Thursday, August 17, 2006
THE SHOOT - Part 1
August 10, 2006 (The Match shoot was August 11-16)
7:30 wake up and finish packing.
8:15 car arrives, takes Mike, Bob, Kyle and Dave to Manhattan. Driver takes the LONGEST ROUTE POSSIBLE, we arrive late.
9:00 long line at CC Van Rental. We’re at the back of it. Clock ticking. If we don’t get on the road soon we hit infamous Washington DC rush hour traffic, which pushes back our production meeting and location scout, and gets us to bed later than midnight. We have six very long, very tightly packed days ahead, and every hour counts.
The rest of the people in line at CC are doing the same thing we’re doing, renting vans for a day or week of production. It makes me feel very small. Everyone’s doing this. How can we possibly produce a show that stands out?
10:00 a.m. – we arrive at Shannon’s UWS apartment – cast is assembled. Most of us, Kyle, Michael, Bob, Brooke, David, Shannon, Katie, Gladys, have worked with each other before.
Julie, Greg, Paco, Emily are new but seem easy to get along with.
10:45 a.m. out of the Lincoln Tunnel
11:45 actors have to pee
12:00 we stop for snacks, gas, rest stop
2:00 actors have to pee again, and they're hungry – we have two vans – the production van goes ahead, forgoing lunch in order to beat traffic. The 'Party Van' stops for lunch. Somebody, upon hearing that lunch is on the company, orders a beer.
5:00 p.m. The production van beats traffic - we make it to Richmond - the producers take a tour of Collegiate School – everyone’s excited by the location – it’s a great looking facility. By 7 the Party Van has arrived and we all have dinner - Holly's there to measure actors for their costumes. Alfred and Jim check out and balance the Glidecam. Mom and Per have consented to us turning their house into a Hotel for the week - they make us a fabulous meal - in fact the food all week will be four star - actors get their housing assignments. Producers have one last meeting. Lights out.
August 11-16
Every morning would start the same. I would wake up before my alarm clock, flip out, eat an apple, and immediately have to use the bathroom. Nerves. I figure it will get better once I've shot all my scenes, then I can just concentrate on directing. Having chosen to take a part in the pilot now seems like a terrible idea - I should have cast someone else so that I could wear fewer hats on the project and concentrate on the work at hand.
But as we shoot my scenes I remember that I love this too, acting, and while in my dark hours I fear my decision to act AND direct has sunk the project (come on, I ain't Mel Gibson), looking back I think, generally, I held my own, and you know what, fuck it, I loved doing it. ¶ 11:52 AM
7:30 wake up and finish packing.
8:15 car arrives, takes Mike, Bob, Kyle and Dave to Manhattan. Driver takes the LONGEST ROUTE POSSIBLE, we arrive late.
9:00 long line at CC Van Rental. We’re at the back of it. Clock ticking. If we don’t get on the road soon we hit infamous Washington DC rush hour traffic, which pushes back our production meeting and location scout, and gets us to bed later than midnight. We have six very long, very tightly packed days ahead, and every hour counts.
The rest of the people in line at CC are doing the same thing we’re doing, renting vans for a day or week of production. It makes me feel very small. Everyone’s doing this. How can we possibly produce a show that stands out?
10:00 a.m. – we arrive at Shannon’s UWS apartment – cast is assembled. Most of us, Kyle, Michael, Bob, Brooke, David, Shannon, Katie, Gladys, have worked with each other before.
Julie, Greg, Paco, Emily are new but seem easy to get along with.
10:45 a.m. out of the Lincoln Tunnel
11:45 actors have to pee
12:00 we stop for snacks, gas, rest stop
2:00 actors have to pee again, and they're hungry – we have two vans – the production van goes ahead, forgoing lunch in order to beat traffic. The 'Party Van' stops for lunch. Somebody, upon hearing that lunch is on the company, orders a beer.
5:00 p.m. The production van beats traffic - we make it to Richmond - the producers take a tour of Collegiate School – everyone’s excited by the location – it’s a great looking facility. By 7 the Party Van has arrived and we all have dinner - Holly's there to measure actors for their costumes. Alfred and Jim check out and balance the Glidecam. Mom and Per have consented to us turning their house into a Hotel for the week - they make us a fabulous meal - in fact the food all week will be four star - actors get their housing assignments. Producers have one last meeting. Lights out.
August 11-16
Every morning would start the same. I would wake up before my alarm clock, flip out, eat an apple, and immediately have to use the bathroom. Nerves. I figure it will get better once I've shot all my scenes, then I can just concentrate on directing. Having chosen to take a part in the pilot now seems like a terrible idea - I should have cast someone else so that I could wear fewer hats on the project and concentrate on the work at hand.
But as we shoot my scenes I remember that I love this too, acting, and while in my dark hours I fear my decision to act AND direct has sunk the project (come on, I ain't Mel Gibson), looking back I think, generally, I held my own, and you know what, fuck it, I loved doing it. ¶ 11:52 AM
