The crew and cast of Covert Affairs is fast becoming a family and though I’ve talked extensively about Piper and some of the producers and directors on the show I haven’t said much about a person who has really become a glue to our whole operation, our DP Jamie Barber. Jamie’s worked on every project we’ve done for TV including The OC, Heist and Knight Rider and not only is he really talented and fast, he also has the kind of personality that I think is essential in a television series — everybody just loves Jamie. Every time I see him I give him a big hug and I’m not a huggy person. I hug my aunts and I hug Jamie, that’s it.

TV is so different than movies. A film is like adolescent dating: there’s no long-term commitment and you can put up with assholes. On a movie, you’re in and you’re out and it has an end date so you can tolerate jerks if they’re talented enough. It’s not as if it’s the rest of your life. In TV, you’re hoping it becomes the rest of your life. A successful TV show could run 10 years and, although there are only a handful that have done that, it’s definitely a long-term commitment. You’re talking about people working impossibly hard day after day, week after week, month after month. A TV schedule can easily run 8 months of shooting whereas a film is often around 4 months and arguably your average one-hour drama schedule is more grueling than any film would ever impose on a crew. You’re finishing an episode on Wednesday and starting the next episode on Thursday morning and asking people to work harder faster and for much longer stretches of time, with no end in site.

The DP is really the center of the set. I’m almost envious of DPs, which is probably why I’ve tended to do it myself sometimes — they’re always the sexiest people on the set. You tend not to see a lot of angst; you just see a lot of action, they’re like cowboys. As you can imagine, being fun and lovable only holds the crew together if everybody respects them. Jamie brings an incredible eye and work ethic with that personality and he’s really hit his stride on Covert Affairs. I’m really thrilled with how the show looks and I think, although Jamie and I have never talked about it, that filming the show on the Red has allowed Jamie to blossom. When you think about the old way that TV shows were shot on film, there was no margin for error and no chance of going back — these things have airdates. If you’re the DP whatever you shoot has to come out right: in focus and able to see the actor’s faces. That leads people to what we in the film business derisively call “TV lighting.” But you almost don’t have any other choice because God forbid you try to do something more interesting and it doesn’t come out. There’s no fixing it. What the Red (or any digital film system) gives you is the opportunity on set for everybody, including the producers and Jamie, to see the results of what he’s lighting and shooting. It allows you to be much more imaginative and creative because you have confirmation right then and there that it came out. Because the producers are on the set, if Jamie wants to do something more interesting, everybody can see it and approve it that day. He shot a scene that aired last week that was entirely shot through two layers of plate glass with tons of reflections obscuring people’s faces. I don’t believe, if we had been shooting on film, that any DP would have been bold enough to take that chance.

The other thing about TV is that it’s a new director every 8 days. One of us producers is on set every day but the person in that role is always changing. The only person who is there, checking every single shot, every day is Jamie Barber. Every business has its unsung heroes. In film I think it’s the film editors who don’t get enough recognition, who are quietly pulling the movie together — you’ll never find a great movie that didn’t have a great editor. An unsung hero for Covert Affairs is for sure our DP, Jamie Barber.

Related posts on 30ninjas.com:

• Doug Liman Blog: Flying to Canada To Protect The Action in Covert Affairs
• Doug Liman Blog: Fair Game and Covert Affairs Collide in DC
• Doug Liman Blog: Scouting Niagra the Night Before Covert Affairs Premiere
• Doug Liman Blog: In Covert Affairs, “Emotionally Resonant” and “Action-Packed” Are Not Mutually Exclusive
• Doug Liman Blog: On The Set of Covert Affairs
• Doug Liman Blog: Holding With Tradition, I’m Sailing the Hudson After the Covert Affairs Premiere Party