Producer Lana Tidwell joined DP Tom Hadzor on a series of shoots for the Special Olympics recently and learned some new lingo along the way. By Lana Tidwell.
Rarely does a day pass when I donʼt learn something new at work. My bag of Wide Eye tricks grows ever larger, filling with lessons on winding cables, collapsing C-stands, and packing up a Chimera. Last month, I added a few more tricks to my bag while working in the field with Tom.
In February, Boise joined the ranks of Nagano, Salzburg, and Toronto as a host city to the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games. Thousands of athletes, fans, and volunteers from around the world were welcomed to the state to participate in the week- long event. Wide Eye Productions was called upon by Special Olympics, Inc. to cover several programs held in conjunction with the Games. Tom and I paired up with Producer Neil Ostrander and three student volunteers whose work would supplement Wide Eyeʼs footage with additional video and still images.
Project UNIFY is a Special Olympics program that gives young people the tools to enact change in their communities. Participants from around the world share ideas and make plans for the future.
The Wide Eye crew set up to film Project UNIFY participants in Boise State Universityʼs newly constructed Stueckle Sky Box, part of Bronco Stadium. The Sky Box afforded views of Boiseʼs downtown area and the foothills, a nice backdrop for the interviews.
The students and I listened closely as Tom tweaked the lighting set up and explained each change he made. As I stood over the light kit, Tom asked me to hand him a C47. A C-what? Did I forget to take those out of the van? Seeing my puzzled look, Tom pointed to a nearby pile of clothespins. Aha! I passed one his way, Tom clipped a wayward corner of gel onto our light and we were ready for interviews to begin.
Over the course of the week, I collected other bits of wisdom and tucked them safely away into my bag of tricks. A better way to hold the boom pole, where the makeup kit is kept in the van, how to talk construction workers into taking a break so we can film in quiet. Small lessons that together add up to valuable knowledge, like what to reach for next time Tom asks for a C47.
For more information about C-47s (and dozens of other inventive uses for the clothespin), go to this link on Wikipedia.
