west wing - steadicam?

Charles Papert · December 11th, 2003, 09:10 PM

One the more memorable nights I've had on a location show was when I went out with a few of the actors for a sodden and debauched Saturday night in Austin mid-filming of Office Space. I will not name names (and I certainly can't share the photos) but one of the gents ended up onstage at a strip club simulating a pole dance while the dancers threw singles at him; then at the hotel later another one swapped clothes with one of the crew girls and spent the rest of the night in a bra and dress that could only fit up to his waist.

Outside of that, pretty much business as usual. Mike Judge was cool. He would occasionally break into Beavis or Butthead voices, but only very quietly and never on command. When we were shooting the traffic jam that opens the film, it would take 10 minutes between takes to reset the 70 cars back to their original positions on the closed street we were using, which was time-consuming. This being Mike's first big live-action directing show, he was getting a little frustrated and commented "y'know, it's a lot easier to draw this stuff!"

Hmm...what else...when the two Bobs (the consultants) are doing their bit in the conference room, much of the dialogue was improvised. When the one is attempting to pronounce Samir's name "Najiha--Nahidadija--well, Not going to work here any more" and the other one bursts out laughing, that was a real reaction to an unexpectedly clever improv.

One more--the actor who played Milton had to wear contacts with the reverse prescription to the thick glasses that he wore, which converted his vision back to normal.

Kieran, regarding your tape...sounds like it's time to buy the DVD! Too bad there's no extras on it. Maybe one of these days they'll put out a Special Edition.

Rob Lohman · December 12th, 2003, 04:54 AM

Still need to see Office Space. Heard great things about it indeed.
Currently enjoying Scrubs. Episode 9 this season was very funny
again.

So, Charles. When you did that exterior to interior shot on Scrubs,
did someone changed the iris realtime when you were walking
in? Do you remember which episode it was (I'll check it out then)?

Charles Papert · December 12th, 2003, 05:18 AM

I had to go looking for it in my tape archives; looks like it was Season 1, episode 17: "My Student". And it was only 2.5 minutes as it turned out--sure felt longer at the time!

The AC did what looks to be about a 4 stop pull on the transition. We arranged it so that I allowed the actors to cross in front of me and we attempted to bury the pull in the cross. To my eye, the take that was used had the pull a little late and a little too fast, which means it's somewhat visible if you are looking for it. I'd post the shot for you guys but I'm still website-deficient (not much longer, hopefully). If anyone feels like hosting this for a bit, it's probably around 8MB...?

Rob Lohman · December 12th, 2003, 05:41 AM

Send the piece to rob@ladyxfilms.com, Charles.
That box can handle such a file and I'll get it up for you on my
site.

Thanks for looking it up! I'll check my collection.

Dan Brown · December 12th, 2003, 08:10 AM

I love Office Space, it is in the top 3-4 movies ever made, IMHO. A very tightly written script and screenplay, nary a wasted line or shot. The rap themes and dream sequences worked, oh so well. If you watch it, pay attention to the blocking and shot angles used while the two Bob's are interviewing the various Initech employees, classic and brilliant, IMHO. The only possible criticism might be a bit of weakness in the lighting inside the apartment. I realy hope Mike Judge does some more stuff along those lines.

December 11th, 2003, 09:10 PM	#16
Charles Papert Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6,810	One the more memorable nights I've had on a location show was when I went out with a few of the actors for a sodden and debauched Saturday night in Austin mid-filming of Office Space. I will not name names (and I certainly can't share the photos) but one of the gents ended up onstage at a strip club simulating a pole dance while the dancers threw singles at him; then at the hotel later another one swapped clothes with one of the crew girls and spent the rest of the night in a bra and dress that could only fit up to his waist. Outside of that, pretty much business as usual. Mike Judge was cool. He would occasionally break into Beavis or Butthead voices, but only very quietly and never on command. When we were shooting the traffic jam that opens the film, it would take 10 minutes between takes to reset the 70 cars back to their original positions on the closed street we were using, which was time-consuming. This being Mike's first big live-action directing show, he was getting a little frustrated and commented "y'know, it's a lot easier to draw this stuff!" Hmm...what else...when the two Bobs (the consultants) are doing their bit in the conference room, much of the dialogue was improvised. When the one is attempting to pronounce Samir's name "Najiha--Nahidadija--well, Not going to work here any more" and the other one bursts out laughing, that was a real reaction to an unexpectedly clever improv. One more--the actor who played Milton had to wear contacts with the reverse prescription to the thick glasses that he wore, which converted his vision back to normal. Kieran, regarding your tape...sounds like it's time to buy the DVD! Too bad there's no extras on it. Maybe one of these days they'll put out a Special Edition. __________________ Charles Papert www.charlespapert.com

December 12th, 2003, 04:54 AM	#17
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Still need to see Office Space. Heard great things about it indeed. Currently enjoying Scrubs. Episode 9 this season was very funny again. So, Charles. When you did that exterior to interior shot on Scrubs, did someone changed the iris realtime when you were walking in? Do you remember which episode it was (I'll check it out then)? __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

December 12th, 2003, 05:18 AM	#18
Charles Papert Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6,810	I had to go looking for it in my tape archives; looks like it was Season 1, episode 17: "My Student". And it was only 2.5 minutes as it turned out--sure felt longer at the time! The AC did what looks to be about a 4 stop pull on the transition. We arranged it so that I allowed the actors to cross in front of me and we attempted to bury the pull in the cross. To my eye, the take that was used had the pull a little late and a little too fast, which means it's somewhat visible if you are looking for it. I'd post the shot for you guys but I'm still website-deficient (not much longer, hopefully). If anyone feels like hosting this for a bit, it's probably around 8MB...? __________________ Charles Papert www.charlespapert.com

December 12th, 2003, 05:41 AM	#19
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Send the piece to rob@ladyxfilms.com, Charles. That box can handle such a file and I'll get it up for you on my site. Thanks for looking it up! I'll check my collection. __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

December 12th, 2003, 08:10 AM	#20
Dan Brown Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Fort Worth, Texas Posts: 235	I love Office Space, it is in the top 3-4 movies ever made, IMHO. A very tightly written script and screenplay, nary a wasted line or shot. The rap themes and dream sequences worked, oh so well. If you watch it, pay attention to the blocking and shot angles used while the two Bob's are interviewing the various Initech employees, classic and brilliant, IMHO. The only possible criticism might be a bit of weakness in the lighting inside the apartment. I realy hope Mike Judge does some more stuff along those lines. __________________ dB