One of my most unusual and memorable jobs came after a year of studying overseas. I was in my Program Director's office going over transfer credits when his phone rang. A film production company was looking for production interns for an upcoming film being shot in the area — The Vernon Johns Story (starring James Earl Jones).
This is also a story about being in the right place at the right time as he handed the phone to me — and by week's end I was on-set... but not as a production intern. At the time, I had a passion for vintage cars (and drove a 60s Ford) and they asked me to be the Picture Car Coordinator (I was also a stunt driver in one scene and a patrol cop in another (0:34)). The movie was set in the early 50s and my job was to find and secure period cards for filming in the pre-internet era and have them ready when the Director called "Action!". It was a hell of a lot of fun finding — and driving — these old cars. However, it was not easy.
One afternoon, while moving the cars hurriedly around the set, the Director sternly pulled me aside. He said, "I've been watching you all day and I have one thing to say: Slow down."... I replied, "I'm sorry, sir, but there's so much to do and I'm the only one here to do it". His response: "This is my set. When you look stressed and hurried, other folks pick up on that vibe. They become stressed and hurried. Others become stressed. Then folks make mistakes and people get hurt. It's not worth it. Get your stuff done. You'll be stressed — but act like you're in control. Don't let folks see you sweat. It's a perception thing."...
On the final day, you're there to present your work. To stand behind what you've been working on for fifteen weeks. Pull it together — even if it's just for the two or three hours of the review. Act like you're in control... and be confident in and passionate about your work. If you're not excited about it, no one else will be. If you don't look like you're in control no one will think that you are.
You'll be able to sleep soon enough.
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