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As God is my Gaffer

By James Mathers
June 28, 2000 07:10 AM PDT
To think that until two years ago I had never set foot on the island known as Ireland. Though I am of mostly Irish descent and had shot a couple of times in Europe, I had never bothered to visit Ireland. But now, after having spent most of last year on location there, it seems to be a part of my life.

It started when Bob Hughes, a producer/director whom I had shot for many times, came to me with the proposal of shooting a medieval fantasy series, "Mystic Knights." It was to be loosely based on Irish mythology and set entirely in Ireland. Although I've never been one to turn down work if I was able, I did have to think about this job offer. It required an eight-month commitment for the first season -- a long time to be away from home and my two children, who live nearby with their mother in my hometown, Los Angeles. However, when it was arranged that my fiancee, Charlene, could come along and hire on as an AD, and that my children would be able to fly over for visits, we were on our way.

I was pleased to see that the crews and facilities in Ireland were first-rate; many were veterans of "Braveheart" and "Saving Private Ryan," which had shot there previously. We were based out of Ardmore Studios on the east coast, just a little south of Dublin.

There are innumerable quaint Irish sayings and one I particularly like is: "If you don't like the weather in Ireland, just wait a minute." That's about how long it takes for it to change. It can literally go from bright and sunny to pouring rain and back -- with everything in between -- all in the course of 10 minutes. If you ever had any doubt that we mortals are in control of our destiny, just try shooting exteriors in Ireland. That's where the expression, "God is my gaffer" comes from. You basically have to take what He gives you and do your best at lighting continuity. Of course, it does make for some exceptionally dynamic lighting situations we can steal some of the credit for.

I learned a few tricks in the trenches (or should I say bogs) for trying to maintain continuity while staying on schedule. You might consider using silks, but the wind comes up so fast and furiously that flying overheads is pretty dangerous. If you spent the time to build a rig that would stay in place through your typical gale force "Irish breeze," it would probably be overcast again before you could ever hope to have it in place. We did manage to work the occasional 12x12 bounce or overhead when it was louvered, but it still got a little dicey in some places like the famous Wicklow Gap, a popular location for its majestic beauty, but a virtual giant wind tunnel.

When conditions are changing quickly it sometimes helps to have two acceptable masters in the can: one overcast and one in sun. Sometimes it will be changing so quickly that you can only get part of a master in each type of light. The point is to try and have it covered both ways. Then, if you're lucky enough to have things settle down, you can try to match your coverage to the prevailing conditions.

Another obvious technique is to shoot with diffusion. I like to use Promists when it's sunny to take the edge off so that if I lose it and end up overcast, I can pull the filters and make it somewhat more cutable. When the sun does break there, it is extremely sharp compared with the daylight I've experienced in other locales around the globe. I had always been in the habit of using a polarizing filter, but when I got to Ireland, I found that conditions change much too quickly to stay on top of and the rich, saturated skies you can get with a Pola don't cut as well with the overcast that you are bound to get at some time before you get through a scene.

Whatever plan of attack you have for a scene, you had better be expeditious. A camera operating technique I've developed employing a jib arm, Weaver/Steadman head, and video headsets, came in particularly handy there, especially when we were trying to get camera movement while set up on the side of a mountain. I love a fluid camera that can move with the dramatic beats of a scene. This system offers that flexibility and is fast too. The technology is not that revolutionary, I just took a couple of tools and combined them to make a really versatile operating system. One component is your basic jib arm; I've experimented with many different models and have found the 8-foot Fisher 21 to be my favorite. It is sturdy enough to handle a 35mm camera in full studio configuration and yet can be broken down and hand-carried up a mountainside. It can be set up on just about any type of dolly (a Cricket is cheap and doesn't get in your way when walking around it), or it can be set up on a sturdy set of standard sticks. Next, I add a Weaver/Steadman tri-axis head, a true marvel of physical engineering. I'm not talking about a "hot head," just a simple "hands-on" head that is very versatile. It can be mounted below the jib arm to give you a lens height ranging from ground level to about 6 feet, or it can be mounted over, and reach from about 3 feet up to 13 feet, close to what you would get with a small crane. The final ingredient is a pair of video headsets that place the output of the video tap right in front of the operator at all times. These are manufactured by a company called O-1 Products in Westlake Village, near Los Angeles. Once the operator is free of the camera, by not having to have his head glued to the eyepiece, your range and ease of movement are dramatically increased. Sure, you could always use a small monitor, but having a high-resolution, color, sun-shaded image that travels with you is great. Any way you need to move or turn your head, the image is always in front of you. It's best to set up the visors so when you look straight ahead or down you can see what is in front of you, but when you gaze up slightly you have the video tap image in clear view. Some advantages of this system include: 1) not having to lay track, or even use a dolly, for trucking moves up to about 12 feet. (Of course, you can always combine a jib and dolly move for even greater range of motion.) 2) simplifying the coordination and communication necessary to achieve a move. There is no need for the operator to sync up with the dolly grip; he controls when moves start and stop. This allows the operator the freedom to move when he feels the dramatic timing is right, not necessarily as prearranged or rehearsed. Any operator or dolly grip knows that one of the hardest moves and one that is always requested is to boom up or down in perfect sync with an actor; this system makes that move quite easy. 3) The system is component, and as previously mentioned, can be easily broken down and transported to hard-to-reach camera positions, which seem to be more the rule than the exception when shooting exteriors in Ireland. The headsets are also handy for many various hand-held configurations; the versatility is tremendous.

These techniques were honed on "Mystic Knights," the slimly budgeted, medieval fantasy TV series, but proved equally as helpful on "St. Patrick" and "Intrepid." Although I had more luxurious shooting schedules overall, working around conflicting actors' schedules (Patrick Bergin, Malcolm McDowell, Alan Bates on "St. Patrick" and James Coburn on "Intrepid") still meant I had to be quick. I also found that "floating" the camera and using the Weaver's third axis was helpful when I was shooting simulated flying scenes for the ABC sci-fi series "Hypernauts" and the wacky multi-axis moves were just the ticket for the ABC musical special, "The Monkees Reunion." The more I utilize this system, the more uses I find for it and the better my operators and I get at working with it.

Ireland is a country of unparalleled natural beauty and friendly people. From its rolling green hillsides to the magesty of its ancient castles (one of which I had the privilege of being married at), filming in Ireland will always hold a special place in my life. Now that I'm settled back in Los Angeles, those are the memories that endure. The fear of dodging rainstorms or trudging through muddy bogs is not enough to keep me from longing to return and I hope to get back there soon. One thing I know for certain, it was never boring!

Reprinted with permission from Cinematographer.com