Leah Flagg
Creating order out of chaos on a set near you.

Set Life

The GREAT PAUSE

Just as we began to approach our inaugural production season for WHITE RAVEN PICTURES, the film industry came to a grinding halt. Our production calendar is shifting in blocks of several weeks at a time, as we hit the pause button.

With our first short film “I’m Sorry I Love You” in pre-production, we are awaiting the day when the social distancing measures required to control the spread of COVID-19 are lifted so that we may proceed. 

To quote Dave Perkal, a Santa Monica-based director of photography, in an article for the LA TIMES by Stacey Perman:

“this is an invisible virus, what do you do? I’m not sure what that is. But I will not put my workers in jeopardy.”

As an indie producer and a coordinator in mainstream film/tv I’m anticipating significant, important changes to how we do things on set and in the office.

– I already have a strict 10-hour shoot day on my indie sets because I insist on adequate work/life balance and rest to support my cast and crew’s mental and physical wellbeing.
– I’m looking at better solutions for craft services and catering meals on set now and building that into my budgets.
– I utilize many digital solutions to traditional paperwork: scriptwriting, shot listing apps, scenechronize, digital start packs….

Brainstorming with others in the film community, I know we will address many other ways this pandemic will give us an opportunity to improve the working conditions and health and safety standards in our industry. 

I’m looking forward to problem solving and building solutions into the budget that put our my teams’ health and well-being first.

Creative Space Production Management

I have watched other production managers who approached this role as strictly a ‘bean counter’ and hard line disciplinarian of cast and crew. I have studied management styles in various industries for years and been in that leadership role periodically.

Currently, I am at work as a production manager for a feature film (All-In Madonna). I went into this job with some preconceived notions about the role. And, as always, the reality has taught me a few lessons!

Throughout my experiences on both sides of the management department, I have developed my own sense of team management.

As a production manager, I would say my focus is on building up my team in a way that facilitates an attitude of holding space for creativity. While there is always the consideration of cost and budgeting – both time and money – my management decisions are based on answering one key question: does this help to create and hold space for the team to focus on their craft and do their best work?

During a film production, we become much like a family, and I find this approach gives us each the space to be our most authentic selves as creative people; developing and learning skills together.

The YAH WAVE production family, 2019.

The YAH WAVE production family photo.

Greening The BC Film Industry

With the filmmaking industry growing the way it is in BC, production companies are meeting the challenge of working in more environmentally sustainable ways.

The issues surrounding the greening of filmmaking, both on-screen and off, comes into focus at this year’s Vancouver International Film Festival, during a two-day forum.

B.C. is one of the top three international full-service production centres in North America with more than 65 film studios, the industry contributed $3.4 billion to the province’s economy in 2017-18.

With so many things in production year round, there are many opportunities to develop enviornmentally sound filmmaking practices. Some of the strategies we’re consistently seeing include switching to electricity from diesel generators, using hybrid cars, implementing a print-on-demand system and reducing the consumption of beef on set.

As a script supervisor, I am seeing the swtich from paper to digital tools such as laptops and ipads with software like ScriptE and Scriptation to perform our roles on set, and personal use items like reusable water bottles and coffee mugs are becoming the norm rather than disposable water bottles and paper cups.

A number of movies and television shows have started keeping track of sustainable practices. As an example: 21st Century Fox says on its website that its “X-Files” season 10 production managed to divert 81 percent of its total waste from landfills and by recycling all of the aluminum and steel used in construction. “X-Files” Season 10 was filmed in 40 locations across B.C., each requiring elaborate set construction, lengthy transportation demands and intensive fuel use. Greening this production even saved the company $41,000, the website says!

Making movies is about creating new worlds and the sets made for those worlds require wood, much of which is lauan wood and comes from Southeast Asia – from rainforests. If the wood is Forest Stewardship Council certified then it is a better option. Anything with an ecolabel is more responsibly managed.

Much of the sustainable lifestyle choices we make on set are frequently seen on screen too, with heroes driving electric or hybrid cars, characters using reusable water bottles, and recycling household garbage. Film and TV is a great influencer over cultures, so seeing these things play out on screen helps to foster their use in our everyday lives.

Next time you’re on set, take note of the things we are doing to practice environmentally responsible, sustainable filmmaking in BC!

Why you need a Script Supervisor!

Why do you need a script supervisor for your production?

From script breakdowns and pre-production meetings to the last day of shooting, a script supervisor is the extra eyes and ears of the director and the safety net for continuity.

We know the script inside out and backward because we have broken it down scene by scene, line by line, to make sure we know where all the moving parts of a storyline fit together.

    1. We help the director to make certain no coverage is missed during shooting and our notes inform the editor of how the director wants the story to come together.
    2. We are the official timekeepers on set, recording the times of first and last shot of the day so the crew can be paid.
    3. We determine the slate numbers of each scene, setup, and take.
    4. We track scenes, shots, and takes, with notes about what is good and bad about each take.
    5. We are intensely focused, attentive to the details so that we can draw the director’s attention to a potential problem.
    6. We monitor the integrity of axis and eyelines.
    7. We track the daily progress of the production to keep it on time and on budget.
    8. We track every detail of the shoot as it unfolds on film so that the director and editor can find exactly what they need when they need it during the editing process.

Your Script Supervisor has the answers!

The script supervision role is technical rather than creative; our skills ensure the magic of storytelling happens with the best possible efficiency and integrity.

We are the secret Ninjas of film production!