I had another shoot yesterday... One of the people on the last show gave another production my info and they called me up to grip for a three day shoot (for $50/day even!). I couldn't make the call on the first day (Saturday) but told the UPM I could do Sunday and Monday. So I show up to set (somewhere in Malibu Canyon) having no idea what the film was, how big of a production, or really any details at all. Turns out it is a pretty big show, with a crew of between 20 and 30 and being shot on 35mm. It is also a 22 page script with a three day schedule, which is friggin INSANE. 5 pages a day is A LOT to shoot on 35mm and they were planning for over 7! It wasn't long before I somehow managed to piss off the gaffer (I think he smelled my inexperience and he had no patience for rookies,) and was given the shit jobs if given a job at all. Then it began to rain which turned the large dirt lot that the grip truck was parked in into a muddy quagmire and in turn covered all the grips in mud and muck. To top it all off at about 7pm I totally fucked up my back trying to help heave a 400 pound dolly down a flight of stairs. I had difficulty breathing as my lower back spasmed away for about 20 minuets, then it got better only to return, much worse, as we were loading the truck. I didn't really feel comfortable with doing any lifting today (it was hard enough to get out of bed,) and a grip that can't carry shit is a pretty useless grip so I called the UPM this morning and informed her I wouldn't be able to make it to set today. Which really sucks and makes me feel like shit. I don't like not completing a job that I agreed to do, I wasn't able to do any networking on the set and my rep with the crew of that production is pretty much shot, and I was going to use the $$$ from the show to buy Jules an xmas present.

So all in all it was a pretty crappy shoot, which sucks because the last one was so good and I had so much fun. Oh well, there is always next time.