Special Team players in 3D

Sometimes on production there are people that are truly never heard from but their work is integral to production itself. I guess that could be said for many folks but sometimes, I feel, there are some people that can be special. Considering once upon a time I was a production assistant that picked trash up and held down sidewalks at 4am with no one in sight, I think I am a good judge for such people. On this production it would have to be my 3D prep tech, Dong.
Dong from what I can tell is usually a camera assistant in Seoul, who seems very competent in the ins and outs of the camera. Yet on this film he was hired for the 3D dept. because he speaks English and has been in camera for a bit. I have to admit though, I was not involved in the hiring of this movie at all, I came into this project partially into pre-production. With the hiring of Dong into our stereo dept.,, which is German based, that posed a problem that no one truly for saw; that of Germans who speak fairly good English but with thick German accents trying to be understood by Koreans who barely speak English.
Dong speaks enough English but through the accents things become lost in translation. This is where I saw Dong shine as a great team player. Mind you things became intense with the demand on our 3D crew and seeing that Dong was at the bottom of the pecking order, he had the all the crap that rolled down hill. What can you ask of a person that can barely speak the language and then has to understand it coming from non native speakers!
Secondly Dong was put into a situation with brand new technology. Just because you have worked in the camera dept. for 15 to 20 years does not mean in any way shape or form that you know how to A)Set up a 3D rig, be it side by side or Top and bottom, nor B)operate a 3D rig to make it functional for the stereo dept. to do their job, this is all fairly new technology for anyone that is a crew person in film no matter how many years of experience. Dong had a few double if not triple whammies on a daily basis for our 64 day shoot. It was quit a show to see him sweat everyday due to the fact of what was constant pressure on such a shoot.
Even though tensions between the departments, camera and stereo aka 3D, could run high, Dong never gave anything less than a smile and laugh and I let him know his hard work did not go un-noticed nor unappreciated by his Director Of Photography.