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What is the Role of a Best Boy?

No, the best boy is not the most trusted alley in a preteen weeding entourage. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. In filming, the crew is divided into a number of departments with each department overlooked by a manager of some sort.

The gaffer, for example, is tasked with spearheading lighting and electricity while the key grip has the last say when it comes to rigging. The second-in-command in either case who works as the head’s assistant is the person who earns the title of 'Best Boy'.

In some cases, if it’s a girl, the best boy can also be called the best girl or best woman. That said, so why are best boys important in a film set?

What exactly do they do?

Read on to find out more.

First things first: Why they are called ‘best boys’

Now that we’ve established that the best boy is not a little kid running around onset, how actually did the phrase come about? Well, according to filming folklore, the term originates from the early days of filmmaking when those rigging up cameras, electricity, and lighting would scream for assistance yelling for others to send in heir best boy’.

In other words, the most qualified and proven hands in the crew for the specific task at hand. And so the term stuck persisting over the years on through to the present digital age. They are usually two best boys on set with one working under the tutelage of the gaffer and another playing second fiddle to the key grip.

What best boys do:

1) Help with the paperwork

The paperwork on set comes in thick and fast piling into heaps of information that needs sorting. This could be anything from deal memos and timesheets to equipment orders. The best boy doubles up as the crew’s secretary handling such matters and anything else that needs work paper wise.

2) Crew management

Sometimes the best boy is also requested to help out with the management, scheduling, and hiring of crews. If you’ve ever wondered who brings in the extras in movies, then your answer is probably the best boy. Aside from hiring subordinate staff, he/she can also assist in the creation or implementation of a coordinated schedule. Basically, the best boy is needed when it comes to matters around logistics.

3) Gear management

Gear management entails the ordering of gear as and when needed on set and ensuring exchanges and returns are effected according. The best boy approves of the inventory and, like with film extras, procures any additional gear that may be required on set for a particular scene or shot. He/she also keeps track of functional and defective equipment ensuring the latter are sent back if possible.

4) Assist with pre-lighting and rigging

This is perhaps the most important part of the job, as pre-lighting is a critical part of the process that ensures the utmost efficiency. On smaller sets, the best boy will do the pre-lights him or her self but on more technical layouts, he/she will schedule professionals to carry out the pre-lighting under his/her watch making sure the boss’ wishes are fulfilled down to a tee.

5) Represent the boss in department meetings

The representative of the department is also another of the many roles under the jurisdiction of the best boy, who represents the head when it comes to sit-downs with the Production Manager and/or the Assistant Directors. The manager will have a lot on his plate during filming and his second-in-command can get standard meetings out of the way communicating to the senior matters of most importance while taking care of what he/she can that doesn’t need the intervention of the superior.

6) Maintenance and repair of equipment.

Though rarely the case, there are some instances when the best boy also works as a makeshift handyman when it comes to determining cable runs, troubleshooting lamps and fixing broken gear. For complex equipment though, the best boy takes on the mantle of finding topnotch expertise.

A best boy’s greatest tool on set is not a pair of gloves rather a phone as he/she will basically be playing the role of personal assistant to the key grip or gaffer. They’ll generally help with the running of the team in either department and ensuring all related filmmaking activities of either side run smoothly while the head tends to other things.

If you’d like to work as a 'best boy', prerequisites for the job include adept attention to detail, strong communication skills, immense technical knowledge, and strong problem-solving skills.

(Photo by Obregonia D. Toretto from Pexels)

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Is Artificial Intelligence the solution for video buffering?

Technologies powered by Artificial Intelligence are being introduced in almost every domain. From AI-based eCommerce stores to smart home assistants like Alexa and Google home, the plan is to smartly automate all that human can do.

Automation is not new to humanity. We have been programming computers and software to perform specific tasks for a long time. The difference that comes with AI in those machines is now they can perform much more than what they have been programmed for.

Simply, they can learn new things and take non-programmed decisions by mimicking human intelligence. A simple example to differentiate an AI-based machine could be seen in event-driven chatbots and AI chatbots.

Where event-driven chatbots can answer only those queries which have been programmed, AI chatbots can utilize Machine learning and Natural Language Processing to give a smart answer to even those queries which has not been programmed in them.

Here in this article, we have focused our discussion on the application of AI in video streaming services. By the end of this article, you would be able to comprehend a complex structure of AI-based optimization on how to stop video buffering problems in streaming services and ways to offer an optimized user experience.

Smart video recommendations in Netflix

Using Deep Neural Networks in Netflix’s video recommendations algorithm, the video streaming service can learn complex browsing patterns of the users on all the supported platforms and provide cognitive video suggestions for further browsing.

Dynamic video highlights in Netflix and YouTube

Both YouTube and Netflix use a high-level AI to generate video previews and highlights for two different reasons. Netflix generates dynamic video previews of selected videos on its Smart TV applications and WebRTC platform. Youtube allows live streamers to automatically generate highlights of the whole live sessions. You can create a shorter, edited version of your live stream session right after it's over.

Dynamic video content tagging

Both YouTube and Netflix utilize AI-based content tagging based on the manual tags provided. The feature helps the platform to group related content and offer more personalized video recommendations in addition to better search results for a performed search query.

AI-driven push notifications in Netflix

Netflix uses machine learning to analyze video browsing behavior of the users. Based on different activities the platform can automatically trigger behavior-based push notifications. For example, it can remind a user to finish a movie that has been started but left in the middle.

Dynamic auto-captioning in YouTube

To make the video content accessible to all viewers, YouTube uses AI-based Natural language processing to recognize speech and automatically create live captions on the videos.

AI-based live stream moderation in YouTube

YouTube has embedded its AI-based chatbot "Nightbot' in live streaming chats. Nightbot allows streamers to automate live stream's chat with AI-based moderation.

The problem of video buffering

In an era of 4K video streaming, if some video streaming services are still stuck with problems of video buffering, survival in the market is definitely questionable for them. With a boom in the accessibility to high-speed internet and high-end smartphones, online video consumption has grown exponentially. However, video buffering can destroy the whole experience and force users to find some alternative.

What is video buffering?

In simple terms, video buffering is the time that online videos take to play after a playback is requested. The buffering can take place before the playback or even in-between the playback. 

What causes video buffering?

Buffering occurs for several reasons. However, a perfect condition for videos to start buffering is when the streaming device, for any random reason, is not able to get enough data from the streaming server to build a playback.

The failure in data collection from the server could happen because of any random reason such as –

• Insufficient bandwidth due to slow internet connection between a streaming device and streaming server.

• Insufficient RAM in streaming device for collecting buffered data in advance.

• High latency due to lack of enough streaming servers in nearest geo-locations.

• Heavy load due to too many requests on a single streaming server in nearest geo-locations.

• Slow website or app hosting server.

• Inefficient graphics acceleration by streaming device.

• Malfunctioning of video codecs and plugins on the streaming device.

• An interruption in routing due to un-optimized fire-walls and antivirus applications.

• Hardware compatibility of a streaming device to play certain video formats.

How to stop video buffering issues with AI?

In this era of AI-based auto-driving cars, a complete automation of video streaming process is not a vast task. In fact, researchers have found many ways to curb the above causes of buffering and ensure seamless video streaming. Filmmakers spend hours and many dollars on high end camera equipment. But that won’t make a difference, if the end user can’t watch the videos in high quality.

With AI and machine learning, video streaming networks can dynamically calculate the requirements of time, bandwidth, server consumption, and video formats for a buffer-free streaming on an array of devices, networks, and geo-location. 

Vertical and Horizontal server scaling

There are two ways to avoid heavy loads on servers and stop video buffering while streaming. One is getting a huge scale dedicated server and second is hosting on a CDN powered with scalable cloud servers.

With fixed large-scale servers, you might get an uninterrupted streaming capability during busy hours. However, the cost of renting such servers is really high. In fact, it is impractical for small and medium-sized businesses. You would not require large-scale servers everything; only except for the peak times. So why would you pay the huge cost even during the times you are not using the servers in full-scale. 

On the other hand, there are AI-based cloud servers from providers like Microsoft Azure, Amazon cloud, and Google. These servers allow dynamic upscaling and down-scaling of server consumption as per the requirements. They are affordable, as they charge only for the consumption you make during the whole process.

Using AI, the servers predict the increase in resource requirements, and upscale or downscale the resources both vertically and horizontally to reduce the delay in response time. The process takes place something like in this sequence –

Condition 1- Normal Server consumption

Condition 2 - Increased requests due to heavy load

Condition 3 - Server re-allocated resources as per new requirements.

Condition 4 - Server back to normal consumption after peak time

Dynamic bit-rate algorithm switching

Online videos are often encoded in multiple formats and resolutions to allow buffer-less streaming in multiple bandwidths and across devices. Users get the option to select preferred streaming quality and video is rendered to their devices in the requested formats. However, often times, users select HD qualities. As a result, if a user is not getting enough bandwidth, the video will start buffering to retrieve required data packets for resuming the playback. 

To tackle this, streaming engines utilize AI for dynamically predicting the bandwidth, device compatibility, and other congestions, before buffering the exact amount of required data. This whole process can coordinate by a streamlined communication: Streaming application can be configured for aggressive high-quality videos, but it will increase the chance of re-buffering. Alternatively, the application can be set up for more downloads up front and reduce the rebuffer chance at the cost of increased waiting time before video playback starts.

AI in streaming applications is responsible for selecting the above conditions smartly as per the requirements and preferences of the users. However, it is a challenge for AI to learn all the optimal controls algorithms and utilize machine learning to predict which algorithm is best to stop buffering at a given condition.

This is how dynamic bitrate switching works on an MS Azure powered streaming server-

Image source: azure.microsoft.com

AI-based video caching

AI-based video caching can helps streaming application to stop video buffering by smartly predicting the content most likely to be played by a user in a certain time frame. Using the predictions, the application can buffer a significant amount of data before a user clicks on the video. In this way, the user will get an instant playback with advanced caching of video beforehand.

The AI in such applications is responsible for accurate predictions based on deep learning and smart allocation management of cache with dynamic pre-buffering and clearing of used video caches.

image source: solace.com

Video cache is managed by the streaming engine where it collects the cache and stores on the data center to instantly feed the video on request.

Dynamic OTT delivery with IP congestion handling

One more way to stop video buffering is to smartly select the routes for packet delivery. The packet delivery is however controlled by following different IP protocols in a given scenario.

AI can dynamically optimize the protocol selection to compress codecs and optimize network data packet transfers in a given bandwidth or server load.

Additionally, AI can also use complex mathematical calculations to smartly choose the over-the-top (OTT) delivery route by avoiding the congested and unstable routes to deliver the data packets on the streaming device.

Conclusion

AI uses machine learning to learn new ways to do the same task. With time, AI-based approaches get more accurate and perform tasks without error. AI at the different levels of streaming services is still a new concept.

Many have already adopted the smart capabilities while others are in transition. If you are still wondering how to stop video buffering when streaming, just understand that an optimized resource allocation is the only approach to do it, and that's what AI does by utilizing only required amount of resources for a particular playback.

Resources could be anything from server consumption, requested bit-rate, supported video resolution, and required internet bandwidth to appropriate IP protocol. Ultimately, a streaming business can only succeed if is able to offer buffer-less streaming with highest possible video quality in a given condition.

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4 Tips To Help You Begin a Documentary Film

In the documentary world, it’s fairly common to fall into the journalistic route and shoot a “news” piece rather than a film.

Often times, filmmakers find these incredible stories but the subjects are not willing to let access into their lives in a meaningful way over a long period of time.

Or sometimes you really want to make a film but you don’t have any stories in mind and you don’t quite know where to put your focus on.

The good news is, documentary filmmaking is messy. The stories will often change, subjects will bail, and you’ll encounter thousands of problems on the way. But that’s purely what makes this world fascinating and fills filmmaker’s hearts with eager to pursue more.

When beginning pre-production on a film, there are multiple things to think about. I’m personally guilty of trying to juggle everything so we can move fast towards production, but really the beginning of the fairytale is vital to make your movie a good one.

This has helped me produce and be part of amazing projects, like this one:

With that, here are four lessons I learned the hard way to help you begin your Documentary in a clean and effective way:

Finding a Story

Here’s to state the obvious: without a story to tell, you don’t have a film. But that’s to be hypocritical because I know often times, stories aren’t that easy to find. That’s why my number one tip is to find an idea rather than a story.

Life is full of interesting people and topics, so there isn’t a limitation to where you can find something.

Some of the best Docs out there normally resonate with larger social and cultural issues.

So ask yourself: what are you passionate about? Is there a topic you really want to know more about?

Do you have a passion for helping a certain community or organization?

Once you have an overall idea, it becomes much easier to narrow down a story. You begin finding subjects working within the topic, situations and problems arising, and simple communities and pure lifestyles.

Another place to find incredible stories is by looking in the media on a daily basis.

A lot of publications have these incredible stories that could be turned into much larger ones.

Getting Access

This is probably the trickiest part of a film, especially if you have no prior relationship to a community or person.

But nonetheless, wouldn’t it be super cool to have someone random call you out of nowhere and say they wanted to make a film about you?

Well, that’s pretty much your job! Once you know who you want the subjects of your film to be, you research how to get in contact with them and you reach out.

It’s important to be transparent and honest from the very beginning, but also to not rush things out. State your goals, allow them to get to know you, ease into building a relationship with your subjects, and never film on the first meeting.

Instead, have a conversation like two humans before moving forward with anything.

I remember once working on a short documentary that happened overnight, and we didn’t have enough time to get to know our subjects.

We met them 5 minutes before beginning to shoot, and throughout the whole piece you could tell they were hesitant to share much with us.

They were shy on camera and acted far from normal. After we had finished filming and we grabbed dinner with them, they opened up in such a way that I literally had to pull out my phone and record what they were saying for extra sound-bytes.

We’re all human, cameras are pretty intimidating!

Building Trust

Once the subject has given you permission to begin a film with them, it is vital to build a trust relationship. At the end of the day, they are the ones who are going to be moving your story forward and they can vouch for you.

Be available and stay in touch. This one takes time, because as a filmmaker you want to develop a trust but also a professional relationship. But often times, subjects will want to truly treat you like a friend.

So being in touch before and after shooting via social media or just simply asking them how they are doing builds a strong compassion between you both.

Take time to hang out with them. Often times journalists and filmmakers will shoot and scoot. When you do the opposite, it shows your subjects that you are genuinely interested in getting to know them.

Finally, show your work to them for credibility. Sometimes, in the indie world, it’s even ok to show your film before you show it to the public (obviously dependent on contract).

As long as you have some consent in that the subject does not have any powers to change the story, it shows you care about their reaction before the public’s.

Telling Your Story Honestly

Finally, be true to yourself and your story. At the end of the day, us filmmakers are doing a subject or a topic justice by telling their story in the most honest way possible. A good way to think about it is that you are representing their story to the outside world, without a preconceived notion.

At the end of the day, its your subject’s job to educate an audience about a topic they know nothing about.

That being said, I stick to my original statement that documentary filmmaking is messy and can get messy.

While we try and remain ethical and true to our work, things change and people change, so without further ado, my last tip to prepare you for your film is:

 Be prepared to abandon all of the above!

 

Author Bio:

Beatriz Browne is a NYC based Producer and Documentary filmmaker specializing in multimedia digital storytelling. Some of her work includes Documentary series for Fatherly, “My Kid The”, and “Passing the Torch” in a collaboration with Hearst Media. She is also currently producing her new documentary film “The Monster of Carmine Street”, which is set to circulate festivals in early 2019. Her work has been recognized by major publications such as Upworthy, Babble and PopSugar.

www.beatrizbrowne.com

Twitter: @brownebeatriz
Instagram: @biabrowne

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Zeiss Lens vs Leica Lens: Which Brand is Better?

Zeiss or Lecia lens? Which premium lens should you choose?

It seems like a simple enough question but it is the furthest thing from it with many among photography circles torn as to which variety proves superior of the pair.

The difference is often marginal and today we’ll put both types of lenses under the spotlight to find out which one edges this race as we take a look at the Zeiss lens vs Leica lens showdown.

Build quality

Zeiss models have a robust body and architecture that fares better than a number of rangefinder lenses made in the past century, however, they just come up short to the build quality of the Leica that is more compact and durable.

The chrome and mounts detach too easily hence this lens tends to loosen up extremely quickly which poses longevity issues.

Furthermore, the black alteration of Leica models seems more elegant than the obsidian shade of Zeiss varieties that come off as not very good.

Aperture ring stops

Zeiss lenses often incorporate 1/3 stops compared to Leica’s 1/2 stops and the former is actually preferable of good lenses as they offer more clicks within a single range.

This means that Zeiss lenses tend to allow more light to the sensor making the detail on dark areas of the images stand out. Also, 1/3 stops allow a finer transition of exposure compensation in comparison.

All in all, this difference is almost unnoticeable but still notable nonetheless.

Lubricant differences

Leica also emergences victorious on the lens lubricant front as their lubricants tend to also be better than those of Zeiss’ lenses.

As a result, the focus ring of Zeiss tends to stiffen a bit during the colder days of the year as the lubricant easily freezes; problems unheard of with Leica lenses where the lubricant is of top-notch quality and will last you a good couple of years without any difficulties.

Bokeh

Zeiss lenses tend to have a busy bokeh which means the quality of its out-of-focus surrounding is usually not up to par and this is normally down to the fact that these lenses are often hypercorrected.

Leica lenses, on the other hand, do a commendable job of bringing out the detail in those areas not focused on by the camera. Consequently, the latter is the go-to variety in telephoto and macro lenses and basically any other case that involves a shallow depth of field.

Design flaw

The grip ring of most Zeiss lenses is quite shallow milled and is almost in line with the focus ring which makes detaching the lens from the mount a cumbersome task.

Conversely, Leica products tend to encompass a slightly larger diameter for the grip ring in comparison which makes removing the lens a lot easier and hassle-free.

Image quality

Image quality naturally differs from one model to another within either brand however Leica tends to fare better than their Zeiss counterpart in terms of color and contrast.

The shades of Leica lenses usually have more vivid colors while the contrast is a bit richer than what you would get with a Zeiss lens of almost similar attributes.

On the flipside though, Zeiss lenses tend to produce a bit more sharpness in images than Leica varieties.

Coding

While Leica lenses are mostly codable, Zeiss models on the other hand are usually not and can’t be as the manufacturers solely made them for digital purposes.

In the rare cases where you can, the coding is usually a tough affair to say the least and most of the time you’ll have to make do with manual resets.

All in all, this aspect proves a matter of convenience rather than necessity.

Service and availability of parts

Zeiss services are often centralized and costly and while Leica service is also centralized as well, it is not as expensive.

Moreover, they have a good track record of maintaining repair parts and, for example, if you are in search of a 1959 M3 shutter speed dial, then you are sure to find a replacement with Leica.

So if your lens becomes faulty even a decade later for one reason or another, Leica are certain to have a replacement for you.

Final verdict

While comparing these lenses from a general point of view is quite unsatisfactory as there are different models within either brand with varying qualities, Leica nonetheless prove the better choice. Zeiss lenses are also not bad as they offer good value for money but overall they come second-best in this Zeiss lens vs Leica lens battle.

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