That's a Wrap!

It's shot - in the can. After three long weeks that simultaneously wouldn't end and sped past, there is 99 pages of script shot and ready to be turned into a film. We already have some idea of pick-ups and inserts that still need to be filmed but, for atleast two days, we can celebrate this achievement.

I don't know if crews say nice things to even bad directors who helm acrimonious productions. It's LA, so anything is possible. But, I was stunned by some of the compliments that were coming out of my crew's mouths last night. They (you) are my inspiration and my encouragement and provide me with the confidence that we will get to do this again. We owe it to each other. We just made a difficult movie with complicated set-ups, lots of actors and small white spaces with not enough people, time or money and it looks good. We owe it to each other to make sure that we get to do it again with a more humane schedule and a budget to match.

As for the end of the shoot, we got to finish with the end of the script. Our last two days, we shot the last 8 pages of the story and it is great to see where you end up and gain perspective on the story again. Jonah recovered from his injury and illness and was stellar on the last day, ending in the place of confidence that his character had earned.

We were out of the dorms and giving ourselves up to a host of new variables. A location rep (one of my best friends) who showed up an hour late to open our bar location. At 6 AM on July 4th, I was fully expecting a crew mutiny. And, because we were stuck for so long at St. Mary's, we had very little time to scout or shot list. There we were, in Menlo Park, with no energy, seeing a location for the first time over lunch and I'm thinking, this is no way to finish the movie.

One Starbucks run later, the crew got their 45th wind and we finished on an exciting high note and then we stood by the truck in the parking lot, drinking beer like a bunch of high school kids. By many measures, this is already a success.