This morning, we got forwarded some guidelines that a photographer named Ruven Afanador sends out to all the assistants he's going to be working with. No, I hadn't heard of him either, but his website describes him thusly:"Ruven Afandor is an internationally renowned photographer of limitless imagination, powerful vision and profound sense of self. His work is distinguished by an opulent classicism nuanced by an irreverent point of view. His idiosyncratic visual language is informed by the fierce emotion and lavish style of his Latin American heritage, filtered by an exquisitly mannered elegance saturated with singular erotic charge."So, in a nutshell, he's pretty much the most self-serious person of all time. Imagining him writing that about himself in the third person is making me want to die. Anyway, here is the full text of the email. Prepare to feel really bad for anyone that has ever had to work for this guy:
"How one should behave on set! I send this to everyone that works with us for the first time. so its not tailored to you personally.
The following is a brief process summary of the way that Ruven and I work. I know you have a lot of experience so I'm sending this just to let you know its not a laid back environment. As the tech, the expectation will be for you to be polished and smooth and to have a nice presence."Ruven's process is fairly quiet and private. Its best to stay on the quiet side but be relaxed. I need you to be socially reserved in the beginning but assertive in regards to lighting and moving things around. Take initiative with the work but not with networking. Talking to the talent, clients is not allowed. Sometimes he will allow the assistants on his set while shooting, sometimes not. It's nothing personal. Ruven views his assistants as representatives of himself and his work and prefers that people are nice, polite and quiet."There is a lot of emphasis on the aesthetics of the set, the set is expected to be kept neat, a/c cables are tucked away or taped down in straight lines, there are a lot of duvatines put up, drink cups and plates are always disposed of regardless of who they were left by."No shorts, wear jeans or pants, no ratty t shirts or tank tops. Wear something nice. Also no smoking either. I need to know where everyone is at all times so after the shot ends I want to avoid a mass exodus where everyone goes to smoke."There is no talking while on set while shooting. Also no visible cell phones or emailing or texting on the job. This is a pet peeve of his and what sets him off the most is to see his assistants taping on their phones or talking. When you need to make a call or shoot out an email we can figure out a space to do this. Although he won't talk to you that much, he'll be very much aware of you and he'll want you to be a part of the team and be focused and attentive during the day and have a can do attitude. In terms of chit chatting the protocol is that there is a time and place. If everything is set up and we are waiting for the talent to arrive talking amongst ourselves is okay but if there is a lot to accomplish stopping to chat to the set designer or anyone else is not acceptable. You can say hi but its best to be seen working."I want to have everyone communicating and on the same page in terms of the expectations of the job and the lighting. I like that everyone is aware of the ratios and all the settings and what to anticipate. It's also important for me that everyone gets along and feels comfortable and wants to be there. I will explain exactly what is needed and what the expectations are and if there is any uncertainty just ask me."I will want you to maintain eye contact with Ruven and I so everything goes smoothly. I try to limit the chit chat as well. I am likening the experience lately to being a server in a five star restaurant. Always be on call and ready to jump in. We should never have to look for anyone and wonder where anyone is."ENDSAhahahahaha. As you can see from the video at the start of this post, the results speak for themselves. Of all the black and white photos I've seen of celebrities in front of a plain white wall with a blank expression, that one of Janet Jackson is probably the best one EVER.Follow Jamie on Twitter: @JLCT
Annons
The following is a brief process summary of the way that Ruven and I work. I know you have a lot of experience so I'm sending this just to let you know its not a laid back environment. As the tech, the expectation will be for you to be polished and smooth and to have a nice presence."Ruven's process is fairly quiet and private. Its best to stay on the quiet side but be relaxed. I need you to be socially reserved in the beginning but assertive in regards to lighting and moving things around. Take initiative with the work but not with networking. Talking to the talent, clients is not allowed. Sometimes he will allow the assistants on his set while shooting, sometimes not. It's nothing personal. Ruven views his assistants as representatives of himself and his work and prefers that people are nice, polite and quiet."There is a lot of emphasis on the aesthetics of the set, the set is expected to be kept neat, a/c cables are tucked away or taped down in straight lines, there are a lot of duvatines put up, drink cups and plates are always disposed of regardless of who they were left by.
Annons