advice to all you aspiring filmmakers out there - don't schedule any exterior shooting within ten miles of a motocross event.
this weekend actually went pretty smoothly (and, as such, i'm at a loss for hillarious/interesting stories). we shot a couple of joe/mike scenes at the laurelwood pub on nw 23rd - there was some concern over the quality of the sound, but i think we at least got consistent audio (e.g. cutting different takes together shouldn't be a problem). mike and joe both did well. lucy ellen moe got her cameo (as a waitress flirting with mike's character).
also, i had a healthy debate with pretty much the entire crew and a good portion of the cast about my insistence upon joe wearing a tweed jacket on a sunny september day. they all had good, logical points against my decision, but i strongly felt that the needs of the narrative overrided a minor/debatable logistical issue. and, in the end, i think at least joe and alicia understood where i was going with it (e.g. colin is trying really hard to be a grown-up in this particular scene - and, as such, it makes sense for him to put on his grown-up clothes before he heads out into the harsh world to make amends. plus this is the nw - and it's not unheard of for people to wear sweaters or jackets in september (even while other people are wearing only t-shirts and tank tops. right?)).
and we more or less wrapped lisa's scenes (as keira). there are still a few pick-ups left here and there (some montage footage and the big parks & recreation show that we're still trying to schedule), but for the most part, she's done. and done well. she did a terrific job, frequently under less than perfect conditions (e.g. the motocross incident, etc), and really carried her role extremely well. i'm very happy to have her in the film.
and, while i'm at it, how about a round of applause for jim becker as well. we took care of all of his scenes as colin's dad in a single weekend. and he pretty much rocked the role.
also, three cheers for mike johnson! who is masterfully applying a much-needed dose of humanity to his exposition-filled dialogue.
okay... i really can't say enough good things about our large cast and small crew... but i'll try to squeeze in some more compliments (not ass-kissing, mind you, just sincere compliments) later.
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- Grammar School Pictures is Matt Knapp and Joe Ballman + associates.
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5 comments:
My apologies to my friends Joe and Matt. In a post on my blog I mentioned that the nature of Aaron's dialog was mostly exposition. I then went on to describe how I tried to put more life into the lines than was actually there on the page, or something like that. Well, first of all, I didn't mean to disparage their excellent script. I was merely trying to explain the difficulties I was facing with acting in general. I really like their script, and I didn't mean at all to put them down. They have done excellent work, and I'm pleased to be part of it.
In any script an actor has to give meaning to words that might not necessarily express meaning. A quick scan through any Beckett play will tell you that. How do you give shades of meaning to, for example, the word "fuck"? That's an actor's task, isn't it? In a recent interview I read with Benecio Del Toro, he says something like "a good script is just raw material. Something to be whittled and kneaded like strips of leather." Something like that. Drift is a good script.
So I'm sorry if I gave any other impression than that I enjoy working on the piece.
darling mike,
i did actually read your personal posting before i wrote this on my own blog. but there was no offense taken and i certainly did not mean to sound insincere in my appreciation for the work you've done on the character.
i think each of us ton the film (you, me, joe, alicia, lisa, jim, etc) understands the nature of the story. it is colin's journey and, in order for that to work effectively, the rest of characters must support him in one way or another. however, they also cannot seem to exist ONLY to support him. the easiest decisions to make in pre-production had to do with casting the main supporting roles. we knew we needed people who could not only work in support of colin/joe, but who would develop their own identities with the characters. and i feel your work on the film is accomplishing that task.
so, yeah, no worries.
and, really. thanks.
(what's the emoticon for a tender yet masculine hug?)
I'm not even sure if I should be offended or not, but I think I shouldn't be. If I'm wrong, someone let me know in a future comment.
no, you're not wrong, joe. you're just an asshole.
Yeah, Joe. You should be offended by that last post. Unless you possess an acute sense of irony. In which case, you have a small penis and you smell.
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