Forgetting Things

We're shooting our latest short film tonight. This means that today is being taken up with making lists of things I need to take to the location tonight and going over it many many times trying to figure out what I have forgotten.
I am a list person. If I don't have a list then I feel like I am prone to forgetting everything I need to do. But it's a good issue to have when shooting a film of any kind. Forgetting even one piece of equipment could kill part of your shoot.
One of the worst things to forget is the boot off of your tripod. This is the little device that screws into the bottom of your camera and then allows the camera to be attached to the tripod so that you can have nice steady shots. Forgetting this little piece renders your tripod pretty useless. I have forgotten to bring this on a few occasions and now it's the first thing I check before leaving the house.
This is also where the shot list or storyboards come in handy. I usually go through the shot list and storyboards slowly trying to list out everything that will be needed for each shot. Each shot is a different beast all it's own due to lighting, camera movements, and props needed. Make sure you are prepared for each one.
Also, never assume someone is bringing something. Don't assume that the guy running the second camera will bring his tripod is he's using your camera. Don't assume that you don't need to pick up extra batteries because the sound guy usually has some. This is a good way to screw up the shoot and cause delays while you run out to get something you should have brought.
The sucky part is that no matter how much you prepare something will get left off the list and the show will have to continue. Just try your best to make sure there is as little of that as possible.
For example... In a recent shoot I had a character who is mixing chemicals. I bought some black rubber gloves for the costume and completely forgot about them until later that night after the shoot. I'm still kicking myself as it would have added a nice bit of production value to the shot. It was my fault and I even forgot to put the gloves on the list of things I needed to take. Oh well. At least I brought everything else we needed.
It's ok to bring more than you need as well just to be safe. I usually bring more of my equipment to shoots than I ever use but at least I know that if the need arises I will be able to quickly get the gear needed without delaying the shoot or killing a cool shot.