Taj Teffaha

Hey David... Hope you are well? Thanks, I really appreciate the compliment. I'm glad it's finally out on DVD. Thanks again for coming in and helping out. Thanks Jerry as well. Hope you enjoyed the movie? As per the Don Juan over walking backwards (funny you mentioned that). I did try both in the rehearsals. I thought switching to Don Juan before the stairs was the way to go. However, I quickly came to realize backwards was the better way for a few reasons. First, the hand rail at the top of the stairs extended a couple of feet past the last step to the right. So when I first switched to Don Juan before the turn down the stairs, I found myself just ending up backwards again to clear the railing. This coupled with the fact that I had to throw the rig hard left and tilt up at the same time was just too awkward in Don Juan. That move had to be as precise as possible too because all the lighting was on the roof. I did nip one but it goes through pretty quick. Next, the stairs were a little on the scary side of being too steep. So naturally and seconded by our key grip, Vidal Cohen, it was much easier for him to spot me down the stairs if my back was to him. On one of the takes, he carried the first assistant because he missed a step (Kept it in focus all the way down)... Another reason, because the stairs were steep, I had the sled extended all the way up on the way down to not shoot up there noses. In Don Juan I would have lost sight of the monitor and more importantly my footing. I have to add that having an onboard recorder saved me that night. So much of this shot was dependent on the choreography of the background. The only way to catch it all and make small adjustments in the timing was in the playback. We had the night set aside for this shot only, so we had time to review each shot. Cheers

Is there a link to the shot so we can check it out??? Hey Mike, Unfortunately I don't have a link yet. I am trying to get a copy. For now it's just in the theaters. Great date movie :) By the way, it was a pleasure to work with your mom recently on "The Mentalist". Cheers

Hey all Just wanted to see if anyone has seen the opening sequence in the movie "Spread" staring Ashton Kutcher. D.P. was Steven Poster. I am very proud it. Really happy they kept it as a oner. We all know how our shots get chopped up. The movie was shot last spring. Opening sequence through title and the club scene were Steadi. We did fifteen takes. Take ten was the winner. Cheers, let me know what you think.