Wow what a whirlwind of a weekend I am coming off of. I know I have been dying to blog this event but have been trying to figure out just where to start off. Therefore I will start from the moment I found out I was doing not just one commercial this past weekend but two.
I was in the preproduction stage for Irony Coasts Post it spot titled "Operation", anyone who knows me knows that I am over organized and this was no different. If anything I became obsessive about making the impending shoot perfect. There were many moments during the preproduction phase I had to call upon my "partner in crime" Dinky to help me sort out my brain. Yet we did it, we had a script, we had a location, a cast, and the props (well most of them, more on that later). Fast forward to this past Wednesday night, I had just moved to a new place and hanging from my tree was this really creepy turkey leg, including it's foot. Vic sees said leg and within 10 mins I have yet another project for the weekend. Vic is an amazing artist, the things that inspire him are a bit weird but when something clicks he just comes up with awesome stuff.
So here I am , it is now Thursday evening, the day before we planned to shoot "Cop's and Gobbler's" and I go out to finish buying props. I come home and get on facebook to have some final last conversations with Vic before the shoot. After we finish that I look up where my turkey leg was and well there was nothing there. This is where I had my first "Moment" I am literally in tears searching for this dehydrated turkey leg that was to be the center of our spot the following day. With a raised voice I am asking my kids "Great you picked a perfect day to start helping" , my kids don't clean without being prompted. EVER. That is unless they did something I havent caught them at yet. Then I stop , in the middle of my living room and just start laughing, yes I just realized that I am upset at my children for throwing away a dehydrated and very gross turkey leg. We end up finding it , after I had to dig through the trash. So all is well. I literally stay up all night and read as much as I can on production and directing. I knew I was running short on time and up to this point I have only acted. I was getting nervous...At about 8 am I talk to Amy on facebook and tell her goodnight, Ill see her tomorrow (She was my patient for the Operation spot). Goodnight??? yes I have to leave in a few hours but uhhhh goodnight.
Friday - So one of Vic's ideas was to bring in new talent for P.A's and acting since many of us are moving up and directing and producing and so I posted a casting call and one of my friends from other films Matthew Jasso, responded. He has recently moved to Houston and looking for some contacts in the industry in Houston. Matthew is awesome at martial arts and improv that does not seem like improv and therefore I jump on the chance to have him come help. I inform Vic and the others and I know that he will become a asset to Irony Coast and I hope we will be for him as well. I am due to pick up Jessica (the oh so beautiful International Runway Model) as she is my "Gobbler" , at the Deerbrook mall...yea uhh went to the wrong mall so had to once again call upon Dinky for her help and her and Joe (Director of Photography, it's an art) to pick her up.
We were to start at 7, come 8 we are all there finally and after a few moments of Vic giving some ideas to me and Joe he announces "Okay from this point on, Im just here to consult" - I look at Joe and he is looking at me and I am thinking "Oh shit". So we stumble through some conversations about the angles , and where the props will be and what not. For the first 20 mins or so both Joe and I keep looking to Vic but Vic was in other conversations and we sucked it up and set the PA's to work. One of the huge benefits to having Matthew as a PA is that he also has directed and he helped me remain on tasks, he asked what did I want him to do. I really had no clue and he gave me the great advice "As a director , always have an answer".
I do not want to give to much away because I have no clue how the edited version will come out but lets just give some highlights.
1. My daughter was the outline of the turkey body minus the leg, Matthew was to draw it around her and she was sitting on the ground trying to make it appear as if her leg was already gone. He then tells her " you realize I can just not draw that full leg right?" and we all roar into laughter. My child cracks me up sometimes.
2. That first money shot... where Ben licks "turkey Gravy" off the ground and used a post it to state "A Good Gravy" and when I called cut me and Joe just looked at each other and stated "That's the one" ... that was my first "Director" moment. That awesome feel where you realize wow I am doing this and it is amazing. This is where I started to sense things a bit better. I have so much to learn, but truly my learning started there. That was the moment I realized just how much is involved in this.
3. Josie's Close ups ... She is a great actress but for this one she actually did not have to act, because it was genuinely disgusting to watch Ben lick gravy off the floor. Not only that but to have to watch it repeatedly is enough to make you never eat at Thanksgiving again.
4. Ben is not used to handcuffing people - Not only did he get to handcuff someone he got to handcuff Jessica, and the amount of trouble he had making it work was not only funny, but was friggen humorous to the point I still am laughing.
5. That's a wrap - Victor pointed a camera at me and stated "Okay do it..." and I got to for my first time, decide we were done and call "That's a wrap" ...
Some key feelings about it all...
- It really is a whole new world when you are watching from a camera. There is this symbiotic relationship between the director and the director of photography that is in itself separate from the rest of the shoot. There were moments that we would call a cut and Id look up from the screen and was shocked that I had the actors there in person.
- Vic in the elevator asking me how it felt. It was surreal and he just stated "Addicting isn't it"..."Yes Sir it is".
- I get to learn to edit, as that is one way to improve my skills as a director because Ill know then what shots I wish I had, what ones I didnt need etc.
All in all Friday went amazing, we got 58 mins of footage for a 2 min spot. Thank you to everyone involved. We have a great group and I know that I am blessed to be part of it.
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