Bye bye Bowen...

...for 50 days you’ve been home. But come this Friday; it’s time for us to go our separate ways.

Don’t worry; it’s not you, it’s me.

I know that we’ve had our little arguments, (your weather, for one);

But remember that you ARE beautiful, and I’ll always think of you fondly.

I’m just not ready for a long-term commitment;

I need to move on and see what the rest of the world has to offer.

Don’t worry; I’ll be back sometime soon.

Thanks for your hospitality, and your friendship.

Yours Truly

Ian.

The first part of our marathon is over: We’re flying to Darwin tomorrow - and hopefully (if the rain hasn’t stopped the building of sets out west)... Kununurra, WA.

It’ll be a little surreal to go from the smallish township of Bowen (no traffic lights), to the bustling northern city of Darwin; but I think that most of us are ready for a change. To be honest; the weather these past 2 weeks has been enough to fray even the calmest of nerves.

We’ve seen rain/torrential rain/mizzle/mist/hazy-rain/showers/cold-snaps/deluges/and trudged our way through quagmires of mud (mostly due to the Dust that we brought in...) In short it hasn’t been fun to drag cables around.

Hey at least I got good use out of my new gum-boots.

There’s no doubt that I will return to Bowen, however it’d be nice to do so during autumn or spring... and for a holiday... not a highly technical filming expedition.

See you all in Darwin.

Latest - From the ARCHIVES


The strange silver ball thingys at Radcliffe place (opposite the Treasury casino), Brisbane


Update: Thursday afternoon 28th June 2007

Well, we’ve finished in Bowen – and boy did we go out with a bang.

It’s no secret that a big part of the film revolves around the bombing of Darwin by Japanese forces. One of the last shots in Bowen involved the destruction of one of our sets by fire.


Safety officer observing the controlled fire.


Another angle


And another

Also; a decision has been made in regards to the rain in WA; which was heavy enough to prevent the set builders from actually GETTING to the location to build the sets!

To allow them time to build; we are returning to Fox Studios in SYDNEY for a few weeks, our triumphant location-filming resuming sometime in August for a month-and-a-bit; before re-returning to Sydney for a larger Studio shoot.

On a sadder note, I lost my rain jacket today, which had faithfully served my precipitation-shedding-needs since its purchase in Vancouver during 2001 – you will be sorely missed (and quickly replaced I’m afraid). The jacket is added to a semi-exclusive-list of equipment I’ve managed to misplace in the last few days, including my new head-torch, and or course – my sanity.

Ok, see you all soon (especially those of you in Sydney).
Ian

Rain sucks...

...no really it does!

fire effects are cool though

Bowen is not weather-friendly at the moment.

We've been shooting in the rain for at least 4 days now (I've lost track of the time...) and now we're shooting on our Sunday, to try and catch-up. Nothing about shooting locations in rain is fun, not the cabling, the rain protection, the clothing, the total lack of sunshine...

here's one from the archives

does this one need an explanation - just a cool shot of a plane and it's jet-stream.


See ya

Ian

Stage 3: Performing...

...though not in the sense that many of you may be thinking.

Back in 2003 while enduring the torturous initiation training at Mt Hotham, we were introduced to the theory of “the 4 stages of seasonal jobs”. I know that it’s not DIRECTLY relatable to film making, but I think it’s close enough – especially when you throw travel; and crew you’ve never worked with, into the mix...

Stage 1 – FORMING; you’re meeting new people, starting a job for the first time (or with new people) - and trying to come to grips with its intricacies. (This is usually the quickest stage – sometimes only lasting a few days)

Stage 2 – STORMING; where you’ve made your group of new friends and are LOVING the time spent with them; you’re getting to grips with your job requirements - things are on the up-and-up, and you’re having heaps of fun.

Stage 3 – PERFORMING; the partying has quietened down a little, and your life is more of a routine. You are more-than-competent at your job, and can do it quickly, and skilfully (needless to say that THIS is the stage that management wants you to get to as fast as possible). This is also the longest phase, lasting MOST of the season.

Stage 4 – MOURNING; the season (remembering that the training was for working on a ski-hill) is drawing to a close, and the realization that you may never see your extremely close friends ever again, rears its ugly head; You’re still really good at your job, but get quite complacent, and things may slip through the cracks...


We’ve been in stage 3 since our first week in BOWEN. If I were a betting man (which I’m not – but that’s a story for another day...) I’d say the reasoning for the Sydney leg; was to get us all up to speed before hitting the road.
Depression can settle in during stage 3; As the slip from Storming, into the routine of Performing occurs; and we were warned to be on the look-out for fellow workers who were a little down.

So I guess it’s natural to be a little forlorn, and home-sick. Doesn’t make it any easier when the job is fairly physical, and the hours long.

It’s important to not fall into the throws of passion at this stage, (ironically it’s by this stage that most everyone is on the prowl...) it’s very tempting, but trust me – it hurts like you wouldn’t believe at the end of stage 4, so be on the look-out for those who are prone to flirting, and avoid them like the inevitable colds and flus that hit around this time of year... or you can buckle-in and just enjoy the ride...

In honour of my homesickness – please enjoy the most recent...

BONUS PHOTO FROM THE ARCHIVES...

Some photos of my hometown, Brisbane.

From the Kangaroo Point Cliffs, South Brisbane.


And a view from the Goodwill Bridge.


Cheers, and hoping that your lives are all moving along at a comfortable pace. (Whatever pace suits you best)
Ian
P.S. we’re on Nights shoots all this week, so apologies in advance if I’m not responsive during the day... I’ll be sleeping as much as possible

Bowen is pretty...

...as you can see from today's photo essay.

Today is the 1st day off that I’ve been able to relax, walk around the town, and drive up to the look outs.




Creek on the way to Flagstaff Hill Cafe & interpretive centre (!?!... it’s a lookout people!)




aforementioned Cafe & information centre (I refuse to call it an interpretative centre) – Flagstaff Hill, Bowen




View of lighthouse from the flagstaff lookout




Stairs up to the local (Queens Beach) Lookout




View from Queens beach lookout – I’m staying at the caravan park (next to the blue roof of the pool at my doorstep, mid-left of the picture)




Closer view of Gray’s bay, which hooks around from Queens Beach.




View from the other side of the lookout; farm-lands and pretty clouds.




Awesome tree at the Flagstaff lookout.



Not much to say about the film this week, things are moving along, and it’s feeling a little more like work; but there are still a few moments each day when I get a kick out of what I’m doing...

Time for a new segment called...

Bonus Photo from the Archives.

May 2001, Toronto, CN tower and unidentified building.


ok, that's about it from me for today - I'm off to enjoy the rest of my weekend.

Ian

Dust...

That is all...

Goodnight

Ian








Just kidding; I can’t leave you all hanging there.
The one thing that I’ll take away from this film, is a firm knowledge of just how much Special FX Dust is required to re-create the dusty streets of a western-style town.

Seriously – I’ve been showering with SOLVOL, just to help get some off.

Wednesday night saw a triumphant QLD state of origin opening game (made strangely satisfying by the presence of so many NSW crew members)

Last night was a party (graciously hosted by our lead actors at the local pub, which straddles our set) with a special musical guest. ‘twas quite fun.

Today was washing, and catching up on anything that can’t be done between the hours of 0500 and 1930 Monday-Saturday, ie: EVERYTHING.

Yes that’s what I said, 5:45 in the morning, until 7:30pm every week day, and the occasional Saturday. Consequently I made more money in overtime this past week than I did from my usual weekly wage. This is good – as I can pay off more of my car loan; and save for the ever-present Ski-trip (Blake, if you’re reading, you’d better be thinking hard about the potential world skiing tour ’08, as it’s all I can think about right now)

Don’t think that I’m just sitting around counting my paycheque; I’m working the hardest I’ve EVER worked on a film (quite possibly, in my life), and it’s absolutely exhausting.

However, I attended a Rushes Screening the other day (or week, I can’t even keep track of the time anymore...) and it re-affirmed my passion for the project. I know that I’m about as low on the creative rung as you can get on this job – but I found it to be truly inspirational. This project is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and something that I hope will be embraced by the public once it’s done.

Ok, now I’m done, see you all later.

Feel free to email (though I'm having internet issues), call (if I'm on set I won't answer, so leave a message), write (just chuck it in the post c/o that bloody movie being shot at bowen...)

Ian

Another angle of the ever-present Bowen wharf



And a more detailed look at dust.

Weekends...

...are never long enough.

Photos of horseshoe bay Bowen

Snorkeling last weekend



see ya
Ian

Blowin' Bowen...

...certainly lived up to it's "un-offical" namesake in the first few days. It was Wet, and VERY windy.

however someone must have done something right, as it all calmed down (and partially dried up) for the first day of shooting.

I'm not going to go into any specifics (mostly 'cause I'm too tired to remember) but the shoot is going well, and the set looks frikken' fantastic. there are numerous web-sites with images of the set (and it's stars), but by the looks of it I haven't managed to make the Backgrounds of any of the photos... yet.

for a nice centralised site - try www.bazthegreat.co.uk as it seems to be run by a fan who collects ALL the links to news.

The Locals in Bowen are all REALLY friendly, and my accommodation is nice.

Special shout-out to Paul Shelly for being kind enough to help transport my Bicycle from Brisbane; I've now got some wheels - yay!

haven't been able to take any photos yet, but I've already picked a few photogenic spots to try when I get the time.

okey-dokey, Time to grab some lunch on my day off...

see ya



charter flight with previously un-heard-of airline

look out world...

here we come.

it's time to bid a cheery farewell to our gracious host-city of Sydney for a few months, whilst we wind our way across the top-end.

although we've been shooting locations for the past 2 weeks, it's time to move into the "REAL" location shooting; far away from our friends and family (...well for the rest of the crew; I've been away for 3 weeks already).

again, I'm unsure of my internet connectivity on the road, so we'll see if I'm able to post any updates.

cheers and see you all soon-ish

Ian



the photo is of a sketch I made from one of my favorite photos, a speed-sign in NZ.

week one is done...

since we've been on night shoots all this first week; we wrapped as the sun came up (I guess it's better than wrapping all the gear out in the dark, which is how it usually goes)

I'm beyond tired; but I think it's worth it.

nothing much to report, other than rain FX are impressive; and unsurprisingly... wet.

bonus photo time.

sometime last week I took a stroll away from the location and stumbled across a tall-ship in the harbour






I know that I keep publishing what appears to be the same photo - but it's just such a good view (and an amazing introduction to shooting in Sydney)




ok, sleepy-time, might catch some art-galleries this arvo; or perhaps a swim in the ocean-baths; so many choices...

see ya

ian

night shoots...

are tiring.

well, duh!

here's my annual 3rd May photos - YES I did actually stick around after we'd finished work thursday morning and take some shots of the sun rising over the pacific.

first up are some photos of a lighthouse.





and now the sunrise (with a boat, and a wicked lens flare)



and finally, an awesome shot of sydney harbour whilst the clouds were rollin'in two days ago



ok, now it's time to change accommodation, and get a few hours sleep before crew call this afternoon.

see ya

kinda like texas...

it's been a little while since I've worked with top-tier crew on a large-budget feature.

the thing that I've been reminded of most, over the first 2 days of the shoot; is that we really are making a MAJOR movie. the crew is BIG, their tools are BIG, the locations are BIG; even the catering is BIG.

although I'm part of a SMALL department (3-4 crew), even OUR gear is BIG.

the reasons make enough sense when you break it all down and look closely.

it's all an attempt to reduce the waiting time.

So I'm pretty much going to be running the most amount of cable in my life on this job, just for the sake of saving a few seconds stress.

eg. run a mic cable 3 different ways onto a balcony, so that if the camera re-sets and swings around to look the opposite direction, I don't need to rush around re-laying the cable, I've already got a 2nd one at the other end prepped and ready to go. When they move inside, I've got the third cable already run up the stairs; ready to plug into, thus saving another few seconds of stress.

it doesn't make the usual stresses go away - Radio reception is getting crippled, quick - re-position the receivers closer to set; but it gives me something to do whilst my boomie is getting set-up, and means I'm ALMOST ready for any eventuality.

I've got a feeling that this blog may devolve into a simple recounting of my day (as I'm not allowed to mention any specifics, or take any photos on set); so I'm guessing that the posts may become less frequent... also when I lose my free-broadband (we move north on the 10th may) there's a good chance I wont even be able to post.

ok, time to go for a walk (it's my day-off, and I've already replaced both my cars rear tyres; at marginally more expense than if I'd replaced the busted one)

any suggestions, questions, or if you'd like to chat, email me ian@thompsound.com or phone me on 0414 468 413 (promise I'll call back if you have to leave a message).

see ya

...all systems go!

today was a good day.

first location shoot for the film.

first ACTUAL film rolled (it will most likely end up in the final edit).

first chance to see if all the equipment will work in-situ. (kinda does)

we pulled-out all the stops, and totally over-miked the scene (well we actually covered any potential outcomes; and were handsomely rewarded with not f*cking-up)

only toward the end of the day, as we had almost finished packing-up did I need to run around (rapidly unpacking small parts) helping to set-up for rehearsals.

okey-dokey, early day tomorrow

see ya

how to have a bad day.

it helps to start out waking up a little late (but not so late that it would make you relaxed as there's nothing you can do about it)

next, it's a good idea to have the horrid rain from the previous day stick around, and amp-up as you run for the car.

of course; no bad day would be complete without you reaching your car... in the rain... whilst running a little late... to find it's rear tire completely FLAT. not low, but flat. My guess is that in the flash-flooding during my extended drive home last night, I hit a stone (1/2 inch) and it lodged into my rear tire.

calling the local motoring organisation yields an estimated 75 min. wait.

all in all a pretty shocking start to the day, things can only go up from here; right?

well it does.

the NRMA guy called back within 5 mins; I had the spare tire (which was brand-new, and fully inflated) out and ready for changing. 5 mins later I'm battling traffic; which wasn't as bad as I'd anticipated.

arriving at the studios (within 15 mins of my estimated soft-call time), I find my security-pass ready to go (no more waiting in-line at the studio-gate....yay)

the day is a cruisy one, no major set-ups; a bit of sitting and waiting, nothing too stressful.

Lunch is skipped so I can battle traffic through the city and pick-up a replacement radio-mic transmitter and capsule from the "local" camera rental house/audio shop.

unfortunately I seem to have completely lost my sense of direction, and managed to take the wrong exit (just after paying a $4.50 toll), somehow I got onto the harbour bridge, and didn't pay another toll (so I guess I'll get a fine?), from there it was smooth sailing all the way.

the rain came and went, and came, then hammered us again, just as we were about to pack the trailer for our first (pre)shoot day outside on Thursday. again; fortune smiled pretty, and we were able to take the trailer into the sound-stage, packing inside.

a quick-trip home, to a new room (upstairs with a nicer view - it's now a brick-wall, instead of nothing).

wandered outside for a spot of take-away ($4 pad-thai chicken - yummm), then returned here to type-up my day.

tomorrow is undecided.

it's a public holiday (Anzac day) but we haven't yet decided if we'll go in and sort-out some of the excess gear.

okey dokey.

see ya

Ian

Rain.

Lots of it.

Lots and lots, and LOTS of it in Sydney today.

so much that drains were flooding, and there were traffic accidents that made my 750m drive home 45 Min's long.

today was spent sorting out equipment, repairing cables, getting to grips with the huge amount of gear, and ordering supplies.

I washed my car yesterday (just before the rain started ironically enough), and went for a little drive around the local area, as I'm still trying to acclimate to the city.

guess that's it for the moment.

Ian

changing attitudes

I slept in this morning. guess I was lonely, or bored

when I did eventually roll out of bed, I craved food, and an excuse to explore the city a little.

perhaps it was the sheer number of people scurrying around me as I walked throughout the center of the city, or maybe it was the lack of caffeine in my system (haven't had a coffee since Wednesday); but for some reason, I was getting very used to the idea of TOTALLY HATING SYDNEY. People aren't friendly in the centre of the city, there's an alarming number of them talking/texting on their phones whilst walking (it's a Saturday people, I don't believe for a second that you have absolutely, positively; got to make a phone call while you're walking), and for some reason the city just gave off a dirty/mean vibe. It's also not very clean (could just be that it was a Saturday afternoon, but there was a large amount of rubbish all over the central city areas).

Things began to change as I approached "circular quay". Sure it's kind of a touristy-place, but as I rounded the bend to be greeted by the world famous opera house, I started to get it. By the time I'd wandered through the botanical gardens and seen the hundreds of couples/families/groups all having an amazing day in the gorgeous weather... well I could start to see how people fall in love with the city.

I continued my walk, heading south-east toward fox studios; and although I was only 2-streets east of where I had walked into the city, everything was different.

sure, there were still hundreds of people yakking away on their phones, but they didn't seem to be as hurried and stressed. All the people that dressed-to-impress (whether goth, or bogan, or polished, or grunge-d; metro-ed, or retro-ed, or "what-the-hell-is-THAT?"), became a cosmopolitan mix of hundreds of little groups, finely defined and accepted (don't know which group I belong to yet - confused-medium-sized-city-film-technician-tourist perhaps?)

As I wound my way through some of the "better" inner-city suburbs, I could see the attraction of living here (although forget about parking a car on the streets... IMPOSSIBLE)

when starting out this afternoon, I was ready to hate it here, now I'm slightly changed in my opinion, I still prefer Brisbane (nothing compares), but now, after my 10+km walk, I can at least UNDERSTAND why people love it in Sydney.

NO photos this afternoon, as I felt it important to not focus on being a tourist (though I was scoping out the nice photogenic places - and I've got a feeling that It'll be quite fun with my camera in this city.)

Ian

Driving...

here's what I've learned from my little jaunt down the new england highway, from Brisbane to Sydney.

1 - 13 hrs in a car is actually MUCH longer than you think it will be (feels more like 24)

2 - my car likes to cruise along at 100kms/hr (almost seemed to get smoother as the journey went along)

3 - the new england highway is REALLY like NEW england (seriously it felt like I was driving through some slightly browner english fields) I guess it may have been the Yellow leaves falling, and the general rolling hills

4 - stopping and taking a break will actually make you MORE tired about 15 mins into the next part of your journey

5 - Driving into Sydney on a Thursday night in peak-hour traffic is NOT the best way to be introduced to it's road-system. ARRRRGH, which lane (of the 8) do I need to be in, was I supposed to take that exit that's just done a loop-di-do? ooooooh that IS a pretty harbor bridge, $3? where was my option for avoiding the toll? Why does everyone insist on driving so aggressively; when the roads are narrow, and in fairly shoddy condition? it's impossible to park anywhere, I hate this place... and you've arrived at your destination. Perhaps I need to buy a SAT NAV.

ok Pictures time,

first up is a shot of the stone-henge monument in Glenn Innes.



next is a shot of the rest area I stopped at when the pink elephants were swimming around my head too much to keep driving (I know that the pink elephants are more related to being Drunk than being tired, but I couldn't think of which animal circles around your head when you're tired, birdies are for concussion; hmmmm, perhaps I'm just too tired now as well.) also - if you squint, it ALMOST looks like a pink elephant.... no?



And now the view from the top.



the afore mentioned colours - since I couldn't pick, I've included two shots





ever wondered how the line-markings are made on a highway - well that truck at the front drives along at about 20km/hr spraying the dividing line, and cars try to overtake it on the left (of course if you throw a caravan into the mix, things can get a little difficult.)



Finally; a shot of what looks like the "tree of life" as depicted in the recent movie, "the fountain" (whose soundtrack in on in the background as I write this).



so I guess that's it, till next time

see ya

Ian

2 days and counting...

...until I'm off for 6 months.

G'day, it's Ian here;

Welcome to my "blog" for the coming few months, as it's marginally easier than the web-site to update.

I'll be a Sydney local for this production, so that means no allowance for accomodation whilst at the studios. Luckily this shoot is mostly up north, therefore production will supply transport, accom., and Per-diems (yay).

I've narrowed my personal kit down to a manageable amount of stuff. Unlike past jobs where I've brought WAY TOO MUCH and ended up regretting it; this time I'm going slim-line.

even though it's almost 6 months of solid 5-6 day weeks, hopefully I'll be able to get some exercise on my day-off, and avoid the "feature-fat-gain" that has plagued me on past shoots.

any way, keep checking back here, as I'm sure I'll post fairly regularly.

even though I'm not allowed to shoot any photos on-set, I'll be able to take some nice happy-snaps of where I am.

cheers,

Ian

as quick as it left...

Thompsound.com is back up again.

we now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

eewee

thompsound.com is not working

just a courtesy post to let everyone know my website - www.thompsound.com is presently not working.

I have no idea what is causing the disruption, rest assured - once my web-hosting company is finally contactable, I'll get it sorted out.

for the moment, contact shal have to be via Hotmail and mobile phone

0414 468 413
een0@hotmail.com

eewee

when it rains...

...now that I've finally got 5 minutes to myself, I thought an update was required.

Unfinished Sky finished at the end of October, and I moved onto a TVC for a week, that finished and I moved onto the last week of a soapie shooting twin HD cameras.

so in the last 3 weeks, I've worked something like 170hrs, on 3 very different styles of production.

Type 1 - single cam FILM (feature), to be honest, this is still my preferred way of working. You're doing dialog, there's a little time to get the lighting right, rehearse, and shoot multiple takes if you need to.

Type 2 - Single cam FILM (TV commercial), it's an excellent break from any stress, as things move quite slow, and the let's face it, the dialog can't ever run over 0ne minute, as TVC's are generally cut for 30secs. So it's not too taxing, the money is good, and the food generally excellent. The only potential downsides are the extra time that you're hanging around whilst things are set-up (I don't care WHAT people say - it IS tiring just hanging about on set)

Type 3 - Multi cam VIDEO (TV soap) - WOW!!! How people manage to work for months/years on these shows just boggles the mind. I was preparing for a little increase in pace, but MAN was it a shock.

no time to boom, no time to sort out the shadows, no time to wire up the actors, no time for re-takes, no time for wild-lines, no time to tell half the crew that their start-time and location have changed...Pull in that second camera to shoot a close-up whilst shooting the Wide Establisher...

Needless to say that I'm not a huge fan of type 3.

it has stopped raining (in my metaphor) and I'm now hopefully going to enjoy a short break.

knowing my luck, my professional life will mimic the weather and I'll be in another drought.

oh well

cheers and thanks for taking the time.

eewee.

photos - one of our camera assistants on Unfinished sky... well he got bored one day...



2nd photo = stand-in for the non-human thespian...

Week one

Went pretty well, not much Dialog yet - so a lot of floating a mic around getting Fx.

The location is nice, not too noisy, and aside from some rain which threatened to make the road out completely inaccessable, it's all been good.

here's a photo or 3.




Sillhouette of our AC



Photo of our 2nd AC, boy Do I love misty shots right now.





And here's a tree that resides on the location.

oh well, wk. 2 here we come.

Ian