Technology leads the day

FADE IN: After the last episode I vowed never to work again for wannabe movie directors and PA’s masquerading as producers. Of course, this was completely ridiculous as I would have no hope of ever getting work again if I stuck to my vows. Anyhow, these were my thoughts, as I lazed in the sun “holidaying” on the paradise island of Koh Samui.

Waiting for your next job is always draining. On the one hand you are glad of the rest and, on the other, you are constantly worrying if the phone doesn’t ring. Normally, if I were in London, I would call some fellow freelancers and see if they were working and discuss with them whether business was slow or not. If business was slow, this would give me some reassurance that I was not at fault and hope that work would pick up again soon.

The problem with the industry I am in is that no one tells you if you have done a good job or not, so you don’t know whether you should be considering another career or just carry on working the way you usually do. Only experience it seems, and watching the reaction of others, can tell you, and, the big test, whether they call you again for another job!

Still no call from Polly, and I am reaching the point where I have had enough sun, sea and sand. I decide I should go back home and do the rounds of the production companies in Soho and drum-up some much needed work. The danger of being on location for a long time is that people forget you and they always assume you are away on a film and therefore, not available, so they never call. The truth is, it is often a simple case of “out of sight, out of mind.”

I book my return flight to London via Bangkok, call Polly and tell her of my plans and start to count down the days to my departure. It’s true to say I have had a great time in Samui and made a few friends along the way who live on the island. Despite it being very much a tourist holiday destination, Koh Samui has a growing population of ex-pats who have come here on holiday, fallen in love with the place and ended up staying, leaving their old lives and livelihoods far behind them.

After packing and handing back my old jeep to its owner I go off for one last walk along Bophut beach. At the far end of the beach, I stop at Zazen’s and decide to stay for a sunset cocktail. It is then that I discover I haven’t got my mobile with me. Somehow I must have packed it unknowingly. After the sunset and several cocktails later, I return to the dive shop and go up to my room. A message has been slipped under my door. It would appear someone has been trying to contact me. I rummage around in my rucksack for the mobile and end up tipping the contents onto the floor. The last thing to pop out, along with a pair of my dirty socks, is the mobile. I check the screen and see there is 1 message for me. “Call Polly” is all its says.

I call Polly back and she tells me to stay put. It looks like I have another job scouting for locations on Samui. Apparently, the word was out that I was in Koh Samui and Polly got a call from a production company asking if I could find a beach location for them. I expect the production company decided they could save some money by not sending a location manager out from London! I start to unpack my other bags whilst I wait for the e-mail that will give me all the job details.

I am surprised to find the e-mail is from Charlotte, an old friend of mine, who runs her own production company in Covent Garden. I don’t normally work for her as her company produces pop promos, most of which are shot in film studios.

The e-mail arrives and I look at the shot list and storyboard. I have never heard of the director, but surmise he may have been an art director as the storyboard is well drawn with a lot of detail and perspective. I expect this storyboard was used to sell the idea and, the director, to the client. The give-away here is there is too much detail in the drawings and the danger for me is the client will be expecting the locations to match the storyboard exactly, which is why it is never a good idea to put too much detail into a storyboard.