Still Shuddering
We were shooting a very emotional scene between La Starlet and La International Star and we were racing to finish the day without going overtime and there was a palapable but manageable level of tension on the set and at a quiet and intense moment in the scene somebody's cell phone went off. Well, not just somebody's cell phone.
My cell phone.
I had forgotten to turn it off after lunch.
Being the director it was up to me to say call out "cut" and then, of course, I had to say "that was me." It wasn't a very big deal because I admitted it right away, turned off my phone and we got right back into the work and started another take. After that we broke for a lighting change and I turned my phone back on and made a couple of calls. Then we went back in and finished the scene. The second we were done my phone rang. I had forgotten to turn it off again.
I know this doesn't sound like a bad thing because it rang after the danger point and nobody even noticed but the fact is it could have rung during the scene again and for some reason this got to me: the fact that I could be so unconscious in a moment when consciousness -- of performance, lighting, timing, the framing of the shot -- is everything. That combined with the fact that La International Star was not doing a good job, and that we ended up going ten minutes into overtime anyway, made for a gloomy finale to the day.
The bad performance thing is rankling badly right now. It's there in the movie. Melodramatic. Forced. I can blame the rush--a few more takes and I might have broken her down. I can blame her--oh no wonder she's been famous for forty years without ever becoming a truly big star. But none of that sticks. She's done great work in other films. She's shooting an arc on a big presitigious cable series right now and will probably be brilliant. It's simple: I didn't find the key with her. I didn't think to run it with her before we shot. I didn't make it happen.
Today is the second to last day of shooting. Both days ahead are killer days. Sex, explosions, romance, emotion, night scenes. I don't see how I can do it without overtime.
It's a gloomy morning. But I'll tell you one thing about the next two days:
I'll be leaving my cell phone in my trailer.
My cell phone.
I had forgotten to turn it off after lunch.
Being the director it was up to me to say call out "cut" and then, of course, I had to say "that was me." It wasn't a very big deal because I admitted it right away, turned off my phone and we got right back into the work and started another take. After that we broke for a lighting change and I turned my phone back on and made a couple of calls. Then we went back in and finished the scene. The second we were done my phone rang. I had forgotten to turn it off again.
I know this doesn't sound like a bad thing because it rang after the danger point and nobody even noticed but the fact is it could have rung during the scene again and for some reason this got to me: the fact that I could be so unconscious in a moment when consciousness -- of performance, lighting, timing, the framing of the shot -- is everything. That combined with the fact that La International Star was not doing a good job, and that we ended up going ten minutes into overtime anyway, made for a gloomy finale to the day.
The bad performance thing is rankling badly right now. It's there in the movie. Melodramatic. Forced. I can blame the rush--a few more takes and I might have broken her down. I can blame her--oh no wonder she's been famous for forty years without ever becoming a truly big star. But none of that sticks. She's done great work in other films. She's shooting an arc on a big presitigious cable series right now and will probably be brilliant. It's simple: I didn't find the key with her. I didn't think to run it with her before we shot. I didn't make it happen.
Today is the second to last day of shooting. Both days ahead are killer days. Sex, explosions, romance, emotion, night scenes. I don't see how I can do it without overtime.
It's a gloomy morning. But I'll tell you one thing about the next two days:
I'll be leaving my cell phone in my trailer.
posted by Tom at 8:39 PM
3 Comments:
My cell phone tends to ring at the most inappropriate times and sometimes it doesn't ring at all when I want it to.
Tom -
Yes, I'm sure the set is full of stress. But your recent posts are filled with SO MUCH self doubt and blame. Yes, you are the director. But remember that an enormous part of the success of the film will rely on the shoulders of many, many others. Particularly the actors (that make the big bucks).
One more day to go. Then you have to have a lot of faith in the editors, in sound design, and in marketing.
I have no doubt about your contributions. I've never known anyone so sincere in their concern and focus. I look forward to the finished product. (As a casual viewer, I'm likely to only judge the performance of the actors.)
Relish "every single good day."
I agree with Paul, everybody has a job to do and it sounds like la international star just is not earning her big bucks. I also look forward to the finished product and like most of the viewing public, I know nothing except whether I enjoy it. Hang in there and try not to beat yourself up.
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