Eric Thomas on his experiences as gaffer with the Night Zero team
I met the Night Zero Crew at the Emerald City Comicon back in 2009. We chatted and discussed my potential involvement in the series, although it was not until September (when they needed to shoot the courthouse) scene that I got an email from Anthony asking if I could help.
As a gaffer who really only works on narrative films, I was amazed at the difference in workflow and the speed with which they were able to work through all the required shots.
When dealing with full-motion action and dialog there are many moving parts, where failure in any one of these parts will render the take unusable. The camera can bump or fall out of focus on a dolly or a pan. An actor can stumble over a line or start laughing. A light or stand can wind up in the shot, or have to be fiddled with to prevent that. The list of things that can ruin a take is long, and the workflow is such that it can take a couple of hours to light a scene before the first shot is in the can.