Tylerb
New member
So uh, I wan't sure where to put this, but I really wanted to share it with you guys so where better then the cinematography section!
Basically this story is one of two really annoying (ignorant + arrogant) clients directing a singing club.
So I turn up to a auditorium as that was our setting for the shoot. The lights didn't look good off camera, but in camera they looks amazing - so me and my friend (Jordan) started setting up. After half an hour (one hour to set up) we finally got the stage lights working and that was good, so I headed over to the stage to set up for the profile picture.
I set it up by myself (no test subject :O) and had everything sorted - my mate up in the lighting room - he had got a cool color for our background, me here with my camera, tripod and halogen light providing a fill and I was ready to go.
So the cast of the club walked in and sat down. They are all teenagers, and of course they couldn't stop talking but I didn't mind, I was prepared for that. So after 10 minutes of them pissing around (we only had one hour left until we had to get out) they finally started to do something.
They all lined up, and one of the directors of the club decided he would be nice and move everything off the stage for the photo shoot. Now, by everything, I MEAN EVERYTHING. They took all the seats, the halogen light and the only thing left on the stage was my camera. So they asked if I was ready now, then when I said no (for obvious reasons) they started bitching to me about me not being prepared. I held it in.
Ok. Everything is ready. First person is sitting in the chair 15 minutes in. then the director walks on stage and closes the back curtain. I ask what he is doing, and he just says "It looks better with the black". I say no it doesn't, hoping he will pick up the message not to change anything. So click click clack, and then every one is fished. They close the curtains, move all the chairs and stuff then someone decides to point out they haven't had a photo. I still held it in.
Right - so I finished shooting the Glee Club profile pictures. I move my camera off stage, and then the two directors decide to put two benches on the stage. I didn't know what they were doing, but I went along with it. Standing there for 8 minutes while they got everyone to stand in a nice, neat orderly position. This is where my job started getting interesting - I walked up to the director (14 year old male) and ask him what he is doing. He says "taking a formal photo for the website" (which me and my friend are also designing and hence the whole photo shoot) and that they need one for the front page. This completely put me off track. I still managed to hold it in. Just.
Yay - that boring pose was over. Glee is supposed to be fun and random and pictures must reflect that if they want people to believe it but alas, another set up pose. The male director got everyone back into their lines and then told them to hold their hand out at a perfect 90 degree angle so it wasn't in anyone's faces. He said take the photo when he could see all their faces but considering I was standing on the other side of the seats... Still held it in.
Right - finally. I get the pictures I actually needed. They were split up into groups of 4 and then lines up. Then both the directors told them to stand and take group photos in such a way that I would be able to crop them out separately... Of course I had no intention of doing this so I told him that we were talking the group photos and then separate full body pictures. Of course, he went against my judgement and got them into groups. I turned to my friend and looked at him and he just mouthed "go along with it" but honestly, I would rather use a MAC than watch these guys.
They were panicking about not getting it done in time - I was just trying to get them to slow down, stop worrying and just let me set up what I need and now what they think is right. Anyway, I got some of the shots I required and I was happy.
So what is the moral of this story? If you ever have a client that both does not know what he/she is doing and then starts telling you what to do, either try to talk to them or leave.
In most cases, they see you as a tool - they tell you what to do, how to do it and then the end product will be amazing because you took the shot with your fancy gear. That's not the case. Ask them if they want any shots, and then just tell them to stay out of it. At one point, a girl in the club actually said to everyone "listen to the photographer" and that just made me smile. To the directors I was seen as a tool. To the member I was the person taking the end result.
But the most painful thing was when the girl director walked up to my friend, told him to tell me to do what she says, and when I said "what ever" she blatantly said "Thankyou Jordan".
But I still held it in. I stayed. I finished. I'm not going again.
Basically this story is one of two really annoying (ignorant + arrogant) clients directing a singing club.
So I turn up to a auditorium as that was our setting for the shoot. The lights didn't look good off camera, but in camera they looks amazing - so me and my friend (Jordan) started setting up. After half an hour (one hour to set up) we finally got the stage lights working and that was good, so I headed over to the stage to set up for the profile picture.
I set it up by myself (no test subject :O) and had everything sorted - my mate up in the lighting room - he had got a cool color for our background, me here with my camera, tripod and halogen light providing a fill and I was ready to go.
So the cast of the club walked in and sat down. They are all teenagers, and of course they couldn't stop talking but I didn't mind, I was prepared for that. So after 10 minutes of them pissing around (we only had one hour left until we had to get out) they finally started to do something.
They all lined up, and one of the directors of the club decided he would be nice and move everything off the stage for the photo shoot. Now, by everything, I MEAN EVERYTHING. They took all the seats, the halogen light and the only thing left on the stage was my camera. So they asked if I was ready now, then when I said no (for obvious reasons) they started bitching to me about me not being prepared. I held it in.
Ok. Everything is ready. First person is sitting in the chair 15 minutes in. then the director walks on stage and closes the back curtain. I ask what he is doing, and he just says "It looks better with the black". I say no it doesn't, hoping he will pick up the message not to change anything. So click click clack, and then every one is fished. They close the curtains, move all the chairs and stuff then someone decides to point out they haven't had a photo. I still held it in.
Right - so I finished shooting the Glee Club profile pictures. I move my camera off stage, and then the two directors decide to put two benches on the stage. I didn't know what they were doing, but I went along with it. Standing there for 8 minutes while they got everyone to stand in a nice, neat orderly position. This is where my job started getting interesting - I walked up to the director (14 year old male) and ask him what he is doing. He says "taking a formal photo for the website" (which me and my friend are also designing and hence the whole photo shoot) and that they need one for the front page. This completely put me off track. I still managed to hold it in. Just.
Yay - that boring pose was over. Glee is supposed to be fun and random and pictures must reflect that if they want people to believe it but alas, another set up pose. The male director got everyone back into their lines and then told them to hold their hand out at a perfect 90 degree angle so it wasn't in anyone's faces. He said take the photo when he could see all their faces but considering I was standing on the other side of the seats... Still held it in.
Right - finally. I get the pictures I actually needed. They were split up into groups of 4 and then lines up. Then both the directors told them to stand and take group photos in such a way that I would be able to crop them out separately... Of course I had no intention of doing this so I told him that we were talking the group photos and then separate full body pictures. Of course, he went against my judgement and got them into groups. I turned to my friend and looked at him and he just mouthed "go along with it" but honestly, I would rather use a MAC than watch these guys.
They were panicking about not getting it done in time - I was just trying to get them to slow down, stop worrying and just let me set up what I need and now what they think is right. Anyway, I got some of the shots I required and I was happy.
So what is the moral of this story? If you ever have a client that both does not know what he/she is doing and then starts telling you what to do, either try to talk to them or leave.
In most cases, they see you as a tool - they tell you what to do, how to do it and then the end product will be amazing because you took the shot with your fancy gear. That's not the case. Ask them if they want any shots, and then just tell them to stay out of it. At one point, a girl in the club actually said to everyone "listen to the photographer" and that just made me smile. To the directors I was seen as a tool. To the member I was the person taking the end result.
But the most painful thing was when the girl director walked up to my friend, told him to tell me to do what she says, and when I said "what ever" she blatantly said "Thankyou Jordan".
But I still held it in. I stayed. I finished. I'm not going again.
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