Day 3

How do you rent a trailer at 6:00 in the morning on thanksgiving day?

I could see the budget in my head clicking high like the numbers on a gas pump. The bus driver says: "I'm going to pour water into the radiator and see if it holds. I'll call you back in ten minutes and let you know what's up"

Faisal and I decide to start heading to the first location. It's outdoors so we can shoot it without any equipment if we have to. We get in the car and 20 minutes later the bus driver calls. He says "I'm on the way! I don't know how long it will stay but I'm moving now!" Relief!

Everybody is late today. With only a few hours of sleep, the cast and crew are tired. It's a wonder anybody got up at all. People are so dedicated to their jobs! Even Craft service!! I wanted to mention that The night before, our caterer made a turkey dinner for everyone in honor of Thanksgiving. That is a ridiculous amount of work but WOW!!

We get to the first location of the day. We are shooting behind a high school. What's amazing is that everyday has been beautiful outside. Sunny and warm! The one time we need it to be nice, it rains. And of course, we shoot for 3 hours and when we pack up, the sun comes out and stays sunny the rest of the day.

We got some amazing shots here, some of my favorites so far. Roberto, who is playing a guy getting beaten up (and is also are Art Dec man!) took so many hits to the face (willingly and against my wishes) that he had a swollen face for the day.

We finish at the high school and head to the last location. Everyone is sluggish and moving with anti-gusto. The first shots take hours to set up and now we are late. The issue with this location is we have to be out by 11:00. Not wrapped but packed up and cleared out. I can literally feel every muscle in my back tense. I'm staring at the story boards and shot lists and I'm cutting things left, right and center.

The room we are shooting is supposed to imply cleanliness to a sterile degree so we are shooting in a white room. This was the only place the DP did not see and I clearly made a huge mistake. DP's don't like white rooms. Check, gotcha, in the vault.

Things trudge along. I give myself time limits to complete a series of shots and I'm pushing everybody to go faster. A smile and a thank you go a long way. We keep getting closer to 11:00 and we are pushing along when all of a sudden it hits me; nothing I have shot over the past few days is going to fit. Nothing is going to make sense. OH GOD!!

We break for dinner and I need to get out of the location. I tell Faisal, "I'm going out and I'll be back in about 20 Minutes. Only call me if it's an Emergency."

As I walk around the neighborhood, I feel drained. My movie is going to suck and I just threw away thousands of dollars. I should have just stayed as a 1st AC. This is going to blow so hard!! I can feel myself loosing control and I want to run away.

I find quiet back street. As I'm walking down it, I start to visualize my movie filled with every shot we have done. I am editing the movie in my mind. I'm really concentrating and focused. When it's done I've gone from panic to relief and from relief to excitement. This movie looks pretty cool!

I get back to the location and I'm feeling much better. We get the rest of the film in the can. We push each other and nip at each other and get on each others nerves but we get it done with out anybody taking it personally!

By the time we finish packing up, bringing everything back to the rental house and I finish driving people home, it's some time in the A.M again.

The next day I go to work. I'm a Zombie at best. But every time I feel myself slipping away into sleep or craving my bed, I just think about what I did that weekend.

I directed a movie...That I wrote...and Produced! (Co-produced w/Faisal at the helm)

I'm 28 years old and I can't remember the last time I felt so good about something I worked so hard on.

Next stop: Post production!