What exactly is a best boy or a grip? As the credits roll at the end of every film, listing the names of all the individuals who contributed to its making, many viewers have no idea what these people do. This book reveals the mystery behind the job titles as crew members tell their stories, explaining what their jobs are, how they came to have a career in filmmaking and their many experiences both serious and comic.
The author has conducted interviews with 33 accredited members of film production crews from many different American and British films. Each interview includes a brief introduction to the person as well as their filmography. Examples of individuals interviewed include: an assistant director, a best boy, a boom operator, a foley artist, a grip, a set decorator, a storyboard artist and a wrangler.

Writer and editor Barbara Baker’s long-time interest in film was enhanced when she spent eight years casting film extras for Central Casting Ltd., London. She worked on films directed by Richard Attenborough, David Hare, Stephen Spielberg and many others. She discovered her flair for interviewing while employed as the editor of Upbeat, the magazine for the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. She now lives in London, England.

Barbara Baker
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 251
Bibliographic Info: 72 photos, index
Copyright Date: 2003
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1679-0
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8019-7
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii

Introduction      1

Teddy Darvas (EDITOR)      7

Hugo Luczyc-Wyhowski (PRODUCTION DESIGNER)      14

Stephen Warbeck (COMPOSER)      23

Charlotte Walter (COSTUME DESIGNER)      31

Lisa Janowski (FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR)      38

Salvatore Carino (PRODUCTION AUDITOR)      45

Tom Nelson (PRODUCTION SOUND MIXER)      52

Angela Allen (SCRIPT SUPERVISOR)      59

Peter Cavaciuti (CAMERA OPERATOR/STEADICAM)      70

Carolyn Scott (SET DECORATOR)      77

Stephen Barker (POST-PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR)      85

Christo Morse (SECOND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR)      91

Mark Coulier (PROSTHETIC MAKEUP DESIGNER)      96

Jane Clark (STORYBOARD ARTIST)      104

Paul Wilson (VISUAL EFFECTS/MINIATURE PHOTOGRAPHY)      110

Susan Jacobson (CLAPPER LOADER)      119

Dennis Fraser MBE (GRIP)      125

John Gutierrez (BOOM OPERATOR)      134

Larry Prinz (GAFFER)      140

Helen Blackshaw (COSTUME ASSISTANT)      148

Kenneth Dodd (BEST BOY ELECTRIC)      153

Peter Hutchinson (SPECIAL EFFECTS SUPERVISOR)      157

Chris Lyons (SPECIAL EFFECTS DENTAL TECHNICIAN)      166

Jemma Scott (CONTACT LENS TECHNICIAN)      173

James Moore (MOUTH/BEAK REPLACEMENT COORDINATOR)      179

James Cosper (LOCATION SCOUT)      184

Will Scheck (GREENSPERSON)      190

Meredith Tucker (CASTING ASSOCIATE)      197

Diane Greaves (FOLEY ARTIST)      203

Richard Bradshaw (STUNT PERFORMER)      209

Karen Fayerty (UNIT NURSE)      218

Jim Clubb (ANIMAL SUPPLIER AND TRAINER)      222

Beccy Tiller (LOCATION CATERER)      231

Index      237

“gives movie lovers a glimpse into the world of the often unsung people who make movies…the stories you’ll probably never read elsewhere…an interesting volume”—Classic Images; “film historians can learn from Barbara Baker’s book that a great source of what really happens in film productions are the ‘little people’ at the bottom of the credit roll”—Film & History; “the behind-the-scenes anecdotes are many and varied, as well as revealing and informative…the author seems to have asked all the right questions”—Film Review.