saying 'butt out' politely?

[Blade Borge]

I recently did a church promo...for a church.

Anyways, I was kind of the brains behind it. I needed a shot of the piano player doing his thing.

Whenever I would set up a shot, he could come over and see how I framed it. Then he would start critiquing it, like he was the director, saying this or that about how I should frame it.

I'm no ego maniac control freak, but at the same time, I'm the one in charge of shooting and I wanted to be more assertive about not being subserviant to the talent.

So how do you say, "Mind your place," without sounding impolite?

 

[Batutta]

Say, "I don't tell you how to play the piano, so please don't tell me how to do my job."

 

[ZazaCast]

"I'll take that under consideration, but right now I need you to........"

Get your shot, thank everyone and get out.

 

[Steve Laramie]

I always hated that at weddings when wedding guests would look at my LCD and poke me and whisper into my ear. They are much easier to ignore then a 1 on 1 problem like that. Tell him you are going for a particular style and then he cant say anything without getting hostile which then gives you the right to say something more serious like Batutta's idea "I dont tell you how to play the piano"

 

[Jason Ramsey]

or, just go over and start telling him how he should play the piano

later,
jason

 

[Mike Harvey]

I would have told him "Thanks, but I'm going for this shot because [fill in the blank]". If it becomes an issue, politely remind him that you're the director, and you have a specific vision for this project. Not to say you should blow off every suggestion, but it is rather rude for him to critique everything and tell you how to do your job. If he gets huffy about it, point out that you have enough respect for him as a piano player and worship leader that you don't nit-pick every little thing he does, you would appreciate that respect in return.

Being an egomaniac is one thing, asking for basic respect from another creative type to do your job is quite another.

Church politics is always fun.

 

[Nathyn]

I had actors go up and operate my camera and watch playback on video assist while I was taking 5... Nothing more annoying, but the only thing you can do is just grin-and-bare it.

OMG, never had that happen. That's wild. I've had actors ask for playback but never have they come over and demanded or took it upon themselves. Wow. Some of the folks I know would smack them for touching their camera. LOL.

-Nate

 

[Rick Meyer]

Make a joke out of it. Smile and politely say, "this isn't a democracy".

 

[Jordan_S]

Sounds like he may be lacking in self-confidence in his playing or in the way he appears while playing. Compliment his technique if you can do so honestly.

 

[SonicStates]

Some of the folks <I know> would smack them for touching their camera. LOL.

-Nate

I might just be one of them.
Totally agree about non-confrontational approach during work though. Nothing good ever comes of 'getting into it' with someone while working. It's kind of hard though to say something like, "Thanks. That's an interesting idea. I might give that a try after I get this shot..." because it can kind of be an invitation for more "advice". However, better that than someone sabotaging your work or possible connections.

 

[gco]

Sounds like he may be lacking in self-confidence in his playing or in the way he appears while playing. Compliment his technique if you can do so honestly.

Jordan might be on to something there. Might be worth trying to herd him in a positive way, something like: "dude, with the framing, background and angle I've got, you're looking absolutely fantastic", "this is great, lets roll with this". Would have to be natural and convincing though. At least it would be worth the effort to avoid getting backed into a corner where you have to tell him to back off.

 

[Blade Borge]

Thanks for the responses guys, really helps give me a fresh look at things.


It could be a self conscious thing, but also, he appears to be a pretty artistic person, at least when it comes to music (very good piano player).

I guess this being a creative/artistic thing, it started to stimulate his thinking. Hell, I think that's great, but there were a few times when I felt like I was working FOR him, kind of caught me off guard.

 

[chris f]

Anytime he got near the monitor/lcd I'd say, could you sit by the piano real quick so I can check the focus/lights/framing, etc. until he would get tired of all the walking and stop coming over, ha.

 

[Charli]

"I will take that under advisement, but for right now, I need you to..."

 

[Austinv]

Well I have had that happen to me on more than one occasion. If im using the LCD I will always have a shade on it no matter what, that way no one else can see how the framing etc is unless its the director or whoever. No peering eyes = good shooting.

 

[unclebob6958]

If you are being paid you do what the client asks and charge them for it. However, the best approach is to politely but firmly tell the client that you need to capture what you need in the time allotted and then you will do whatever s/he asks in the time that remains. This way you know that you have what you require to edit it all together and keep the client happy as well. After all, you're the "pro from Dover" and you were retained for your expertise.

 

[mikkowilson]

We deal with this stuff all the time with Steadicam - often from otherwise fully experienced professionals.
Many directors seem to think it's ok to essentially hug the operator so that they can get close enough to peer into the Steadicam's monitor. And then there are the directors/DPs/etc that instead of verbally communicating their desires, simply grab the rig and try and point the camera where they want it. Common tactics there include offering them the rig to try on, or - in the case of them touching the rig or operator - simply adjusting your posture and sending the shot off somewhere complelty un-intended untill they get the picture that they arn't the operator.

I heard a story of a director that just wouldn't give the operator space to work, and during a running shot was right there running behind the operator at full speed looking at the Steadicam's monitor. Someone suddenly yelled out "stop" and the operator stopped, very quickly (as is the norm when someone yells stop to a Steadicam operator). The director didn't stop, and ran full speed into the magazine thus knocking himself out.


Sometimes you've just gotta shut up and take it though.

- Mikko