Quiet on the set

We had a small taste of what it's like to be on a movie set.

We spent about an hour, outside, in 100 degree weather. The boys cooperated very well. Adam wanted to clarify a few instructions, so you can see him talking about his role with the Director. Towards the end, Zach started yawning. It had been a long hour.

[Video disclaimer: This was shot on a FlipCam and edited using the Flip software. It is not intended to be of expert quality.]



A couple of issues delayed us arriving on time. Fortunately the Director was an understanding fellow.

• Earlier in the day, Adam's bike got a flat tire. A bicycle was one of the main props, so we had to find an alternative. We borrowed one from our neighbor. A couple of rounds of riding to get used to it, and we were good to go. Whew!
• We had a last minute wardrobe change due to peanut butter on Zach's shirt.
  
• As we were leaving, Adam could not find his tennis shoes. Luckily, we had just bought both boys new PE shoes for school. He ended up wearing those shoes (the lost shoes still have not been found, so we had to buy yet another pair of tennis shoes.)
• Scott forgot his duffle bag. Part of the story is Scott leaving/coming home, so it was important he be carrying a bag. Disaster averted as I was able to drive home and get it.

The camera you see is called a steadicam. It allows you to record action without having to mount a camera on rails or tracks. It weighs about 40 pounds and it's really expensive. That's about all I know about that.

I also learned a new word: bobble. You see, the camera operator's knee might hit the bottom of the camera, tilting the camera while recording. That's called a bobble.

This was for a music video of The Star Spangled Banner.