By Brett Swain |Staff writerI got the opportunity to work on a film last July. This film is special to me, not only because I helped work on it, but also because it was entirely filmed in Augusta. Now that it’s been nearly a year after filming and the trailer came out last week, I wanted to see how some of my coworkers have changed since we worked together.Gary Nipple, a communication major at Augusta University, was a production assistant on set and said it was a rewarding experience.“It was the most fun I ever had," he said. "I loved the crew and the actors. Honestly there was times when dangerous situations happened in Augusta, warding off snakes, battles between creative heads, crazy ladies almost getting tazed, though these made it more enjoyable."What I learned about being on set is that I’m always on my toes and never stopped moving. Every second matters on the field and that was so exciting. The only thing important was the shot, and once you got it, it was amazing. If I ever had the chance to go back on set, I would take it in a heartbeat, because my will forever is to be a filmmaker.”As Nipple said, "every second matters" on set. It was crucial to quickly get the set ready to shoot. Seeing how much went into it, helped me see how important it was for everyone to take their jobs seriously and not procrastinate.Zach Sperry, another communication major, was part of the key grip team on the film set.“It was quite eye opening to see parts of Augusta that I never thought about going to," Sperry said. "It was fun to meet the people that I work with on set. It’s fun to think back how quiet everyone got with George, the sound guy, began recording. I learned so much about gripping as a career, as well as other occupations within film, that I look forward to getting out there to do more film work.”It’s funny. When I watched the trailer, I forgot every shot was filmed in Augusta. It was so cool to see that this film was entirely shot here.I reached out to Gloria Stella, who is the co-director of "Tulsa." She talked about filming in Augusta.“I lived in Augusta during my teen years and went to Augusta State University for a couple years before moving to Atlanta, so filming in Augusta felt like home to me," Stella said. "I got to shoot at several of the locations that I frequented when I lived there and I got to work with people that I originally stepped into filmmaking with over a decade ago (Brad Owens and Rick Kelly) and even had the opportunity to work with Denton Adkinson, whom I went to high school with at Evans High."The fact that Augusta is not as much of a production hub (yet) as Atlanta actually worked to our advantage. I rarely met someone or a business that wasn’t more than happy to work with us on the production from shooting at locations like the Marbury Center, the Pizza Joint and C&C Automotive to businesses like Fat Man’s Catering and Roux Catering that helped us with our daily catering needs. The Augusta Film commission was also instrumental in helping us secure government-owned locations and we were able to partner with a local church, New Life Church, that helped us in many ways as morale and logistical support. And I’d be remissed not to highlight the amazing people who lived locally in Augusta that worked on our crew, volunteered as extras and let us use their vehicles and motorcycles. The fingerprints of the people and places of Augusta are all over this movie and I believe it’s what made 'Tulsa' such a great success.”Everyone who worked on "Tulsa" praises the crew and actors. A lot of talent went into the film. It was certainly inspiring to see it up close. Stella remarked about how working on site for a film inspires students to grow.“Get on a professional set," she said. "I cannot emphasize this enough. Get on a set anywhere, any way you can, even if it’s just as an extra. I’m amazed at how many people try to 'rub shoulders' with the producers and directors on set, not knowing that it’s pretty rare that those people are going to be the people that actually hire you."The way you get on a set is by getting to know the other PAs (production assistants) and crew members actively working in the industry, because when they are in a pinch and they need to fill a position, it’s usually not the director or producer that is going to try to hire the entry-level position. It’s the other people already working in that department. In fact, that’s how I got my experience on big-budget sets. I got booked as an extra on several recognizable shows and got to know the production assistants that were stuck with all the 'background actors' in holding. I let them know I wanted to work on the crew and eventually, one of them called me back and got me on the set of an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie and I started getting booked on various shows in Atlanta before I moved into producing indies. If you get to know the right people and do a great job, you’ll be able to get on these sets and you can learn so much simply by observing and through that observation you can meet a group of filmmakers who are doing their own independent projects and get involved and try your hand at different positions. To be an effective filmmaker, you really need to understand the basics of every position in every department on set. You need to know the language and the protocols."Working on set is its own separate world with different 'unspoken' rules and vocabulary and when you get on a real set, it’s very rare to find someone who’s willing to slow-down to teach you the ropes at least on the big-budget sets. On independent sets like 'Tulsa' there is a far more laid-back atmosphere and I know for the sets that I produce, being able to provide opportunities to train aspiring filmmakers is something I’m passionate about making room for; but even then, set life even at it’s most laid-back posture is still 10 times more intense than a 9-5 job. So if you do get that opportunity or if you are hoping to get that opportunity one day, then learn all you can about what it’s actually like on sets. Google terminology, watch videos, take workshops, etc. ... Getting a degree in film is good. It teaches you the technical-side of filmmaking, connects you with the aspiring filmmakers and provides the opportunity and resources to try your hand at making your own projects, but it’s crucial for you to also know how to operate on the ground-level in the film world if you want to work full-time on professional sets or one day direct your own team of professional crew.”Working on "Tulsa" was the most unique thing I have ever done. I was so excited to be working on a film. When I started working, I got to see how much people it takes to get a film to be made. Even though I was a production assistant, no one on set had a small role. Everyone gave their full best to ensure that the shooting day turned out excellent. I also learned how much stress a film production has. There were times when everyone was stressed out. However, by the end of the day, everyone had each other’s backs. I learned how to be assertive and being more confident.
Contact Brett Swain at BSWAIN@augusta.edu.