Las Vegas Filmmaker Gaffer on Fatal Black Female: What I Learned on Set
- Evan Wilson
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
By Evan Wilson – GoodShot Films / Vegas Stories TV
What a Las Vegas Filmmaker Learned Working as Gaffer on Fatal Black Female
As a Las Vegas filmmaker gaffer on Fatal Black Female, I got the chance to grow my lighting knowledge in a real production environment, learning advanced setups, ratios, and professional on-set workflow from Nasir Porter.
Every film set teaches you something.
Some sets teach you patience.
Some teach you hustle.
And some teach you craft.
Working as a gaffer on Fatal Black Female taught me lighting on a deeper level.
This project took me from Las Vegas all the way to North Carolina — my first time ever stepping foot there — and I came home a better filmmaker.
Flying Into Raleigh, Then On to Fayetteville
We landed in Raleigh and headed to Fayetteville, where most of our work would happen.
Right away, North Carolina felt different from Nevada.
Las Vegas moves fast.
Everything is bright, loud, and built around entertainment.
North Carolina had history in the air.
Real history.
Coming from Nevada, with family roots that trace back to Arkansas, I felt something heavy while being there — especially when we filmed around the historic Market House plaza.
You can feel generations in places like that.
As a Black filmmaker, it made me think about how much history lives underneath the ground we walk on — stories, struggle, survival, and legacy.
That part stayed with me.
Learning Lighting From Nasir Porter
The biggest lesson on this set came from working with Nasir Porter.
Nasir pushed me to think differently about lighting.
Not just:
Put a light here.
Fill from there.
But:
lighting ratios
motivated sources
contrast control
shaping shadows
creating mood
making setups feel cinematic instead of simply "lit"
We built more elaborate setups than I was used to.
We jazzed lighting up.
Sometimes softer.
Sometimes moodier.
Sometimes dramatic with intentional falloff.
Every setup had purpose.
That’s where I started leveling up.
I came in experienced…
…but I left sharper.
Great Crew Energy
Film sets are always about collaboration.
Everybody brought something.
Fabian Chavez handled sound and was solid throughout the run — focused, professional, and always making sure audio was right.
That matters.
Bad sound kills movies.
Great sound elevates everything.
The cast also brought strong performances, which makes everybody’s job easier — camera, lighting, and sound all get better when actors bring truth to the scene.
Eight Days That Made Me Better
We worked hard for roughly eight days.
Long hours.
Setups.
Breakdowns.
Moving gear.
Building shots.
Solving problems.
That’s filmmaking.
When wrap finally came, Fabian drove me back to Raleigh so I could fly home.
On that ride, I kept thinking about how much I learned.
Not just technically.
But culturally.
Historically.
Professionally.
That trip made me better.
And every time I light a scene now, pieces of North Carolina come with me.
Vegas Stories TV will continue highlighting the journey behind independent filmmaking — because the work behind the camera matters just as much as what audiences see on screen.
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