Special thanks for the V scene!

Marvin's Room was special to me.  Don't I say that always?  Well, it's true, darn it!  This was a scene about two sisters who were not close at all, in fact very different but through dealing with cancer, a sick father, an unruly teen age son they finally began to see each other in a new light.  I have 5 sisters and one of them had cancer.  It was devastating to me.  I was so thrilled to see her have a positive attitude and a resolve to kick it's butt.  Much like the character Bessie, my sister remained pretty up through the whole process.  I'm thrilled to report that my sister's cancer is gone, bye bye, adios!  However, in this scene, Bessie finds out that her news is not so good.  Now let's talk about the players in this game because they were all key.

Spencer Jay Kim shot and edited this scene.  I have to remind you that every time Jay did a scene, it involved a drive to Cleveland from Chicago.  He has been working almost nonstop doing an automotive touring gig but when he had two or three days to run together, even if completely exhausted and time crunched, Jay would get on the road to once again help me.  Beyond the long drive just to do the shoot, he would work completely around my crazy schedule and around the clock and ride the wild wave with me when dates got jumbled, actors schedules were complex, locations were missing or changed.  I'm using this opportunity to tell more about what Jay's A to Z experience was on the whole and to be honest, it's hard to know exactly why he would want to come back for more but he always did. Since Jay is a friend and has truly been sensitive to the whole A to Z saga, it was wonderful to have him shoot this tender, emotional scene.  Jay's not a Director of Photography but he does have a vision for shot composition and I think in spite of some crazy sound issues, he still put together a beautiful on screen moment.  To contact Jay for work and a dedication that is truly hard to find, email him at jkimgant@hotmail.com.


Molly McGinnis played my sister, Bessie.  She offered her home for the shoot.  She was committed to doing a beautiful job ... and what can I say ... mission accomplished.  Molly was prepared with the perfect costume, and eager to provide sound effects solutions, really down for the cause.  I brought her a wig to wear that was too small for her but she put it on with no complaints.  She was asked to look run down because of her character's illness and again, she complied to bring the best to the scene.  Her performance was so powerful.  She brought a real truth to the scene and working with her was both easy and gratifying.  To hire Molly, email her at m_mcginnis@adelphia.net.

Location was provided by Molly, Tim and Bob.  As I said, Molly welcomed us into her very charming home. It was much nicer than the home in the movie, Marvin's Room but it was perfect in so many ways nonetheless. Molly's boyfriend Tim, just happened to be off work the day of the shoot and I'm sure he didn't expect to have to be sequestered to one room for 2 hours straight but he did it all while managing to keep Bob, the dog, quiet and out of the shot.  Bob was so sweet, he would scurry  into the kitchen in between shots, excited to see visitors but when called, he went back to one as they say and stayed in a holding pattern until we were done shooting.  Tim also provided us with the ring tone for my phone that was not connected to anything.   So to say that Molly, Tim and Bob provided the location it really was much more than that and I'm so grateful.

Technical Support was and continues to be provided by Terri Negron.  Terri has worked as a Feng Shui consultant and over the last few years incorporated the elements of Feng Shui to her web design business that is growing by leaps and bounds.  Her graphic expertise has wowed me every step of the A to Z way.  I appreciate her standing by my side in this project and cheering me on to a brighter future.  To hire Terri, email her at terri@fengshui5.com.

Special thanks go to ...

Woodie Anderson for providing a camera for this shoot at a moments notice.  Woodie is the best!
George Powers for offering the pill bottles for the shoot.  Props are oh so important and he was there for me!
The Reel Thing for the administrative resource.  Always in my corner and always appreciated!
Dave Thomas for providing the editing suite and continually offering it to make our edits easier.  Dave rocks!