, actors cast, crew hired, a schedule developed that works for all participants, a shot-list designed by the Director of Photography, costumes put together (some times from people’s own individual wardrobes), and a lighting plan created. Then there are the pre-production table reads, rehearsals, and other meetings with the various members of cast & crew. Oh… and don’t forget that the crew needs to eat at some point during a long day of filming, so food preparation or catering are necessary on any movie set.
On 3 Tablespoons of Faith, Jeanie assigned me the job of Catering Assistant. No problem! As a mother of five and former waitress, I'd done this a thousand times. Easy-peasy— and totally in my wheelhouse. I was happy to take this on and felt very comfortable. Little did I know that this would not be my only job during the 2-day shoot. Jeanie had other plans. And, as I quickly learned, NO ONE has just one job on a small budget production.
In addition to handling food & snacks, I would end up acting as the script supervisor (in case lines are forgotten), running the clapper (the fun, snappy board that identifies the Scene and Take numbers before each shot after the Director says “Action”), contributing to hair and make-up, finding props to fill in on the set… which on 3 Tablespoons involved the preparation and display of gourmet food dishes… and acting as member of the fictional cooking show crew during background shots, which included a fun little dance sequence at the end of the Pilot episode.
I basically jumped in and helped out wherever I could and... you know what? It was really fun! I learned a ton and met some really wonderful people in the Colorado Christian film-making community.
The Call Sheet for 3 Tablespoons of Faith listed 19 scenes (give or take) that needed to be shot each day on the 2-day shoot. 19 scenes may not sound like a lot but consider that each scene requires lighting & camera set-ups, multiple run-throughs (rehearsals) to check sound and the actors' repartee, and each scene often requires multiple takes with multiple camera angles. So we had our work cut out for us over those two days!
Jeanie expertly maximized her crew’s time by having multiple cameras rolling during each take. She encouraged only 1-2 takes per scene but would shoot more if needed. She stayed flexible but focused. She had a Digital Imaging Technician (DIT) copying and organizing the digital video files during the shoot to save time. (This is a thankless but necessary behind-the-scenes job that I didn’t realize even existed.) I was so impressed with how much we were able to accomplish in 2 days due to Jeanie's astute and efficient leadership.
One thing that has been eye-opening on both the set of 3 Tablespoons of Faith and our own projects is the importance of sound. Or rather, how challenging it can be to record good quality sound during a shoot. (Everyone notices "bad" sound but no one notices "good" sound.) During the 3 Tablespoons shoot, we battled the background noise of a jet flying over the building, the air conditioner kicking on in the middle of a scene, and even a chirping cricket hiding somewhere in the vicinity-- all of which interrupted the continuity of the scene. But Mike Flack (Lead Sound Engineer) and Zach Miller (Asst. Sound & Camera) persevered and we shot as many takes as needed to get a high quality sound recording. (Though we never did find that pesky cricket!)
The Camera crew of over-achievers on 3 Tablespoons included Benjamin Hunter (Director of Photography), Jacob Swain (Camera Operator & Production Coordinator), and Hannah Schmidt (1st Assistant Camera & Continuity Queen). Very often, another member of the crew would jump in to be a spare set of hands holding a camera or light, adjusting a backpack, or creatively running cords & batteries around the set.
3 Tablespoons of Faith is a comedy TV show that takes place on the set of a fictional cooking show in which famous actresses— who happen to be Divas— discuss faith and food while preparing their favorite gourmet dishes. Quite a concept!
(Carla McBride and Amrit Bachman as the Diva Chefs.)
Prepping for the cooking show scene added quite a wrinkle to our prop list because someone had to actually prepare the food that would be used in our Divas' gourmet dishes. On 3 Tablespoons of Faith, this person was Starla Montoya. It took an amazing amount of time & effort on Starla’s part. Like a real-life cooking show, the scene required each Diva to have her dish prepped with both ingredients to cook with and a final dish to sample.
Starla planned well in advance by looking at images of the dishes the Divas were to “prepare.” After pouring over options & selecting two appropriate “Southern” and “Asian” dishes, she shopped for utensils, dishes and a wide range of ingredients. Starla creatively prepared a beautiful presentation for what amounted to about 3 seconds of airtime (if that). This is a sad truth about filmmaking: 3 seconds of airtime often equates to 30 hours of prep work! (That’ll make you think twice about wanting to make movies.) It gave me new insight into just how long the behind-the-scenes preparations must take on a real cooking show— and how fortunate the star chefs are to have someone to prep it all ahead of time.
Many years ago, I visited the set of a nationally sindicated sitcom which will remain nameless. This was a well-known TV series that ran for ten years and launched the careers of several actors. The vibe on that set was highly professional but more than a little bossy and somewhat off-putting. There were some self-serving attitudes and big egos present. I even witnessed the verbal dressing-down of a crew member. That TV set didn’t seem like a very “fun” place to work.
Working on a set with a cast & crew of believers is a much more uplifting experience. We began each day on the 3 Tablespoons of Faith shoot with a morning devotional. Mike Flack and Joseph Cedillo shared God’s Word and a message of encouragement. And prayers were lifted up throughout each day at any time they were needed. Faith in God’s plan was the theme on the set of 3 Tablespoons of Faith. I was so impressed by the consistent response of corporate prayer to the challenges and setbacks which occured. At one point in Day #2, I stepped back to just observe the hustle & bustle on set. God’s provision was everywhere. Kindness, collaboration and encouragement were consistently evident. Despite some high-stress moments, no one raised their voice or treated anyone in any way remotely resembling what I’d witnessed on that Hollywood TV set so many years ago.
On small budget projects like 3 Tablespoons of Faith, it’s quite common for people to wear multiple hats. But no one wears more hats than the Producer. My respect for Jeanie Nuanes King and all that she's able to accomplish on such a modest budget is off-the-charts! I learned so much about producing while working on her TV pilot. While I don’t think it’s in my wheelhouse yet, I'm hoping to someday be ready to take on the challenge of producing low-budget films for our non-profit film ministry. But I would never try to make a film without a set-shepherd and prayer warriors carrying me through the daily demands of a production shoot. And I would never want to make a movie without a crew of believers and the help of the Lord. This was my biggest learning. Thanks to Jeanie and the 3 Tablespoons family for allowing us to participate!
(Cassia Hendrickson and Tommy Kubena handling DIT.)
Several weeks after the shoot we were invited to attend a reception for the cast & crew at CTN Studios where the pilot was shot. This was the first opportunity for all who worked on the project to see the end result: the Pilot episode for 3 Tablespoons of Faith. Since that screening, more edits have been incorporated and the Pilot is now being shopped and screened at various festivals in hopes of getting “picked up” (aka: funded) for additional episodes.
(The Cast & Crew of "3 Tablespoons of Faith".)
(Yours truly with the fantastic Miss Starla.)
Please pray for this sweet show. It’s about the trials & tribulations faced by a young producer, Lauren (played by Stephanie Toepel), as she works through all the challenges that come with producing a faith-based cooking show involving high-maintenance Divas.
It is affirming, funny and delightful. And it's a portrait of someone who continually asks God for help in all circumstances. I guarantee it will bring a smile to your face!
"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17
What deep insight into filmmaking! It really is a lot more effort than most of us realize. ~ All for His glory!