Evan Luzi

If you found me here from my Twitter / X account, thanks for making the trip!

You can also follow The Black and Blue blog account @theblackandblue.bsky.social

Producers need to chill with demanding paperwork so quickly after wrap. Like I just worked three different jobs in three days, all 10-12 hours, so sorry I didn’t have time yet to fill out your 8 page deal memo

Like I had a whole prep day and suddenly the hours that I have to get some exercise, see my family, and eat dinner before a 6 AM call time I’m getting a bunch of texts about things that I couldn’t do anything about anyway if it were an issue.

Please consider your crew’s personal time when you’re texting / calling / emailing the night before a shoot. I’m not always perfect on it either, but ask all your questions in one go. Don’t drip feed. And most importantly: if it can wait until the morning, then wait. #filmmaking

You love to see it.

Amazing support for their fellow brothers and sisters from @IATSE @ICGLocal600 members

10+ years into the film industry and the biggest skill I’m working on now isn’t focus pulling or camera builds- it’s how to manage a department and delegate to people working for me with respect and confidence.

If you want an indication of how on top of things a film production is, don’t actually reply to confirm receipt of the call sheet and see if anyone reaches out to you about it #filmmaking #protip

Producers: when you ask for dates for availability, please include the prep day, if there is one needed, in that conversation. Otherwise I hold the exact dates you ask for and sometimes we end up in a messy situation.

I know it’s part of the game, but all those little “chats” and phone calls for every job really add up over the course of a week and take away from my free time.

Had a dream last night where I had to put a crew member in his place for using half a roll of my camera tape to tape down layout board and cables without asking me if he could use it. My brain is preparing me for the potential realities of life as I sleep.

If your shooting schedule is dependent on everything going perfectly, you better budget for overtime #filmmaking #setlife

What’s the older technology: your cable box or the last teleprompter you worked with?

Under appreciated set skill: suppressing sneezes and coughs and learning to just tear up in pain until the take is over

One thing I did not expect at the beginning of COVID is that those most likely to violate the safety protocols (specifically masking) would be those above-the-line: producers, directors, talent. #pleasewearthemask #youmademesignawaiver

One of the great values of networking is not just getting more work for yourself, but being able to provide a solution to a client / producer/ DP when you’re unavailable by recommending someone else who is capable. They will often return the favor. In the end, everyone’s happy :)

If you want to know how seriously a production is taking COVID, pretend to “forget” to fill out your pre-screening questionnaire or send your test results and see how hard they come after you before the shoot.

Working on documentaries…

PROS: Meet interesting people, travel to cool places, interview setups are easy on ACs

CONS: SO much data, rates are lower, and, most importantly, scheduling is always a cluster that changes at the last second

Working with Sony Venice on firmware v6.01, AXS-R7 is on 5.0 and needs to be on 6.0 to work, but keeps failing on firmware update. Anybody have experience with this? Tried most of the obvious things already @SonyCine @SonyCineAltaEU @abelcine

I have yet to work with a Covid Compliance Officer who I felt has done a great job. Some have been OK, many have been outright bad. I know there are plenty of caring, motivated, and skilled CCO people out there, but I’m not finding them on my sets!

Covid compliance officer pro tip: if you’re more obsessed with sanitizing hands than people taking their masks off on set to eat and drink or sitting together at lunch, you’re doing it wrong.

There’s a confidence required to be a good data or film loader that translates really well to other tasks in camera department as you move up the chain: slating, focus pulling, framing.

Part of me appreciates having all the info in one spot and being able to see ahead for the other shoot days, but the other part of me has to check like 20 times to make sure I’m reading the right info / address.

Is it a UK thing to send these MASSIVE call sheets before a multi-day shoot instead of a per-day call sheet?

It’s been happening a lot where I get these 12+ page “call sheets” and it’s like reading a scientific journal to find out what time and where I’m supposed to show up

It’s easy to judge how busy I’ve been with work based solely on how much camera tape I pull out of my pants pockets at the beginning of each day

If you are a freelancer in the US, even unincorporated, you are likely eligible for a forgivable PPP loan to cover lost income from COVID. I have applied for a first, and now second, draw from the program and am happy to answer any questions. But you should consider applying.

The story of Reddit, “wallstreetbets,” and GameStop $GME illustrates the power of unions: individuals exerting their collective will to force corporations to take them seriously.

Have you ever had to dip out on a job but still somehow ended up playing “associate producer” for it? Like beyond the courtesy of giving them a replacement rec, but help facilitate that and then also answer random logistical questions that aren’t your responsibility?

It me.

Which like, OK fine. It's not really my job. Usually I give recommendations if asked, but let them do the busywork of placing the hold.

Anyway, I'm happy to dole out work to my friends, so I say sure. I find someone within an hour. I send their information.

3/

If you follow me because of #filmmaking reasons, I apologize for straying off those rails, but - among greater concerns - I’m also a little worried that the madness engulfing downtown DC is going to result in me losing work this week.

Incredibly disappointed and angry to see what’s happening in my city today. Real people live here, yes many in government, but many not. Most want to do good. And we’re being terrorized by a mob of hypocritical sore losers.