This One Goes Out to the Ladies...

This morning PM (Production Manager) Rebecca, intern Corey (sans bow-tie! practically scandalous for him - but understandable, as physical labor was involved), my friend and neighbor Phil Baty (who is in the first and last scene of the film, and insists that I introduce him to everyone as, "The Star!!!") and I drove to the warehouse studios of several artists that Joyce Scott put me in touch with, who are generously loaning their gorgeous artwork to the production. Artists Linda DePalma, Ellen Burchenal, and Oletha DeVane have their work spaces in a very cool old sewing factory building near Television Hill. I couldn't even tell you how high the ceilings are, maybe 20 feet? Maybe more? The windows take up almost all of the exterior wall, so loads of light. Color me jealous.

Another artist that Joyce introduced me to was Dr. Leslie King-Hammond. She has a piece of her work currently on display in the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. We are not able to borrow that one, but she is lending a similar piece to the film for the big finale scene.

The finale scene will take place over the last 8 to 9 minutes of the film, at a group art exhibit combining Baltimore artists from different generations. Some of my own pieces will be shown in the finale, but of course now I feel like a hack next to the talent of these women. But it is my movie so I get to take a few liberties :) . I'll probably shove my own work in a dark corner somewhere.

It is nice, and reaffirming, to meet and work with such strong and gifted women. As with the cast, I did not look for any certain "type" of person when deciding on my production and film crews, I just chose the strongest, most knowledgeable people I could find that I thought would also be fun to work with, and that is how I ended up with Rebecca as my PM and Michelle as my DP. Throw me in there as Writer/Director/Producer, and as long as this thing doesn't fall completely apart, that is a pretty solid all-girl trifecta that should help us get into any female-centric film festivals. It wasn't something I was thinking about initially, but I am glad it worked out that way.

And while we are getting all girlie up in here... guys, tune out for a minute...

I am keeping this blog for a few reasons, first as a record so that I myself won't forget all the things that I've learned along the way, but also just for anyone interested in the process to be able to get a handle on the gajillion details that go into making a film. Even a small film is a large undertaking, and to anyone who hasn't done it, often it seems glamorous and exciting. Exciting, yes, glamorous, no. Do-able, yes - as long as you don't approach it idealistically. Which is what I really want people to grasp from this blog.

So, one of the million things that I did NOT think about when I started all this - female filmmakers, when possible, should take into account something that men don't have to. Timing. If you are planning a short-term production schedule, there is probably a week to ten days of the month that you should NOT schedule yourself to be in production. Ya follow? Lucky for me, though I didn't plan it that way, that won't be a problem for my shoot.

Oh, and remember that thing I said a few entries ago about having a boy-toy on hand to relieve some stress? Forget it. If you find the time, you won't be able to find the energy, and vice-versa. But as soon as we wrap, all bets are off.

Okay guys, you can take your fingers out of your ears (eyes?) now, just in time to say goodnight. Need to get a good night's sleep, have to focus on breaking down the minutia of the production schedule tomorrow. More stuff I didn't think about at the start of all this, how long it is going to take to move locations, how long to film at each, add up cast, crew, extras, to figure out how many people we have to feed each day (and how much I can spend doing so), how many interns we need on hand, how many vehicles we need, where we are going to park them...

But it will all get done. Then I have a wardrobe meeting with one of my actors, and have to prepare for rehearsals, which we will be doing intensively Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, while at the same time giving a couple interns their first trials by fire, and Thursday doing camera tests with Michelle. I had a good production meeting with Michelle and her crew yesterday. We visited a few of our prominent locations, including the Wind-Up Space, so she can get a handle on how she wants to light and shoot the place. And Rebecca nailed down for me the park & street permits we need from the City, PLUS a permit from Domino's Sugar to be able to legally film footage of their neon billboard over the Harbor to be included in the film! I am very excited about that, it is such a Baltimore icon, and in real life it makes me smile every time I see it.

There are an infinite number of details that you can't let slip through the cracks. But when you break it down, not one of them is brain surgery. Surrounding yourself with good, strong, smart, flexible, pro-active, experienced, enthusiastic, talented, and fun people is KEY to not losing your mind. That one I got down pat.