Hi Reader,

Fred arrived late last week, just in time for me to deploy him on his first shoot.

He showed up in a box - arms, legs, torso, and head all detached like some kind of macabre mafioso warning without the blood.

Putting him together was awkward. One arm on, the other would fall off. One leg stayed attached to his waist, while the other got screwed on. His head pivots on a short tube extending from his torso, and often flies off. All the attachments were kind of cheap and plastic, with threads that were already failing me.

I set him up, threw a shirt and hat on him, and left him in a chair in my office. He looked real enough to scare every member of my family, including my dog. I even did a double take later that day.

Fred's parts

New poker buddy!

As I prepared to bring Fred to his first shoot this week, I soon realized all I really needed was his torso and head.

This allows him to sit perfectly on a chair, about the same height as a medium-sized real human.

I've dreamed of having a Fred for years. A somewhat portable stand-in that I can use to frame up shots and even get the lighting started. I'll no longer have to bug my busy sound mixer, grip, PA or makeup artist every time I need to see the potential shot.

As I always say, it's hard to light air.

I just plop Fred in the chair, turn his head where I want it, and frame away. I like his face because it's really 3D, with a protruding nose, eyes, eyebrows, etc. His skin is unfortunately only one color, and I'm not sure its reflectance value matches human skin, but it's not bad.
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Plus he never complains, doesn't require lunch, and works for free.

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I'll soon be getting Fred a few wigs, a variety of male and female tops, and maybe add a baby pin at the bottom of his torso so that I can connect him to a C-stand.

His real value might be the comic relief he'll bring to our shoots. I can already see him riding on the front of our Magliner cart. You can also put him in your passenger seat for HOV lanes, but don't tell the cops I suggested it!

It took a little research to find a cheap mannequin that came close to fitting the bill - this one is the closest I could get. But do your own research, you might find something better. if you do, please let me know!

In other news, tonight I'm co-hosting the launch of the Denver Hub of the Video Consortium - a worldwide documentary filmmakers group. We're throwing a little rooftop party at our local PBS affiliate to introduce Video Consortium to Colorado.

If you don't know about the Video Consortium, they are "The leading nonfiction video network, supporting a vetted global community of visual journalists, documentarians, creators, and newsrooms across more than 850 cities and 90 countries."

VC is a fantastic group, with weekly emails sharing local screenings, workshops, and gigs from around the world. Even though they've been around a while, I just learned about them last fall. I also learned they didn't have a hub here in Denver, so I've been coordinating since then to get one set up.

Amazingly, it only costs $10 to join at the basic level. You can learn more here: Video Consortium. No matter where you are in the world, it's worth it!
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That's a wrap for this week's Freelancers Friday. I'll see you back here next week with more real-world lighting breakdowns, freelance business tips, and behind-the-scenes fun.

In the meantime, I hope you have a great weekend. And happy lighting!

​Cheers,

Tom Miller
​Freelancers Film School