Pray to your gods, it might save your movie II

In the second part of the Movie Gods project i will continue to review the different gods and their affiliation in the movie making business. Enjoy!

And for whoever needs it –  Pray to your gods, it might save your movie part I

The pre-production GODS

Hermes (Ερμής) – In ancient mythology Hermes is mo
stly known for being one of the fastest guys around. As God of Travelers and Messengers, he is responsible for the potential of the pre-production process to be as quick and smooth as possible. When you find the right location for filming and the right actor for the part and a restaurant that will supply you with free pizza for your movie, that’s when you should send your gratitude to this god.

Aphrodite (Aφροδίτη) – In the old days you probably would have prayed to the Goddess of Love if you wanted some girl to fall in love with you or that you really wanted to get a groom in no time; but in the movie-making business, an idea is your love and the baby is the film. In order for the idea to evolve into something real, you need more then wits and good intentions: you need assistance and the bigger the set – the more you need of it. In order for this idea to grow and fill your crew’s hearts you need it to be compelling to them (usually it should be compelling to each in a specific way that will be true to them). In order to get this done you need the help of the Love Goddess.

The production GODS

(Δήμητρα) – This Goddess helps things grow. At ancient times that might mean growing fields of grain and apple trees; as important as crop might be, the services of this specific goddess are really important for filmmaking. A movie production “grows” and develops like everything else does. With every scene that is filmed, bringing another part of the process to a finish, the feeling that you have actual substance in your hands is so much more concrete. But it’s also important to keep the balance: not to get your crew over exhausted and to keep them satisfied with small treats (like a break of 10 min, that’s always very sweet).

Hades (ᾍδης) – The production’s state is the most dangerous while filming. Everything can go wrong at this point and if it does, it might bury your movie in the ground. When you’re in pre-production you can delay filming or try to work hard to meet the necessities required for getting the movie to happen; during post-production the movie may be entirely deleted but you always have the backup material that you can use to recreate the editing process with (if you don’t have that, then no god will have the power to help you). In order to avoid the rotten situation that might happen while on set (having the soundman forget pressing the right button for the sound recording), just sacrifice a little something to the God of the Dead, so your movie won’t end up in Movie-Making Hell.

(Άρης) – Movie making is like a war. You have your soldiers (crew), your artillery (camera, editing station etc.) and you have your enemy – anything that stands between you and finishing your flick. It might be a crew member who’s not doing what they’re supposed to, an annoyed neighbor who thinks you’re doing too much noise, or a camera that decided to go on a strike at the most frustrating time. In movie-making, like in war, you need to be strategically plan ahead, well equipped and in a mental state of total commitment for the challenge which lies in front you.