A Shooter's Worst Nightmare? A fun thread...

[Jonathan Stevenson]

The on-set world brings a lot of stress, and inevitably that comes home with you and into your bedroom. I know I'm not alone when I say that I've had several shoot/camera/production related night terrors over the last few years. I was thinking we should share some funny ones.

I had a dream last night that I was hired as an AC on an Werner Hertzog film. For some reason, the camera and focus puller the DP was using was completely foreign to me. I spent the entire dream trying to put the focus puller together and get it mounted on the camera rails. I was taking several hours. Werner Hertzog started yelling at me, calling me a useless human. He never fired me, just berated me until I started crying and walked off set. I woke up feeling so stupid and ridiculous, then realized it was a silly nightmare. I can't stop laughing about it.

A few months ago, I had a dream that I got hired as the DP on a Christopher Nolan film. All I remember about it is that he wasn't happy with how it was looking, and I ended up getting fired and knowing I'd never work again.

So, I thought it'd be fun to share your shoot-related nightmares. I bet Jim, Jarred, and anyone working at Red have some good nightmares, as building Red from the ground up probably hasn't been stress-free.

 

[Zakaree Sandberg]

I have DP dreams all the time...

its actually pretty cool.. I get to light an entire scene/set within my dream.. practicing while dreaming (plus i have all the lighting i could ever want)

although sometimes I have the LOW- NO budget dreams.. and im forced to figure shit out with small packages..

 

[Tommi Hares]

If these stories were in a book, I'd happily buy it! Patent your idea now Mr. Stevenson!

 

[Nick Gardner]

After a long week I find myself making decisions about what to do in dreams based on what coverage I would have to shoot. Like, "I'm not going to the refrigerator because then I would have to turn around."
Nick

 

[David Carstens]

Funny- I had a similar dream to the OP's. It was like one of those final exam dreams for a class you didn't realize you were in all semester- I had shown up to DP Chris Nolan's Batman 3 to realize I had not done a minute of prep or even read the script! Fortunately, the gaffer took care of me and no one noticed

 

[Jonathan Stevenson]

haha, why are Christopher Nolan films so terrifying? Glad I'm not the only one.

 

[Alex Carr]

I had a dream about an enormous party, the only guests at the party were 1st AD's I've worked with. And every conversation was related to 'How long is that gonna take?' or 'we lost video' or 'how can we fix it'

 

[Jochen Schmidt-Hambrock]

Used to be a musician. (Double bass) Was almost late for a performance of Beethoven's 2nd.
Opened my bow-case.
Empty.
Part of my brain though "Whow, look what adrenalin does to my body. "
Not a dream. Real nightmare.
Fortunaltly and against all odds a collegue had a second one he tried to sell that night.

 

[Jeremy Torrie]

Real life nightmare -being in Iraq for a documentary between the two Bush wars.

Imagine what it feels like expecting every (waking and sleeping) moment that it might be your last and that you could be pulled off the street at any moment by one of Saddam's henchmen and never be seen again...the good old Canadian flag on the side of my camera only gave me so much comfort.

But 14 year olds with machine guns in their hands and hate in their eyes was one of the most terrifying things I've had to experience.

Had to bribe our way out of the country. Drank the plane out of hard liquor.