Reviving

Okay, so the last week is on the horizon, and so is the sun.

I've been up for a little while and have heard the world awaken (at least, in my neighborhood). A quick storm lit up the last of the slumbering sky moments ago, and I suppose I will just have to wait and see what the daylight brings.

I haven't been online or seen much TV over the last week, which means my knowledge of the weather forecast is (or has been) limited to what is printed on the call sheets, and what I may hear on the radio as I drive to location. Mostly, I just carry a sweater in the car (for just-in-case-chilliness) and dress in t-shirts and jeans. This May weather has been a bear to contend with, but as a Michigander I am (of course) adaptable.

We have a new caterer on set, thankfully, but it took several weeks of horrible-turned-disgusting experiences to move the above the lines to making the decision to change it up.

It took completely under-cooked (to nearly completely uncooked) pork chops - and a few sick people - to make it happen. The lack of enough food to go around several days in a row didn't do it...but the still-oinking meal pushed us all over the edge. Yesterday's lunch was phenomenal, and exactly as I remembered film catering meals should be. The food was Carleson-standard-delicious...and abundant, and it was the first time I can remember EVERYbody smiling and relaxed after our half hour meal on this gig.

The last two days have had us on EXTs (exterior scenes), and night shoots - and with no budget to play with, we could not afford a lockdown on the streets to keep traffic noise down while filming. It was noisy and awful, and besides the normal daily business traffic and overhead noises (planes, distant icecream trucks, etc.) we also had to contend with gawkers in very loud cars and radios blaring who heard 'something was going on' and decided to check it out.

Ah, yes...and two nights ago we had a crazed/drunk/high (you choose) lunatic drive over the curb and past the barricades to get into the set area. He grazed the grip truck parked next to video village (backing up at that point), and tried to drive up onto the sidewalk! Talk about surreal and out-of-nowhere. Our AD was yelling at us to leave the area and get into the building because who new what he would do next!?! After 3 or 4 minutes he drove off, circled the area a time or two and then blew away.

Ah, low-budget indies. ;) But then, thank goodness for the wannabe actors who peppered our set for free as students and zombies. It was fun for us behind the camera to watch them flounder and flop and growl and respond to prompts from the director and AD. I really think you will enjoy this quirky film. I have come to be fond of the story, and charmed by the characters, over the last few weeks.

That's it for me, for now. The girls have figured out I am awake and available to their hungry tummies. I may end up taking a nap this morning, as I am recovering from a headcold (which I mistook for allergy symptoms). I didn't sleep as well (or as long) as I would have wished, so today will have moments of laziness mixed in with the needful/neglected chores. Oh, and Crosby, if you are out there, you are right! It will be all the sweeter to get outside after the long wait and all the rain delays. I tried to respond to your comment days ago, but Blogger is still fouled and won't work properly - but thank you.

I still can't get into my other blog at all to write, and I wanted to post a quilting photo or two.

See you all again soon. Be well and be happy.

Some strange stuff

People utter some strange stuff on movie sets, and most times it doesn't even make folks think twice or bat an eye.

For example, the call for a "touch up" to a body part that normally wouldn't require make-up -- ever -- nary raises an eyebrow. Your MUA will just strut on in, dab or brush or apply this or that, and then saunter on out and check a monitor for how it reads on camera. Same thing for SPFX, hair, wardrobe....well, you get the idea.

So, it was one of those kinds of days when the AD asked for SPFX to "wrangle some meat for Mark's mouth" and a bunch of seasoned filmmakers began to giggle like school children. [It was pretty funny...even if you had every idea of the context for the request, it was strange enough to make one laugh.]

I mean, what card-carrying zombie doesn't require meat in their mouth?

And then you have moments of silliness when the director decides impishness is the order of the day.

First, he leaned over and apologized for "going in" and then asked if the barricade was up or down. When I told him "down" he disappeared. Next thing you know, the door in the scene opened and in place of the critical character we expected to come through and deliver her lines (to move the scene along), in pops the director, who proceeds to give our necking couple a rather homosexual stare, stomps his foot and then exits the scene the way he came in. The looks on the faces of the surprised couple was priceless...and so was the moment of levity.

Sometimes strange stuff can be good.

So glad to be home

So, SO glad to be home...the last two days have been long, long, l-o-n-g. Thirteen-plus hours each, and grueling. By the third hour in today my pencil was begging for a day off! ;)

I'm just coming in the door and I'm ready to nod off, but I wanted to take a few minutes to let some air out here, first. I tried to write an update last night (technically, Thursday evening - after getting home) but I found Blogger was still on the fritz for a second day. (We bloggers have been unable to access our blogs to enter anything new since Wednesday, but you folks on the reading end could still see them.)

Anyhow, the ghosts of the school we are filming in have been up to silly shenanigans, and this week especially they have been busy.

While filming in the library, a large oak door in the back of a small adjoining room slammed shut for no reason and without the help of a breeze or human touch. It hadn't happened before and it hasn't happened since...so, go figure.

Mid-week, the fire alarm in the building suddenly sounded, and persisted for about seven minutes, until one of our crew figured out the cheater's method for "dealing with it."

Flags have been found neatly sorted and stacked against a wall, when in fact they had been left hastily in disarray by the lighting crew as they set up a new shot or went for lunch moments before. Strange little things that can't be reasoned away.

Then, there are the neighbors and their guns........and the gunfire. Oy vey! Two nights ago the crew, out in the parking lot on a cigarette break, was herded quickly back into the building as an armed citizen (and two 'friends') - frequenting the neighborhood drug house - ran into our lot and headed for the milling group.

Film people like to think we're a tough lot, but we are no match for gun-carrying nutjobs.

[Yawn]

Now, I am heading off to bed, but I will post more over the weekend. Until then..........I am so glad to....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

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....."