shooting day journal

Yesterday...

I was about to write a minute by minute journal, keeping it positive, and basically informative but if this project is going to be the success that I'm determined to make it, there needs to be truth. There needs to be the reality of this reality show. There can't be a candy coated approach to every day.

Yesterday had many ups and downs. I will give you the great news first and then the bad. So if you're not the type to want to hear bad or if you're the kind who will want to tell me not to be negative please don't read that part. I'm not being negative but truth be told, who will really want to read this if it's all sunshine and roses? Who will want to know my story or see the outcome or enjoy the triumph with me if they don't see the losses? Just to set your mind at ease, I am going to continue this project no matter what and nothing can stop me but here are the truths of yesterday.

Great stuff:

The winter storm that could have shut down the shoot entirely, delivered only half the snow that was expected.

Devon, my DP, texted me to say his son's school was NOT canceled. Due to the snowfall we both were concerned about this. Whew, that saved the poor kid from having to tag along for what would have felt like a lifetime to a ten year old.

Greg, the actor, called to say he took the day off work and could be at the shoot earlier. This alleviated a huge concern for me that we might overstay our welcome at our location. With him being able to get there sooner, I knew we could get many more takes of a crucial part of the scene.

Wendall, the location manager, was amazing. Not only was the location perfect and beautiful but he was also there 2 hours before we even arrived. The woman who owned the house was incredible. She provided special wall hangings to make the room look more like a bed n breakfast, less like a person's home. She put carpet remnants down in the hallways for us to put our equipment on and offered US drinks! Can you imagine? Here we were invading her space and she was asking us what else we needed. So for Wendall to have chosen this space was great and then for him to find this location with such a beautiful energy, was a true blessing.

My appearance was definitely different. I don't think I looked like myself at all, which was the point so I was pretty pleased with that.

The collaboration of Devon and I was terrific as always. He's so easy to work with, completely open to all of my visions, ready to do the job, very focused. I can't tell you how nice it is to work with someone who is bringing their A game. You always want people involved to give the best they've got but that doesn't mean you will get that. He really handled every curve ball thrown at him and we worked it out.

Pause for thinking of what else went well. Hmm, well, Devon became excited when it was done ... not because it was done, but because he felt sure it was going to be good. He sees things that someone like me wouldn't see. In his mind he has edits happening, he's seeing it cut together and the flow. I would like to get a birds eye view of that mind.

OK, now for the setbacks and AGAIN, no worries, there will always be setbacks but nevertheless there's an emotion that goes with them and you're about to hear it, There, that's my disclaimer.

Greg, was a no show. He did not want to travel in that weather and felt it was dangerous. I had offered him a ride in the morning which he turned down and by the time he was indicating he might not be able to do the drive, it was too late for me to get him. He did make an attempt to get there. He got on the highway and there was a two car accident that stopped traffic. He got off the highway and was sliding around. He felt it was too risky and just didn't think it was worth it. I am a Libra so on one hand I completely understand. On the other, I cannot tell you how inconvenient and difficult this made and will make things for us. I had to do all of my dialogue without him there and with no one reading opposite me. I had no one to react to but an imaginary Greg in my mind. I feel my performance suffered and while I realize that actors in films very often do certain scenes without the other actor present, I also know for a fact that there is SOMEONE reading the other part to them just so the reactions are appropriate. With a bare bones crew this was not the case. Going back to the understanding me, believe me I'm well aware that I'm offering Greg no money out of the gate and this project is mine not his. I know that my visions of this blowing up could be wrong and he could stand to get nothing but the experience. That is precisely why I did not get upset with him and did not push at him. I just let him make his own decision and that he did.

The camera situation was not the absolute best. We only had enough battery to do all the takes in two hours. This meant that instead of doing any given moment several times, we were lucky to get 2 or 3 maximum. Towards the end when all of the dialogue takes place, the only point at which I speak, we did 2 takes ... wish there could have been more. This was not Devon's fault. It was just an equipment snafu and you have to work with what you've got ... that's the only choice. I'm very concerned there's not enough good footage. Devon feels we got what we needed. I trust him and hope he's right but wish I felt better about it.

The weather was a definite factor. Travel times were longer and that makes for exhaustion. That was showing on me more than Devon but I know he was tired too ... poor guy.

I spent 3 hours getting my left contact in which caused me quite a bit of pain. It shouldn't be painful but I was attacking it with a vengeance. Every minute detail of this project was important to me and the contacts were a part of the character's appearance. I was mad at myself for being so stubborn and for not being more successful at getting them in faster. To sum it up... OUCH. I was happy to take them out at the end of the day ... oh, so happy.

Finally, Greg not being there really messed with the schedule. Remember I promised all involved that for any given scene, there would only be ONE shoot date. Gregs absence means that we have to have another shoot date and while there are many days between now and Valentine's Day, we have to sync up our schedules. I'm wide open but it's best for Devon to shoot in the day. Greg works during the day and can't start until 5:30 PM. Devon has a Friday night shoot and could do our shoot after that but that makes for a long day for him and a late night for Greg who prefers to get to bed by 9:30. If we shoot on Friday, that also means we have to edit on Saturday and there are no additional days for editing ... which were already in place before yesterday. So, I will be intruding on Devon's family time if we do edit on Saturday. If we shoot earlier in the week and edit before Saturday that could work but there's the issue of the borrowed equipment, dead battery and technical stuff.

So, you're seeing how yesterday was more than crucial in getting all the necessary footage and needing an additional day to shoot is quite an obstacle. Oh, it's one we'll conquer, you can bet on that, but it's a definite obstacle.

That being said, it's to be expected that this whirlwind of a year will have many setbacks, snafus, obstacles, issues, it just will and I'm going to win. I'm going to beat them all. Mark my words. How's that for drama?