On set essentials
Every set is different, but there are a few things I always carry with me.
A pair of Birkenstock. Because it’s my trademark and it is so comfy.
My Sekonic lightmeter. Either the 508 zoom, the 758cine or the 358.
My Leica M9 - Even if I almost never have time to take fancy pictures with it during the shoot, it can help preview a scene, take stills to show a prelight crew what angles and light I want, show the director approximately what a scene will look like when shooting on film.
Different colors pens.
A Moleskine notebook.
One or two pairs of Rayban sunglasses. The polarized ones are awesome for checking reflections but it could make the image dissapear from your screen, so I have one normal pair and one polarized.
My gaffer glass. To check the clouds, point sources and judge the contrast of a scene.
A Chilly’s bottle with my favourite tea and a small metal cup.
My Iphone. I use it for many things on set. Mostly for its camera, to take reference pictures, that I can quickly edit with the Snapseed app. I also use its compass and the SunSeeker app. Sometimes, I’ll gather documents, moodboards and other prep files in the WeCollect app.
My Ipad Air. I’ll gather every file related to the shoot, and I use the Procreate app a lot to sketch lighting plans for example.
My Blue Handles.
An Eartec Intercom set of 5, because it keeps the set quiet and I love to make jokes on our private line. But more seriously, because it’s so useful and efficient to be able to chat with my operator, focus puller, gaffer and dolly grip during the take.
My TheNorthFace small duffel bag with everything I wear on set in double; an extra pair of trousers, extra underwear, one or two shirts, a shorts, an extra pair of sneakers or stronger shoes if shooting outside, a second jacket and a rain kit (K-way pants and jacket). Because you never know what can happen on set. Falling in a river trying to get a shot could leave you wet for the rest of the day. A production manager could spill all of their bearnaise sauce on you at lunch. These examples have actually happened to me on set. Thats why I always have a spare. And a winterkit if temperatures will be low. Gloves, hats, ski socks, fleeces… You never have enough layers when it gets cold on a shoot, especially if you’re not operating, sitting still behind a monitor while the steadicam op sweats in their vest.