{"id":38608,"date":"2024-04-01T15:16:53","date_gmt":"2024-04-01T19:16:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=38608"},"modified":"2024-04-05T15:29:30","modified_gmt":"2024-04-05T19:29:30","slug":"lights-camera-borrow","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/lights-camera-borrow\/","title":{"rendered":"Lights! Camera! Borrow!"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin bu-blocks-block-editorial-leadin is-style-default has-media has-media-focus-center-middle\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2100\" height=\"1181\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Douglas Cowell and Brad Fernandes test an LED light in the equipment room of COM Field Production Services.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner.jpg 2100w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-636x358.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-992x558.jpg 992w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-1500x844.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-1984x1116.jpg 1984w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-1628x916.jpg 1628w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-1366x768.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-1280x720.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-854x480.jpg 854w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2100px) 100vw, 2100px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLights! Camera! Borrow!\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Field Production Services loans COM students all of the video, audio and lighting gear they need<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-categories\">\n\t\t\t<ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/film-television\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFilm &amp; TV\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/student-work\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStudent Work\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">April 1, 2024<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/authors\/marc-chalufour\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMarc Chalufour\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div style=\"display:none;\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-inner js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t<h4>Share<\/h4>\n\t\t<p class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-title\">Lights! Camera! Borrow!<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-link\">\n\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" value=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/lights-camera-borrow\/\" readonly>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<label>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Copy URL:<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Copy<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/label>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">A few times each semester, red carts loaded neatly with cameras, lights, and microphones line the hallway of COM\u2019s basement. Film production students will soon swing by to collect the equipment they\u2019ve reserved from the college\u2019s gear library\u2014called Field Production Services\u2014and put it to work in class projects that will land in film festivals or launch industry careers. It\u2019s fitting that posters from COM\u2019s own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/about-com\/honors\/redstone-film-festival\/\">Redstone Film Festival<\/a> also line this hallway.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Field Production Services (FPS) manages thousands of pieces of equipment. Journalism students can borrow a digital SLR camera for an entire semester or check out a voice recorder. Advertising students can reserve lighting gear for a photo shoot. And film and television students can borrow, well, everything. There are diffusers and gels to control lighting; jibs, gimbals and dollies to create camera movement; and tripods, stands, clamps and sandbags to hold it all steady.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-bucom-light-gray-background-color has-background is-style-default\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\" style=\"flex-basis:55%\">\n<h3>FPS by the Numbers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Cinema and Video Cameras: 792<\/li><li>DSLR Photo Camera <br>(semester loan): 198<\/li><li>Audio Recorders: 501<\/li><li>Microphones: 986<\/li><li>Cinema Lenses: 1,656<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"449\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-numbers.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38643\"\/><figcaption>Photo by Derek Palmer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Any COM student who needs equipment for a class project can make a reservation, as long as they\u2019ve received training in advance. Brad Fernandes, COM\u2019s director of technology, says his staff fulfilled 2,971 orders during the fall 2023 semester, loaning students 15,800 pieces of gear. While film productions make up the biggest orders, there\u2019s a steady stream of students picking up and dropping off gear for smaller projects throughout the year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fernandes (CGS\u201999, COM\u201901) remembers when he was a student and COM had separate gear libraries for every department, each with its own rules. The system could be confusing for, say, a film student taking a journalism course. One of Fernandes\u2019 first tasks when he joined the COM staff in 2009 was integrating all of the gear into FPS. Today, the biggest challenge is keeping up with the latest technology while also maintaining a collection that serves as many students as possible.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe try to find the tools that can be used to teach students so that when they go out into the professional world, they\u2019ll be able to make that transition,\u201d he says. His staff&nbsp; stocks a fleet of modern cameras and is always<strong> <\/strong>planning for upgrades\u2014like a shift to 4K video, which has four times the resolution of the high-definition cameras that make up most of the FPS collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bret Upham, the manager of FPS, oversees the department\u2019s daily operations. A veteran of the Boston filmmaking scene and a longtime instructor at the New England Institute of Art, he joined COM in fall 2023 and brings an educator\u2019s eye to the job. More, and fancier, gear isn\u2019t always the answer, he says. \u201cIn a learning environment, you should start with the bare bones and try to get a good shot with that.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-fourths-2-2\">\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-dolly-demo.jpg\" alt=\"Brad Fernandes demonstrates a dolly set-up to student Jacob Lee.\" class=\"wp-image-38646\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-dolly-demo.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-dolly-demo-636x358.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-dolly-demo-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-cameras.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38647\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-cameras.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-cameras-636x358.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-cameras-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-fourths-2-2\">\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-lenses.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38648\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-lenses.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-lenses-636x358.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-lenses-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-shelves.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38649\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-shelves.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-shelves-636x358.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-shelves-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The students who reach Production III, COM\u2019s honors level film production course, know how to get a good shot. Now they want them to look great. Theirs are the most complex reservations the FPS staff receives. And in fall 2023, no project was more complicated than <em>Fr\u00e9re Jacques<\/em>, a horror-thriller shot on location at Lake Monomonac in Rindge, N.H.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The film\u2019s cinematographer, Mallory Holst (\u201924), says she visited FPS weekly that semester to test and borrow gear. \u201cI\u2019m kind of a gear junky,\u201d she says. \u201cI really like tech. As soon as I can get my hands on something, I want to know everything it can offer me.\u201d For the team\u2019s two weekend-long shoots, she checked out four carts full of gear, including specialized lenses and a slider for tracking shots. She estimates she borrowed $70,000 in equipment and had to rent a 15-foot U-Haul truck to transport it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-fourths-2-2\">\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"473\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-1024x473.png\" alt=\"Viewfinder of camera on set. Actors stand facing away from the camera in the center of the frame.\" class=\"wp-image-38610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-1024x473.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-636x294.png 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-768x355.png 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-1536x710.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner-1628x752.png 1628w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-banner.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-bts-pond.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-bts-pond.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-bts-pond-636x358.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/04\/comtalk-fps-bts-pond-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Fr\u00e9re Jacques<\/em>, which tells the story of a family\u2019s attempts to bring a dead child back to life, required filming inside a small A-frame house, outside on the shore of the lake and <em>in<\/em> the lake. \u201cOne of my main goals was to mix color temperatures\u2014mixing warm tones coming from the inside and cool tones coming from the outside,\u201d Holst says. \u201cIt really creates this spooky vibe and it creates depth within your frames.\u201d To film in the water, she purchased fishing waders and a waterproof camera housing. A stunt coordinator was hired to supervise and a crew member with lifeguard certification stood by.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">Several months after wrapping up filming, Holst and the rest of the <em>Fr\u00e9re Jacques<\/em> crew are making final edits, tweaking the colors and preparing to enter festivals. At FPS, the staff is getting organized to start the cycle all over again, as the next group of filmmakers prepare their reservations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A few times each semester, red carts loaded neatly with cameras, lights, and microphones line the hallway of COM\u2019s basement.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1654,"featured_media":38640,"template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"categories":[9,876],"tags":[163],"bu-publication":[],"discipline-type":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/38608"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1654"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/38608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38669,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/38608\/revisions\/38669"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38608"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=38608"},{"taxonomy":"discipline-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/discipline-type?post=38608"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=38608"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=38608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}