Sacramento News & Review – How to Lose Your Mind in 10 Days
(08-18-2005)
Written by JONATHAN KIEFER
Candiani, who was serving as his own camera operator, darted and flitted throughout the room with subdued urgency, whisking and planting his tripod, and peering through his viewfinder. He had command, even in those moments when, admittedly, he wasn’t sure what the hell to do. “I think the hardest shot today was the first one,” he said. “I’ve got all these people looking at me, saying, ‘OK. What do we do? Where do you want the lights?’ I’m like, uhhhhh …” He pantomimed a deer-in-headlights face. But then he snapped out of it and got back to work.
By midday, when people came at him with questions, he had quick, firm answers. When they made suggestions, he accepted or rejected them, deciding with prompt, professional confidence. When his extras pointed out small discontinuities between shots, he expressed gratitude and fixed the mistakes.
But as the day wore on, patience wore out. Exhaustion, delays and disappointments—uncooperative equipment and unruly special effects—eroded the appealing atmosphere of joshing camaraderie. People got testy. When, in frustration, Candiani demanded, “I want blood everywhere. I want it to come out of his mouth and everything!” he was perhaps a degree too persuasive. He sighed and made an effort to smile, but his eyes looked too weary. The crew members passed yawns around, implicitly acknowledging their lost momentum. Whether you have 10 days or 10 weeks, the basic nature of moviemaking remains the same; the name of the game is hurry up and wait. Inevitably, it gets tedious.
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