Marty Thornley » straight talk

Images from the 'Straight Talk' set

Marty — Tue, 05 May 2009 02:31:54 +0000

I recently worked with Horizon Intertainment as 1st AD (First Assistant Director) on the another installment in the ‘Straight Talk’ series of educational videos. The first episode was shot last August and covered the topic of STD education and prevention. The latest one is about Teen Pregnancy. These are difficult subjects to cover, requiring that a great deal of factual information comes across without being seen as a joke by a teenage audience and without losing their interest by being too dry.

Director Jared Bentley and the producers at Horizon Intertainment, JC Pohl and Erahm Christopher, have developed a take on the traditional educational video that worked really well the first time around and going by what I saw on the set, I expect the second to be even better. They have a knack for finding and casting talented young actors and combine that with an experienced crew that has worked together for years. Using a mix of reality and documentary styles the result is an engaging and dramatic take on the educational video.

Working a 1st AD on a film set can be one of the most grueling and demanding jobs in the film industry. Responsible for every logistical aspect of the shoot, the 1st AD is the one running the set and keeping the entire crew (even the director) on schedule. The 1st AD is the first to arrive and the last to leave every day, makes sure everyone knows where they need to be the following day and is the one person who keeps track of every minute of the shooting day. It sounds rough, right? And it can with an inexperienced crew. But this crew has been working together for years and the second shoot was even smoother than the first.

Here are some images from the set:

HRM Shoot – Pics from The Set

Marty — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:17:00 +0000

Here are some pics from behind the scenes at PSSI Studios, where we had the final day of shooting for the HRM shoot that I worked on as Assistant Director.

The set before any lights. I’m the one hidden behind a light. The other guy was our sound guy, Eric Storlie.

Here is Director Jared Bentley behind the camera. He shot the project as well. That’s me in the background.

Actor Mckinley Beltcher is getting a final touch-up from Helen Kalognomous.

Jared Bentley and Camera Op Scott Cronan. Eric Storlie is adjusting the mic on Actor Mckinley Beltcher.

Down time. Here I am again, taking a minute for coffee. Seated is Script Supervisor Rebecca Eguia, in the background is Camera Operator Scott Cronan, and all the way back is Actor Ben Jones.

HRM Shoot is Wrapped

Marty — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:58:00 +0000

The HRM shoot is done. The three days went off without a hitch. Working as a 1st AD can be an extremely taxing job with long hours and a lot of work just keeping everything in place and on time. But it is easy when you get to work with a talented and experienced crew that has worked together for years. Every day was ahead of schedule and we even found time to shoot a couple additional exteriors to help expand the look and feel of the project.

Horizon Intertainment is producing the project with director Jared Bentley for HRM , a distributor of educational videos.

I’ll add some pictures from the set when I can.

1st Day of HRM Shoot

Marty — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 06:46:00 +0000

Today was the first day as Assistant Director for Horizon Intertainment who is producing a project for HRM , a distributor of educational videos.

The day went great, finishing ahead of schedule with what looked like some great footage and performances from a talented young cast, lead by director Jared Bentley.