DITs : What, happens if you go ill?

[Karel Bata]

Just wondering how you set things up so someone can take over if, god forbid, you had some accident and couldn't make it in during a shoot.

For instance, back in the days I did video playback I made certain to keep meticulous log sheets in case anything ever happened to me. It never did, but there were several times I had to step into other folks' shoes, and with mixed results. It's never easy walking in half way through a shoot, when everyone else is up to speed and you have to figure out on the fly how the other guy's organised everything (and don't you love it when they leave you with a note saying the gear's got a problem?). Often I'd be shocked at how minimal their log would be (like no descriptions at all) and on one occasion a high profile guy who'd had to go to another shoot had taken the log sheets with him! :angry: He'd passed the work on to me, so I didn't want to bad-mouth him, and had to quietly go through everything and create my own log from scratch!

That said, it was usually a smooth hand-over, and I made sure production never knew there was ever any problem. NEVER bad-mouth anyone.

Any tips or similar tales of woe?

 

[Ian Laurie]

Well, We generally had a very solid set of procedures that if need be someone could step in and be filled in by the camera crew about what was happening. Of course that goes out the window the second that the camera crew decides to ignore those proceedures.

 

[Peter Majtan]

This is one of many serious topics we are addressing during the Storm R&D. The final solution will be very elegant and relatively fool-proof, but as Ian said - nothing can stop some nut DIT to "skip" few tasks...

Peter

 

[Subhadip Sen]

This applies to just about any member of the production, really. Some can be replaced, but if its a key member, the production is indefinitely postponed or canceled. (Gilliam's Don Quixote) As for a DIT, I am sure they could be replaced. Every production must also make contingency plans for such accidents. Maybe some productions might have a tech-savvy Production Manager or someone take over the DITs work temporarily. It all depends on the production.

 

[Brook Willard]

I have a small group of friends who I trust very much as DITs. They are familiar with my system [both physically and conceptually] and can fill in as needed. When there is any doubt, I will take a video of myself explaining the cart, its features, what functions are being performed and how they are being performed. I also keep an updated spec sheet [including all relevant information and contacts] for a show on my machine that any replacement can reference.

Many times I'll just have my digital utility or loader rerate and fill the position. It all depends on what is being done and what everybody's capabilities are.

Under no circumstances will I take a day off without cover. I've spent half the day unconscious in the dark room with the rest of the camera department and my utility covering me, being woken up whenever a pressing question came about. On that job we just had our set medic bring in a doctor to set to write prescriptions for all sick crew members. PAs went out and filled our prescriptions while we worked. That was a particularly fun shoot... I got hit with strep throat and the flu.

 

[Steve Freebairn]

As Brook said, you should have a group of backups that can fill in that know how you do things. It also helps to have a logical setup that basically explains itself. If you looked at Brook's folder structure, you'd know what was going on, if you looked at mine, it'd be rather obvious what was being done. Saving look presets with meaningful names also helps.

 

[Jay Gannon]

Funny enough, at least 50% of my work is taking over for other DITs.

I like to see, a well laid out reporting structure, logical folder structures on drives. If an on-set grade has been decided on a quick few lines on what the DP was looking for when designing it. Contact numbers/frequencies for anyone I might need to get in touch with, and who generally looks at what monitor if there is a video village (So if someone says the Client/DP/Director/Mother in Law monitor is acting up I know which physical connection that is)

Other than that the hardest thing is taking over from someone who was actually winging it and had no clue about data integroty or safeguarding, so you arrive and all of the previous 2 days of shooting are stored only on an iPod (yep happened) or the DIT had made SD proxies to cut from then deleted the R3d's "because they took too much space" or one who walked off the set with his laptop with all the data because he ran out of space (2 days on the phone to get the first day's data back)...

Its a scary world out there, write reports, take notes of even the most menial things, backup data, be organized and meticulous and someone should always be able to take over easily.

Free tip: have a small cheap printer in the car, you never know when it might be a lifesaver on location!

 

[Dustin Cross]

so you arrive and all of the previous 2 days of shooting are stored only on an iPod (yep happened) or the DIT had made SD proxies to cut from then deleted the R3d's "because they took too much space" or one who walked off the set with his laptop with all the data because he ran out of space (2 days on the phone to get the first day's data back)...

Dude, what productions are you working on? I thought I had seen some crazy stuff, but WOW.



Dusty

 

[Jay Gannon]

Dude, what productions are you working on? I thought I had seen some crazy stuff, but WOW.



Dusty

I seem to have required somewhat of a reputation as a problem solver, so my name seems to come up shortly after someone has been told to get off the set before someone kills them.

I'll write a book one day =)

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Jay, I feel your pain, buddy... I've got a bunch of RED related stories like that to share too.

My favorite one is a production that wanted me to transcode about 9 hours of footage to ProRes using the RED Rocket so they could have it the next day. They sent a courier over and delivered me a 4GB USB flash drive that contained just the QT pointer files. So after a few phone call attempts and a producer yelling at me, saying I was incompetent and all that, they finally figured it out on their end. Their "DIT", or "Dumbass In Training" had pulled all the QT pointers and deleted all the R3D files.... I never heard back from them. I still have their 4GB Flash drive and I've sent a couple emails and left a couple voice mails asking if they would like to come pick it up. I'm guessing that production didn't end well.

 

[Curran Giddens]

I'm guessing that production didn't end well.

No kidding. Ouch!

 

[RivaiC]

Jay, I feel your pain, buddy... I've got a bunch of RED related stories like that to share too.

My favorite one is a production that wanted me to transcode about 9 hours of footage to ProRes using the RED Rocket so they could have it the next day. They sent a courier over and delivered me a 4GB USB flash drive that contained just the QT pointer files. So after a few phone call attempts and a producer yelling at me, saying I was incompetent and all that, they finally figured it out on their end. Their "DIT", or "Dumbass In Training" had pulled all the QT pointers and deleted all the R3D files.... I never heard back from them. I still have their 4GB Flash drive and I've sent a couple emails and left a couple voice mails asking if they would like to come pick it up. I'm guessing that production didn't end well.

Are you serious jeff ? I thought i've seen the worst but this guy is completely insane, i couldnt imagine the producer face when he found out about this

 

[Jonathan Smiles]

Their "DIT", or "Dumbass In Training" had pulled all the QT pointers and deleted all the R3D files.... I never heard back from them.

I nominate this for post of the month!

 

[joe hedge]

Hearing these stories confirms my impressions with the producers of the 15 or so Red-shot indie prods I've data-tech'ed over the last 2 years. The producers, usually, don't have the slightest idea what it is they're hiring you for until you actually start doing it. Try explaining Red camera-to-editorial workflow to the person hiring you when you have to show them how to double-click a folder to open it on their own Mac...

I started on day 2 of a shoot with name talent from Pulp Fiction and American History X, the producers thought they were going to shoot 150 pages of script, over 3 weeks, to the 320 gig camera drive...and only 1 camera drive for the entire shoot...

On another they hired me after the shoot to transcode and sync, they wanted 4 weeks of dailies, over 2000 of them, burned to DVD, with menus, because they didn't own a computer and could only watch their dailies on their home DVD player...

 

[Von Thomas]

No two DIT's are the same. A production is lucky if they get a skilled RED DIT like Steve, Brooke, or me for that matter. If I create ProRes for dailies on set, and a first light grade, then for some reason I have to leave due to illness, the replacement may not feel comfortable or have the knowledge base to do the exact same tasks. If on the other hand there is time and I can bring in my replacement and to ease him/her into the workflow that is best.

I took over for another DIT that was fired after day one of the production. His skill with RED was extremely low, and it caused him his job. Good thing I only had to clean up one day of mishaps.

Von

 

[Dustin Cross]

Wow, I thought I had seen bad stuff, but the worst I have seen were two productions where the PA they hired to do data management lost all the footage and both times I got there in time to save them. Once, the footage had been deleted, but was still in the trash and once the footage was just lost in a crazy complex and poor folder structure and they couldn't find were they put it. I refused to stay on with either project, because I don't work for $100/day, but I was easily able to fix their immediate crisis.


Dusty

 

[Cüneyt Kaya]

Back in the redcine days, a producer didnt want to pay my rate... And their cheapo DIT did cost them 50 000€.

They did shoot in a stadium, but all the footage was black, they blamed the cam and did a reshoot, footage was black again.

Then the producer called me, I doubled my rate and went on set.

Suddenly all the footage was back again.
Do you remember the bug when some r3ds exposure settings were zero?
I just set the setting back to 1 and the footage was visible again.

 

[Andrew T Foster]

Wow!

Good reading and I actually laughed out loud about deleting the r3d files because... they took up too much space?! Aahaha..

Wow.

ATF

 

[Sean Rawls]

Yeah, DIT is a position that is a little scary to hand over mid-show. If they lose data you are just as liable because you vouched for them.

But like most people have said, build of a network of people you trust and if you have everything well organized and well labeled the transition should be smooth. I like to use guys that know my particular kit. I have a job coming up next with this exact situation, 6 day commercial and I can't make the last two. I told the coordinator this going in, and she was fine because I already had someone lined up.

Get a group of people you trust and train them up on your kit. But don't give away all of your data secrets :001_cool:

 

[Nir Shelter]

The prise for the best horror DIT story goes to Jeff 4GB flash drive... my sides are still aching...

Seriously though I have a partner I work with, Allan Chesher and have been for a while now. We have combined our workflows into one and can step in and out of each other shoes with one phone call.

Though I have learnt from some of the harshest work environments such as military experience to over come almost all physical afflictions for the sake of the job and have yet to call in a replacement as a result.

We mostly replace each other when we have long form jobs we are on and another job comes along at the same time that requires either one of us to attend to.

Also I have a few documents I use on long forms and other shoots that help keep a consistent workflow no matter the personal involved.
Such as a spec sheet sent out to 1st AC, post producer and editorial before the shoot, outlining all data related specifications and workflow procedures. As well as media logging sheets and data sheets they are simple but very useful find attached. Also is an excel metadata base workbook am still working on perfecting the formulas so will post when finished.

Nir.