October: Horror Stories
Welcome back to our Syzygy blog feature, where we solicit real-life tales from the frontlines of production and advertising. This month, we gather around the (metaphorical) campfire for some harrowing, spooky stories from the careers of our friends and clients. The inspiring and intriguing leaders from Curfew, Epoch, Hey Wonderful, Ruckus, and Ways & Means pass the torch and offer invaluable insight on keeping their cool when encountering the truly terrifying. Read on if you dare…
Tell us about a story from any production that was so unbelievably scary that it sounds fake. A true “all is lost” moment.
Years ago, on a dark and stormy night, a project was shooting on location at an old warehouse in Detroit. Right before the cameras rolled - a PA ran in - they found a body in an abandoned room of the warehouse! The building was cleared, and after the police showed up, everyone was relieved to find out it was just a mannequin buried under some blankets. I wasn't there for the shoot, but the frightening tale lives on in Curfew lore. - Kathryn Berk, Curfew
It’s funny because it’s my job to ensure that never happens. But also, there’s never an “all is lost” moment because there’s always a solution. There’s always something that can be done. - Lauren Skillen, Ways & Means
I was on a shoot with two celebrities and, for a bunch of reasons, one didn’t show up the morning of the shoot. Spooky. Not only that, the celeb said they couldn’t make it to the location indefinitely. The horror! Once everyone’s blood pressure dropped back down we decided to shoot the celebrity who did show up with a stand in. A few days later, we’d recreated the entire location on a soundstage in another city to capture and add the other celebrity to every frame. - JJ Adler, Ruckus
Do you have any boogeymen/problems that threaten to follow you from production to production?
Ultimately, if you're doing your job as a producer, you are really getting out in front of your Boogeyman. - Sarah McMurray, Hey Wonderful
The easy answer would be, “Stay away from the snack table,” but my biggest boogeyman is too many decks - so many decks! You can never find what you’re looking for. - JJ Adler, Ruckus
Each production has its own special apparition, appearing only when least expected. -Kathryn Berk, Curfew
Do you have any on-set superstitions? If so, what are they?
Not anymore, however I am very superstitious when bidding jobs! - Melissa Culligan, Epoch
This is not necessarily a superstition, but I always like to have agency with me at the monitor. Some people have lucky socks; I have lucky people. - JJ Adler, Ruckus
I have no on-set superstitions, but certainly in prep - the job's not awarded until the contract is signed, and if you book a non-refundable vacation, you will book a shoot during that window. - Kathryn Berk, Curfew
What’s a triumphant moment you’ve had? AKA a moment where you’ve vanquished the “bad guy,” solved an insurmountable problem, and come out on top.
There are a lot of moments in production where you have the option to ask a question or to raise an issue or not to do it right. Now, I always, always, always ask the question or raise the issue because it is shocking how many times where if you don't, that thing then becomes your boogeyman that will follow you for the rest of the job, in significant ways and small ways. I feel like, for me, those small moments where I shed a little light on something that could have gone wrong if it hadn't been brought to everyone's attention feels like a real success: getting out in front of it where it doesn't even get to be a problem and figuring it out far enough in advance that it doesn't hurt anything. - Sarah McMurray, Hey Wonderful
The biggest one for me, and probably for so many other people, was figuring out how to shoot during the early part of the pandemic when we couldn’t get permits or have crew on site. We were doing camera drop-offs at talents’ homes with the crew tuning in remotely, pulling focus remotely, directing remotely, etc. That was the most significant “We did it!” moment. We finally figured out how to keep the industry going in some small way. We just wanted to get people back to work and keep making content during that crazy time. - Lauren Skillen, Ways & Means
I made a short film that I wrote! I always find an excuse to be busy with work and not work on my own projects, so that was a big victory. - JJ Adler, Ruckus
“Oh my God, every job we've ever booked.” - Kathryn Berk, Curfew