Updated 1/21/04

Define Yourself

You have a creative mind and choose to work in entertainment. You know your way around a film set or a stage or an amphitheatre, but you also know your way around a spanner, a multimeter, a flyrail and a light meter. You will work anywhere, but you live in Orange County. Your ideas clamor for public recognition while your mechanical prowess prefers to remain behind the scenes. You are a technician, and you are not alone in Orange County.

A quick look through the Encore Directory turns up scores of technicians who live in Orange County. Even so, it often feels like much of the available work remains firmly seated within the Los Angeles 30-mile studio radius. Like many of my technician friends, I prefer to live outside of LA, even though it is often difficult to find work.

Part of our goal here at OCshowbiz is to create channels of communication within our generally disconnected community. Perhaps the biggest hurdle to this is the very nature of our business – we are all in competition with each other. It is possible, though, to share experience without compromising the contacts we have all struggled to make.

There are two initial goals for this column. First, to build a community of Film, Television and Theatrical Technicians in Orange County. Second, to encourage this community to use it as a sounding board for itself. We should all have a place to talk about what it means to be a Technician in Orange County and the ways in which we manage to survive in our ultra-competitive business.

Beyond that, I would like to further define just what a Technician is in the first place. If you are a technician and feel that the voice of your particular craft is underrepresented, please send me an e-mail and tell me about what you do. This column will address all technical crafts, not just the most obvious ones. In the months ahead there will be articles on upcoming productions, technical awards and ways in which we can all find more work. You are an OC Technician and so am I. Let’s be proud to work in the mainstream without having to live in the jungle.

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This page is hosted by Michael Kirsch
A founder of OCshowbiz, Mike comes from a film production background and specializes in film and video cinematography. In addition to working behind the camera, Mike is experienced with several other disciplines of production. This section will be dedicated to encouraging technicians of all types, creating more opportunities for them to work in Orange County. Mike can be reached at info@OCshowbiz.com

A graduate of Chapman University with a BFA in Film and Television Production, Mike spent his first years in a full-time position with MacGillivray Freeman Films, one of the leading producers of Large Format (Imax) films. He first worked as an assistant editor on Dolphins, which was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short. Mike then became manager of the camera department, requiring him to plan, prep and work on most location shoots. He was responsible for all camera maintenance as well as domestic and international shipping arrangements and participated in shoots that took him around the globe (Belgium, Greece, Bali, Tahiti, Australia to name a few) including numerous locations in north America. On location Mike served as a camera operator, 1st AC, 2nd AC, gaffer, grip, camera rigger or sound recordist depending on the demands of the situation. His other Large-Format credits include Dolphins, Mysteries of Greece, Coral Reef Adventure, Top Speed, Adventures in Wild California and Journey into Amazing Caves.

He left his fulltime position at MacGillivray Freeman Films to further his career as a freelance cinematographer and producer. He is a founder and partner in Delta Rho films and has added airline inflight newsreels and live satellite media feeds to networks across the country and done commercials, including spots for Fletcher Jones Toyota. He also continues to serve MacGillivray in a freelance capacity. His experience as an editor has enabled him to play a key role in the post-production phase of his projects in both supervisory and editorial roles. In addition, he frequently combines his skills by directing, shooting and editing independent corporate videos and behind the scenes featurettes.

Mike recently returned from location shooting in New York City, filming special effects for a feature film, STAY, with Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts, scheduled to be released in 2004 and from Ethiopia where he was part of a team filming a documentary on the Nile River.

Mike is also in partnership with the two other OCshowbiz founders, Art Kirsch and Arnold Kunert in K-3 Arts & Entertainment that has several projects in development.