WRAP DRINKS

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.

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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.

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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.

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Miami based Director of Photography Alexandra Taupier discovered her passion for film making while in school. Through mentorship and on set learning, Alexandra quickly discovered that she has a natural talent for camera operating. This boost of confidence from other operators and cinematographers helped pave the way for her career as a DP. Tune in as we talk with Alexandra about her jump into camera department, what it’s like to learn to pull focus, and her work on the fan sponsored YouTube series, "Cassius".

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This episode of Wrap Drinks is sponsored by Unique Producers Grip & Lighting based in South Florida. Thank you Unique for supporting our podcast and for hosting us at your wonderful warehouse. For more info on their grip & lighting rentals visit their website - https://uniqueproducers.com/

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A Florida based technician, Alex Chou marks the start of his career on the day he made an impulse buy on a camera. When he's not taking photos at Swim Week, he's working on set as a digitech, applying fast looks and ensuring that the client only sees the best take coming from the other end of the tether cable. Join us as we chat with Alex about what it's like to work in a city with a hurricane season and how he manages his work schedules when everyone is operating on "Miami time".

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This episode of Wrap Drinks is sponsored by Unique Producers Grip & Lighting based in South Florida. Thank you Unique for supporting our podcast and for hosting us at your wonderful warehouse. For more info on their grip & lighting rentals visit their website - https://uniqueproducers.com/

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A trained dancer, Emily's career came to a halt after an injury kept her from performing. Luckily, her experience in the theater world made the transition to film & television easy when she was offered a costume PA gig. Fast forward to present day, Emily is costuming for popular films like Scream, Halloween, and TV shows like Daredevil: Born Again. Tune in as we talk with Emily about what it's like to rebuild costumes for established franchises, collaborate across a bunch of departments, and how her experience as a dancer helps her design clothing for stunt actors.

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Chris Morgan & Andrew Lane's early days in production introduced them into the very niche world of Hidden Camera Television. They got their start as Production Assistant's on VH1's "Sledgehammer" where they discovered concealable tech, a market that they would become deeply invested in both technically and financially. After a few years of working together, they decided to start their own company, TV Boy, where they earned a reputation for capturing hidden camera, reality, and competition shows. Join us as we chat with them about what it takes to execute hidden camera shows from a technical standpoint, some of their successful prank shenanigans, and why they'll never get tired of filming the millionth shopper gag.

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Although he isn't a native Floridian, Gaffer Chris Hill has made the sunshine state his home for the last 15+ years, but that doesn't keep him from traveling for work. In his trusty van, he often finds himself on the road moving to wherever the work is. Not surprising for someone who nearly joined the circus before deciding to enter the film business instead. Join us as we talk with Chris about his experience working on the Oscar winning film "Anora", his approach to working with local crews when he's not lighting in his backyard, and why Florida is such an important base of operations for him.

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This episode of Wrap Drinks is sponsored by Unique Producers Grip & Lighting based in South Florida. Thank you Unique for supporting our podcast and for hosting us at your wonderful warehouse. For more info on their grip & lighting rentals visit their website - https://uniqueproducers.com/

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Dallas based Director and DP Alex Tellez has a made a career for herself by strategically curating her Instagram page. By posting the type of content she wanted to be hired to make, Alex found herself getting contacted directly by brands in the sports world to shoot, direct, and edit content for them. Tune in as we talk with Alex about the journey from her days as an intern to her current work directing a documentary for Salomon. We talk about the lessons she learned along the way and what choices helped her get noticed by brands she wanted to align her work with.

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Rian Johnson has been making movies with his friends since he was a kid. By the time he graduated high school he had amassed a portfolio of over 100 shorts. Though he says, "they weren't all great," his tenacity proved to be essential in his career.

After graduating he spent years looking for the money to finance his first feature, "Brick", which led him to make his own European romp-around feature "The Brother's Bloom" before taking off with "Looper". Today he's best known for directing whodunnit murder mystery films for his tentpole "Knives Out" series and producing other projects through his company T-Street.

The scale of the work might have changed, but Rian's love for being on set and making films with friends remains at the core of his relationships on set. Tune in as we have a chat with Rian about his career as he tries to convince us that he's a fan of our show.

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