WRAP DRINKS

You ever wonder how a beautiful "oner" gets shot? Well it's talented operators like BJ McDonnell who use their techniques and skills to capture those elaborate long takes. When he's not operating the steadicam rig, BJ works as the A camera operator on films like The Interview, Fall Guy, and the latest Naked Gun. BJ's love for working on set means that he's less interested in going to work and more interested in having a great time with the people he's working with. Tragically, BJ's home was destroyed by the Palisades fires in 2025. Although he's working to rebuild his life from scratch, he maintains a positive outlook on the future of his home life and the industry he works in. Tune in as we chat with BJ about how he got into steadicam, some of the BTS stories of working as a camera operator, and where he sees the industry going.

If you're down in South Florida, chances are your production has rented gear from Unique Producers Service. On this mini episode, we chat with Adam Roback, the Operations Manager and what it's like to work with local productions to provide equipment. We touch a bit on their history as a rental house, the importance of maintaining their gear, and their customer service approach.

You've definitely seen the stickers, Vinny Raffa has a posse. But for his day time job he's a balloon tech. Both he and Mario Pignard Jr. have been illuminating scenes from above with balloons for over 25 years. Tune in as we chat with these lighting techs about how light balloons work on set, the expectations from production, and how they collaborate with other departments to set up scenes.

Before he was working on nonlinear edits, NYC based editor Davy Gomez was taking the commercials out of VHS rips of his favorite TV shows. Today, Davy's resume includes work on music videos, commercials, and a popular TV show called "The Bear." Tune in as we pick Davy's brain about post production teams, workflows, bin management, and his methodology when approaching a project.

You know it goes. You make your first movie and you catch the filmmaking bug. Next thing you know, you're working as a PA and breaking into your department of choice and it's not too long before you're as grumpy as the guys that mentored you. For Dan Kanes, this trajectory changed for him when he went to see "Punch Drunk Love" and he fell in love with the look of anamorphic lenses. You would think the path to becoming a CEO would start right there but Dan decided to take a few side quests while also working as a set lighting technician. Join us as we talk with Dan about his side hustle of designing camera carts with renowned DP Erik Messerschmidt, starting the wireless video company Paralinx, and using the earnings from that company's sale to launch one of the most innovative lenses companies to date.