Filmmaking and Where's Waldo

Filmmaking is sometimes just a big game of Where's Waldo.

There are so many cords and microphones and other equipment, that these items often sneak their way into shots. (All movies seem to be suceptable to this problem. Just take a look at the "Goofs" section for practically any movie at IMDb.)

For us, on Under Jakob's Ladder, it was all those yellow extention cords.

(That's right, we had extention cords that kept trying to make their acting debut.)

Often what you do to disguise a piece of equipment or unwanted object is to cover it up with something... put a person or piece of furniture between it and the camera. Of course, that isn't always the best solution, especially if the camera is on dolly tracks and has to move. Or the character has to move at some point in the dialogue.

As you can see in the photo, we usually tried to clip the cords up on the ceiling. Or we'd run them along the edge of the wall and cover them up with straw or a blanket.

But still, for each shot we filmed, those of us in Video Village had to keep a close eye on the screen to make sure "Waldo" didn't turn up! (Sorry, Waldo!)