THE SHOOT - Part 5 - Wrapped The last night we had a wrap party hosted by Amy and Dan Ludwin (their daughter Caroline was one of our extras). We watched dailies, cackled like kids at every single little brilliant thing we had shot (warning: the dailies always look great). We stayed up until 6:00 a.m., someone barfed in the sink and Greg wrote the Ludwins a hilarious thank you note that I never saw. I’m sure we kept them up way past their bedtimes. For most of the world is was a school night. For us the work was DONE.

Highlights:
Chris Ceraso’s wonderful turn as the Headmaster.
Elaine Bromka as the hilariously uptight music teacher.
Kyle Masteller and the toke 'em up posse
Michael "I'd be happy to direct you" Schreiber
Bob's performance art
Greg and Brooke's love/hate relationship
All of Julie's Eve Ensler moments
Emily fainting
Annah's banana
Kurt's gas can
Dawn's 'Kick Me' sign

The actors take a funny script (it better be funny, or tightly drawn, or SHORT, otherwise why are you wasting all these people’s time?) – the actors take it and make it better – they, what else – give it life. That's a rule: trust your people. Work with people who are great at what they do and create an environment where they can give you everything they've got. The production, to be efficient, requires intolerably long hours. Do everything you can to fill those hours with trust. You want your people taking risks. Keep them laughing between takes. Care for them. They are surrounded by people who do not nourish them. Care for your people and they will give you their best.  ¶ 1:11 PM 0 comments links to this post

  THE SHOOT - Part 4 I didn't keep a diary during the shoot because there wasn't any time for it. But we were sufficiently organized that when one of our stars had to fly back to New York for 24 hours in the middle of the 6 day shoot (and we had already moved her scenes around 6 or 7 times to try to make all of our lives easier) nobody panicked. Shannon figured out the flights and when she would have to leave and when was the earliest she could be back and we made it happen.

When Tony got sick and couldn't make the trip to Richmond, we called off our search for a Richmond courthouse and decided, we'll shoot the courthouse scene in New York in September. The courthouses up there look bigger and more imposing anyway.

The biggest rule of all - follow this one and people will like working with you - don’t keep anyone waiting around unnecessarily. Arrange it so that people arrive when they must and can leave as early as possible.  ¶ 1:10 PM 0 comments links to this post

  THE SHOOT - Part 3 Organize, organize, organize. Rehearse every scene before you shoot it. Direct the entire movie on paper. Know what every shot is going to look like a month before you shoot. If you are infinitely prepared you will be ready to take advantage of the wonderful improvisations your artists will come up with. We had two or three fabulous contributions come up each day – I can’t tell you what they are without spoiling the movie – but I can tell you they emerged because we were ahead of schedule and had time to shoot a few extra lines here and there when they raised their glorious heads. Good ideas can come from anywhere. Our sound guy provided the funniest improv’ed line of the film. Two of our extras came up with a shot idea that was as good as any we had storyboarded.

I subscribe to Robert Rodriguez’s populist approach to filmmaking. The days of the film auteur in the black turtleneck and beret are behind us. The Panasonic DVX100A is everyone’s friend. Final Cut Pro is easy to learn. For less than a few thousand dollars, anyone can do it now.

Can you do it well? is the question.  ¶ 1:09 PM 0 comments links to this post

  THE SHOOT - Part 2 A rule: if you’re going to produce a movie, get an AD or two who are absolutely first rate. Gladys and Katie did a lot of worrying so that I wouldn’t have to. Elizabeth (Mom) also did her fair share, getting people from the airport, taking people to the airport, arranging for all of the housing of our 15 New York actors including a number of highly accomplished 30-year veterans. Our goal was to provide them with an experience and a working environment that did not waste their time, that was top notch given our budget restraints. The meals that were provided were very good, the beds were soft and the pillows had chocolates on them their first night. I figure, you put Godiva on someone’s pillow, they know you’re trying to take care of them.

So Mom sorted that stuff out months ahead of time. I talked to Collegiate probably five months before we set foot on the campus. We talked to SAG probably two months out – they require all their paperwork to be done 30 days in advance of shooting.

Katie and Gladys made sure the location was ready to go. Alfred and Jim would light it. When the lights were in place we’d bring in the actors and block and rehearse (we’d rehearsed everything in New York a few weeks prior, so everyone knew what they were doing in the scene, why they were there, what they were trying to accomplish). Alfred would watch the rehearsal and figure out where the camera should be. Jim would tweak lights, Glen would find the best, least obtrusive way to record sound. That's another rule: if you're going to make a movie, find a great crew.  ¶ 1:08 PM 0 comments links to this post

  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 0 comments links to this post