This is where thoughts become things.

Hi, I'm Daniela. Welcome to my personal lair on the Internet. This is where I write about storytelling, activism, technology and pop culture. Sometimes I post videos. I update my lair when the mood strikes me. Follow me on Twitter for daily updates (@dcap).

Tag : lists

Pre-Production Tips: Top 10 Questions For 1st ADs or Producers to Ask (Themselves & Directors)

I came up with this list while joining a production that was halfway through shooting. The producer had quit earlier on and the former 1st AD, whom I was replacing, was unavailable due to a family emergency. You can use this list to help you transition into a production that has already started or as a reference point in the beginning.

My list implies that this is a low budget film and that the director may also be the producer (using his/her own funds). In any case, these questions are great to consider no matter what the budget is. These questions also assume that you’ve already established a production/shooting schedule.


image via metroscreen‘s Flickr

Top 10 Questions For 1st ADs or Producers to ask THEMSELVES

1. Who will drive — what (vehicles) and where to?

2. Are all crew positions filled for each day and if not, what will be my process for hiring in the midst of everything else?

3. What time does holding need to open (at each holding/each location/each day)?

4. Which crew members do I need to arrive first at holding each day and why?

5. What preparations do I need to take for crew accommodations for each day? (hotel rooms, flights, etc.)

6. Who am I using for crafty each day and how can I make sure that crew isn’t eating the same meal all the time?

7. Are all extras and featured extras confirmed for each location for each shoot day, and if not, what is my strategy for making this happen (if casting support is nonexistent)?

8. Are all locations CONFIRMED and do I hold copies of permits/related paperwork and all relevant contact info?

9. Do I have access to petty cash for each day IN ADVANCE and have I made sure there is a process for all departments to receive? (Do I also have accounting/financial related duties?)

10. Equipment rental: Do I have all contact info for all houses and information on their rates, requirements and return deadlines?


image via destinydesign‘s Flickr

Top 10 Questions For 1st ADs or Producers to ask DIRECTOR

1. Are there unscheduled scenes that require me to find additional elements (crew, locations, extras, props, etc.)?

2. Who is the DIT (Digital Intermediary Technician if shot on digital) and has he/she been briefed on his responsibilities/your preferred workflow method?

3. Are you still making changes to the script mid production and what can we do to make sure we stay on schedule? (offer options such as alternative shooting schedules, cutting scenes, etc.)

4. If you end up insisting on exceeding a 12 hour day, what are your thoughts on how we make it up to crew? (offer options such as additional pay, later call times, hard out rules, etc.)

5. Do your actors have any other obligations during this shoot/have they been asked? (auditions, doctor appointments, etc.)

6. Permits: If you insist we don’t need them, what can we do to ensure that we don’t end up being asked to leave a location (offer options like polite ways to lockdown sound, notifying neighbors/writing letter to city hall, requesting “don’t do” requirements from location contacts)?

7. Do you have production/vehicle insurance and what are their contact details (if they don’t, explain the benefits of having it)?

8. Have you already determined a payment/reimbursement process for crew? (if not, offer options)

9. Petty Cash: Can we have a lump sum to disseminate amongst departments and have them return change with receipts at end of each day or shoot?
(avoid having to approach director/producer for money each time it is needed)

10. Are there any personality conflicts that I should be aware of?
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These questions only represent a minuscule fraction of what you need to keep track of before, during and after production, but they are a great place to start. Share your own lists of questions in the comments.

The Lair’s Brief History Of The “Buddy Holly Glasses” Look


Buddy Holly

Those black-framed “Buddy Holly” Glasses. Freeway glasses. Geek Chic. Emo. Nerd cool. We use different words to describe the style, but no one can deny their origin and influence in popular culture.

Rarely seen without his trademark black-framed glasses, Buddy Holly was a pioneer of rock and roll. Holly died in his 20’s leaving a legacy that has gone on to influence countless artists and fashion designers.Today was the 50th anniversary of the tragic plane crash that ended the lives of Ritchie Valens, J.P. Richardson, a.k.a. the Big Bopper and Buddy Holly.

Let’s take a look back at a few familiar faces who, from the 1960’s to 2009, adopted the Buddy Holly glasses look and made it their own.


Weezer’s hit “Buddy Holly” was likely the tipping point for the “Buddy Holly Glasses” look to reach the masses in the early 90’s. The music video became so popular that it was included on the Microsoft Windows 95 CD-ROM when the operating system was first released.

Despite the absence of Rivers Cuomo’s own trademark glasses in the video, his signature specs were already on every teen with a computer’s radar.

Can you put names to the rest of the faces rocking the “Buddy Holly Glasses” Look? Who am I forgetting? Anyone recognizable in pop culture is a valid entry.

Buddy Holly's original glasses


The Lair’s 20 Best Moments From 2008

James Spooner on Afro-Punk

I was going to make my last post this year about my best moment from 2008, but why not mention 20 things PLUS the #1 that seemed to come out of nowhere and make this year so memorable?

I hope next year is even more challenging and filled with more of my own creative projects. Missing from this list (that will be in next year’s) is spending time with my god daughter Trinidy and family, spending time with my cousin Christina and her family, finishing my short film and other things that I will include in my future goals post for 2009.

 20 Best Moments From 2008

20. Helping out at Leah’s reading for her first feature ‘Unicorns’

19. First time at Siren Music Fest/Shooting Broken Social Scene

18. The best Vampire movie in a long while came out this year

17. Getting/Assembling my first kitchen island

16. Playing my first NYC gig

15. Meeting/Shooting Ebony Bones at the last McCarren Pool Party

14. Getting my first/last? tattoo

(13 to the top #1 moment, after the jump!)

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