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"It never rains...but it pours."

Whenever I hear that phrase I can never help but think of that little girl figure drawn on the Morton's Salt container. You know the one; she's walking in the rain, carrying an umbrella and holding an inverted (and open) box of salt under her arm, which is pouring on the ground as she walks.

I put out several interest letters and credit pages (a production version of a resume) over the last week, but there isn't much going on, so pickings are slim. On Sunday/Monday I sent out three in particular, which oddly garnered me two swift response calls! Yeah, I know!

It never rains, but it pours!

Sadly, I can't accept either of them because they are two day gigs that fall over this weekend...and if you will remember, I have that craft show/sale all day Saturday. Since I paid for the space, I would lose out on the cash and all of the work I put into getting ready.

YES, I know it is production work, and it would put something more on my credits, but the pay is either nil or exactly what I paid for the spot at the sale, but I stand to make more at the sale....and quite frankly, it all comes down to the 'scratch' at this point in time.

Yes, I would have loved to be on set, and working, plying my trade and out in the fresh air booming and getting more face time with a crew, but I have to make choices - and this one was a toughy, but a no-brainer. Besides, I do have a three day gig next weekend on a thesis film, so it isn't all bad.

As for Brian's car - it was towed to the mechanic late yesterday afternoon, and we have yet to hear what the diagnosis is. Will keep you updated.

More later. Tomorrow is a big day, and I need to get ready to move it all out of here. Plus, it's garbage day, and I have boys to wrangle into duty. :)

Very disappointing

I honestly don't know what I am supposed to be taking away from all of this. I get calls and return email - like fish biting at my hook in the water - and then they evaporate, as though the fish have eaten the bait off the hook, and I stand here wondering what the point is.

Finished production on AT, and continued to send out many more interest letters with my production 'resume' (called a "credit sheet" or "working credits," or just "credits" in the industry) to upcoming projects. Towards the end of the run I received calls and emails in response - so of course, I became buoyed and hopeful. All during the production I watched the trades and websites for new jobs to apply to, and seriously thought (let myself think) that it was all starting to look up.

However, it's going on three weeks since I received that first exciting phone call from the UPM with Playback (to be shot in Grand Rapids), telling me that I was in the running. My info would be passed to the Sound Mixer, who would then interview and hire the Boom Op. Guess I wasn't local enough for them, since that seemed to be a sticking point for them in their ads.

Funny though, how it is that western MI residents can get jobs in Detroit and all around, but others cannot go west and work on that side of the state.

I tried to kid myself that with so much time before the production began filming, that it would be the typical last-minute time frame to make that decision, and then the typical rush to get the paperwork done at break-neck speed. I remained optimistic right up until last night (truthfully, Tuesday evening), when I received word that the Scripty gig in Atlanta that I was told I had locked in, was now given to a friend of the producer, but that I could still do prepro work and/or other stuff on her project if I wanted...and the idiots from Henry Ford Comm College and their "mentoring" project would only interview face-to-face, so that I sat for two days waiting for the call - as scheduled on their end - only to be told hours after the second missed call, and so many lies, that it wasn't going to happen.

Seriously, what am I missing?

And another thing

I did (finally) get a phone call from one of 8 film projects I contacted for work over the last week, and was told my information had been sent on to the Sound Mixer!

This is a promising thing, since you RARELY get any notification at all that your email was even looked at, much less considered.

The sound man now needs to call me for an interview/looky-loo, or simply choose me (from the raft of other submissions) as the Boom Op! Yup, that's right. This could be a second legitimate, paying, feature film job in one year!

The only details I have are that they are not covering travel or a room to stay in, it is for four weeks in Grand Rapids, and will begin the tail end of August.

Stay tuned for more updates, and thanks for the prayers...I can use them one and all!

It's a week late, and definitely a dollar short

So many things to do and so little time to get it all accomplished.

Our 'Sundays' started out falling on Wednesdays, but due to the first of the night shoots falling on our "Sunday morning", we ended up having Thursdays off instead. However, Thursdays were also a little screwed up (since we ended up shooting Wed night to Thursday morning), so to get our 24 hours in, and THEN to come back to set on nights, we ended up getting Friday morning through the afternoon off too, so that we began filming Thursday night again on the return.

However confusing that sounds, all you need to know was that it feels great (even if it does mess with our internal clocks).

Trying to get anything accomplished is not easy, but everything is working out pretty well. Karl missed one class due to the change; Brian's car was out of commission until the following week (bad timing), and I was on set before class would begin, so there was no way for me to get Karl to CCS, but everything seems to be back on track for the most part. Grocery shopping is done patchwork style by the boys, and I am satisfied Bud is either cooking or getting takeout for them, so they're not starving, and the girls are also getting fed.

On the down side, the mounds of dirty clothes are growing, as are the stacks of dishes in the sink...but this will all have to wait.

Moving on to D6

Every so often something strange, odd, weird, noteworthy and/or humorous happens. Sometimes it is caught on film and used in the extras at the end of the movie (a good producer will allow for the extra footage to be added in this way). To me, the bits that happen 'off-the-cuff' or behind the scene are as good as gold (sometimes they are even better than the film itself).

Last night we had at least one of those moments in the heat of filming.

For the 14th time we were shooting a tricky shot which required one of the leads to enter a room (as the camera's POV), see something and drop the camera, run from the scene only to be knocked out, and several other actors were to appear, walk through, scurry away and menacingly skulk about. As the antagonist fled the room and went to a spot around a corner (out of sight), the director quietly called the cue "One" for a bit actor in the bathroom to leave his hiding place and cross right to left, disappearing around the same corner.

The antag. thought he heard the word "cut" and not the normal cue "one," and as the bit character reached the pivital corner, our lead actor came non-chalantly back around the corner from the left, knocking into the quickly departing bit player - which shocked the poop out of the bit player who then uttered "excuse me" as they passed in the hallway.

The facial expressions were priceless, and the DP is on the floor holding the shot, waiting for the Director to call out "Cut."

Poor Director was as in the dark as EVERYone else regarding what was going on - everyone except for the DP, the bit actor, the Boom Op (me) and the still hapless schmoo of a lead.

As the DP continued to silently communicate the cut sign to the Dir (as in the cut your throat hand signal; flat hand, palm down, fingers extended toward the throat and swiping quickly right to left over and over), our clueless lead was walking back to reset to go again, hands in his pockets, humming softly.

Suddenly, something dawned on him. Could it be the facial expressions of the DP and the Boom Op....my hand slapped over my mouth in an attempt to stiffle laughter? Could it be the WTF body language of the Director once he rounded the corner? Who knows. It was simply one of the funnier things we had encountered after several long days of murder and mayhem. At least the three of us had a great laugh, and once the Dir realized it was pretty funny, he laughed too...

until we had to start it all again.

The ride home this morning

Somewhere between Ferndale and Birmingham I began to have a tough time keeping my eyes open. Smacking myself on the cheeks helped for a while, but I really needed to cop a nap right then.

I knew I was in real trouble when I passed the turn for Square Lake to get from Woodward to Telegraph. About a quarter of a mile or more later I realized, yikes! Turn around, fool!

So, I stopped at the McDonald's on Telegraph, just north of Square Lake, got a hot chocolate and pulled into a parking space to sip the cocoa and re-energize. Next thing I know, there is a police officer knocking on my window, asking me if I am OK...and if I had been drinking.

Yup, you guessed it - I had fallen asleep.

It couldn't have been more than 10 minutes, but it must have un-nerved the folks inside the Micky D to see my car still there after a few minutes. I dunno - maybe???

By the time I arrived home and crawled into bed, I was oddly incapable of just falling back to sleep. It must have been nerves after having been rousted like a bum. Yeah, that and being completely over-tired in the first place; but sleeping was not on the menu - at least not right away.

The little bit of sleep I did have this morning has been unsatisfactory; fitful, and more just on the fringes of nodding off and sleeping, really.

We had a pretty skeletal crew for the filming today (well, Day 3 - but technically it was Saturday {into Sunday}...these turn arounds are hard to explain/live through). The crew was small but effective, and the weather was great, too. It began hot and sticky, but cooled off into the later evening and overnight, so it was tolerable.

The issues between sound and the DP are escalating, and I have to wonder how it will all end (and when). I maintain a good rapport with the AD, and he sees the issues, so I will carry on until the hammer falls (or the other shoe drops, or whatever will be will be).

The shoot went slowly, and the same old exessive takes on each scene took place. The inevitable viewing of every other take took place, so the normal waiting beween scenes and retakes was eggagerated to ginormous proportions.

And then there were the "neighbors" who wanted to enter the motel complex to roost for the evening (around 3AM). Loud cars rumbling, and the requisite ghetto music (with loud bass) thumping as we set to roll camera and sound. After 15 minutes we were able to resume, but did experience their return a couple of times as we rolled...which meant having to cut and reset. Argh!

HOWEVER...the bright spot on the evening was as we had gotten 4 or 5 takes into the first scene, there was a long span where a discussion regarding shadows and a new camera angle took place, in which time the car decided that not opening the door meant it should lock itself for safety...with the keys snuggly in the ignition.

Oops!

Panic.

Anger.

"Hello, OnStar? Hi, we're shooting a movie and, well, um....."

It went something like this

So, I called mom on the way home from the gig...first night after a blisteringly hot day, shooting in very uncomfortable conditions. Here's how the conversation went...

Mom's answering machine: "We are unavailable to take your call. Please leave a message after the beep and we will return your call when we are able." [beep]

Me: "Hi, it's just me. [Pause] OK, well, I hope you aren't sleeping, or that I'll wake you. Just wanted to let you know I am on my way home from the shoot. 10:30 and 'Day 1' is over! We did a lot of set-ups, and not just at the...."

Mom's end: [sound of the receiver being picked up] "Hi, hi. I'm here. What were you saying?"

Me: "Hi, I was just saying how the day went. I'm on my way home, now, finally. It was a 12+ hour day."

Mom: "Was it good? How did you do?"

Me: "Yeah, it was good. It was busy and we moved around a lot."

Mom: "How's the weather...are you someplace cool?"

Me: "The weather is horrid and getting worse. It rained this afternoon, but instead of cooling off, it just made it a sauna. A big, wet sauna."

Mom: "What did you do today during your filming?"

Me: "We snuffed a street walker."

Silence.

Me: "Mom. Mom? You still there?"

Long day

After a long, hot day of filming today, we will have...............................another long hot, day. Thankfully, it will not be as torturously hot; but (as they say) it isn't the heat, it's the humidity.

Man, is that ever the truth.

The day began with a comedy of small errors, most of which I will go over another time.

The day began, however, with my setting the alarm on my clock radio last night (so as to have enough time to get ready and do the drive to the city), allowing plenty of (make that more than enough) time for the travel and accident slow downs, and stupidity slow downs - you get the picture. But, I awakened ahead of the alarm for unknown reasons, proceeded to get up and around and NEARLY stepped into the shower, when I realized (to my horror) that the time on the clock was an hour fast! Egads! I had a whole other hour coming to me!

I hot-footed it back to bed, and lay there wondering what was so wrong with me.

For those of you who know the answer(s) to that question, keep it to yourself!

Pooped!

It's been a long day, which began around 6:20AM when the girls decided my rolling over meant I was also awake (or, should be awake). Ugh.

Getting up that early was pointless, but I did get to experience the coolness of 60*F once more. Lord, but I love cool weather! The temps are expected to climb into the 90s over the weekend, and I am not a lover of hot MI weather; but that's whole other story I won't get into right now.

I must get to bed soon - there is a three hour production meeting tomorrow, and I want to be ready and sharp, and I still have email to answer before turning in (if I can stop yawning).

Currently, the attic fan is pulling cool outside air through the house, so tomorrow we stand the chance of melting more slowly as the air temp heats up and eliminates our chill. I also need to go shoo Karl off his computer and get him headed for bed, so I am signing off for the night.

Turn off your ACs, America, and open a window! Sleep well and be happy.

Hey, it's July 1st!

In less than four short little days, Karl will be 21.

21!!!!

At least this year I will be home for the occasion, and not on the road somewhere. The new gig begins on the 7th - yes, it's been pushed back a day, but it still comes out to 18 days (six-day work weeks). I received and signed my Deal Memo, NDA and tax form, and have already exchanged email, and had a phone chat with, the Sound Engineer on the production. We will meet face-to-face next week, prior to the start of filming and get our dance steps down, and to be in sync in order to provide excellent sound. Very cool!

I've had a busy week - with the email confirming the boom job; and a phone pre-interview with some production house mistress named Kelly (she would not say who they are, but eluded to being project heavy and that they are located 'Downriver'), regarding an ad I responded to (the very same morning). She said she wanted me to interview with her boss this week and that after giving my credits to him she would call back "in a bit", but never did. Ah well....that is how most of these things have gone - for production work and for plain Jane administrative positions.

Then, I also interviewed in person Tuesday afternoon, with someone who was looking for an entry-level editor. He said I was the first person (of all his respondents) he'd spoken with for the job, and that he intended to hire someone by the 30th because they were backlogged and needed to get five weddings edited quickly. His decision would be made and he would make calls one way or another by Thursday (uh, hello. That would be today). I guess no call sort of answers any and all questions, eh?

I was in contention for a three day shoot in Oscoda, but had to turn it down because I thought I was getting the job in Detroit. Could have done both as it turns out, but you can't know these things.

And then lastly, I responded to a new ad regarding crewing up for a feature 'based on real-life', being shot in the D this fall. Pre-pro in August and production through September. They wanted a Scripty, and I cleverly looked the production up using sidewinder mentality. It turns out, I was right, and that intrigued the producer, who contacted me to find out where I learned what I knew. We ended up having a talk this afternoon, and I told him I wanted that Scripty role. So, despite the fact he could tell I was white bread through and through, he politely said he would keep my name in the running. (Sounded like a prolonged 'no', but I am choosing to remain optimistic.)

Well, that's the news from my end of the bog, and tomorrow, I am going to get a little bit of work done around here before I happily have no time to spare. Let me know what you are up to, and I will keep you abreast of the "things in the wings."