Me too. The only time I don't have my eye in a viewfinder is Steadicam, Slider, Jib, or any other instance where an external monitor is better suited.
John Brawley wrote wrote:Some cameras have a film counter that could run down without actually having film in there so it is possible.
It was the ARRI SRII Super 16mm Film Camera, so it's likely that the film counter still ran even without film. Either way, I felt bad for that production.
I too had bad luck on a film shoot when all the equipment got locked in a room that I was the only one with access to it for the weekend, but my Drexel ID Card, which gave me access, got demagnetized by the credit cards in my wallet. I had to cancel the shoot for that weekend until someone with the ability to reassign access to the room came in on Monday. Many lessons learned in college.