Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1505029
32 PRODUCTION SOUND & VIDEO – Fall 2023 I'm certain the role of video assist will continue to change in the coming years. Evolving technology and innovative filmmaking practices will drive the importance of more Video Engineers working on set. I have no doubt that we'll see more responsibility in the future and, as someone who loves her job, I'm looking forward to all the new ways that I'll be able to contribute to the filmmaking process. Expanding the video department and integrating the Video Engineers working in this particular specialist field to that of creative director/collaborator is in my opinion needed to be made to set a precedent for us to follow. If you are working alongside directors, conceptualizing the shots with showrunners and needed to do on-the-spot edits for post production to follow the director's instruction, you are in essence an integral part of the creative team. There are lots of new lines of creative work being done here. The video engineering and technical challenges that we experience on set currently are very demanding intellectually and creatively. You are often the right hand of any director. We are heavily relied on and support the entire crew with our streams now. By defining these new technology roles, this will potentially enlist more Local 695 positions, it adds a layer of quality to any project. There are truly no downsides to expanding the video assist engineering team. We sometimes are the video wizards who create a magic miracle from our carts. We are the troubleshooters, the fixers, and the quality checkers needed while in production. We are the one-two stop shoppe and backbone for production. Therefore, our value needs to be known. Long gone are the days of just pressing the record and playback buttons. Our technology is ever-expanding, increasing, and manning up our departments is the most financially responsible decision that a production can make! On any given day, we can catch errors that could cost production hundreds of thousands of dollars and ample headaches. Otherwise, how much time and money is one willing to lose by not having a proper video assist team here servicing the cast and crew, streamlining the creative process for all. Not delegating enough manpower and funding in this department to function fluidly, well … that my friend is a double-edged sword that cuts both ways. Some of the cast & crew on Space Jam: A New Legacy basketball court on wrap day at Warner Bros. Studio Lot, Burbank, CA. Amber photographing on location with her company Silver Pix Studios in Block Island, Rhode Island. Photo by Melissa Arkin