JUNE 4, 1996

Once again, the blood rushes to Toby Huss's head as he is strung up in the back yard. I ran upstairs and turned off the air conditioner so that there is silence on set. Now I'm seated back on the stairs in the lounge room.

Brendan Fraser turns sharply as Toby drops down behind him and says, "Houston, we have a problem."

A friend of Marshall (the Producer) walks through the house taking pictures for a magazine called Verandah. This house, even when not dressed up, is amazing,

Some days, like today, I ask myself, "Why I am doing this?" Seventeen-hour days spent on a movie set that seems totally removed from my career as a songwriter. Yesterday I started at 5:30am and was on my feet until 11:00pm. Two and a half hours after wrap. For someone whose day usually consists of getting out of bed at 10:00am, making some coffee and then heading in to the piano to start writing songs, this is totally out of the ordinary. Whenever I ask myself these questions or doubt my being here I always get the feeling that it is all for a reason. This has been proven on this trip many times by the lessons I've already learnt and the people I've met. I always seem to have these doubts within hours of getting out of bed in the morning. Obviously, my muso body clock is trying to tell me something.

As a kid, I always wanted to have a set of walkie talkies. After two days of having a walkie grafted to my hip and not being able to turn it off, I think the novelty is starting to wear off.


THE CHAIN OF COMMAND ON A MOVIE SET

The Director, Jim... he is the creative guy on set. So that he has to only worry about creative stuff, once it's time for filming, there is the First Assistant Director. This is Maria. Her role is to make sure that the set runs smoothly and the schedule runs to plan. Not an easy job with so many people with so much to do before a scene is shot. Lights, camera, makeup, wardrobe, actors, dogs barking, rehearsals, etc etc. Maria also calls, over the walkies, when the sound and camera is rolling. This is then repeated, shoutingly, by us the PA's so that all the crew are aware that no noise is a good thing. Otherwise us PA's get our butts kicked.

Working with the First AD are the Second AD and the Second Second AD. These positions are held by Max and Ritchie. These guys have to organise the Nitty Gritty stuff so that Maria knows exactly what's going on, on and off the set, with the actors and meals and hair and make up, ra ra ra ra ra ra ra... This is only one facet of how much organisation goes into making a movie. It still astounds me that there is still room for creativity with all this obvious organisation going on.

A lot of this goes on over the walkie talkies, and when it gets heated there is always some interesting conversation going down.

"Ready for picture."
"Rolling sound."
"Action."
"That's a cut."
"Checking the gate."

The production office still motors on, back in town. I'm glad that I'm on set where all the action is.