Day 2...
Day 2 is in the can!! We got all our shots (hooray!) and everything looked great (another hooray!). But it was definitely more challenging than yesterday... and it was also incredibly wonderful.
First, the challenging part: it was the first time all 6 principal actors were working together at the same time; we had A LOT of material to get through; we had even less time than yesterday to shoot everything since we're moving to a new location tomorrow; and, oh yes, today was the "start work" day for the bird. ;-)
Note: To learn more about the All-Powerful Bird, please see "meetings, part 2"
Now for the wonderful part: in working together today, the 6 of us definitely found our rhythm as a group (go team!!!); we got through all the material and didn't miss anything (go Lee!!!); we were able to get from one setup to another quickly, which meant we didn't waste a lot of time (go crew!!!); and the bird landed on the railing on cue, which meant we only needed its stand-in to set up the shot (go Bird Wrangler!!!).
What a great day...
But I have to say, it wasn't just a great day for all of those production-related things that make me happy as an executive producer and writer. I also had a great day as an actor because I was able to experience the kind of moments that actors absolutely live for.
The moments came at the end of our day when we were shooting the very last scene in the pilot. The scene is where my character, Jennifer, decides it's finally time to move on from her ex; and Jen's best friend, Sam, is right there encouraging her. What I'd written in the script was sweet. And in the hands of any other actor, it may have stayed sweet. But then Marnie came along.
Marnie is the actress who plays Sam, and each day we work together I say a silent "thank you" to our amazing casting directors for finding her and bringing her in for the audition. When we were doing the last scene, she and I did it as written for the first few takes... and then we started to really find our way. In the process, we discovered moments together that weren't on the page (even though I literally wrote the page!) and we discovered a connection between Sam and Jen that I didn't even fully recognize when I was writing the script... It was so lovely and so pure, the true friendship and love between them -- and as actors, we felt that connection... so it wasn't so much "acting" as simply "being." It's hard to describe, but those are the kinds of moments that make a character, a relationship, or an entire performance come to life. Those moments resonate with an audience and make them believe that two women who met only weeks ago (Marnie and I) are actually two women who have been friends for years (Sam and Jen). What we found today were the moments that explain why Sam and Jen have been friends for so many years... and why they will be in each others' lives for many, many years to come.
As a writer, I can't wait to find out what those lives will hold. And as an actor, I can't wait to have more moments like that with Marnie and the other fine actors in our cast. Fingers crossed (by the writer in me and the actor in me) that we'll be picked up, and that I'll have many years ahead to explore all that...
First, the challenging part: it was the first time all 6 principal actors were working together at the same time; we had A LOT of material to get through; we had even less time than yesterday to shoot everything since we're moving to a new location tomorrow; and, oh yes, today was the "start work" day for the bird. ;-)
Note: To learn more about the All-Powerful Bird, please see "meetings, part 2"
Now for the wonderful part: in working together today, the 6 of us definitely found our rhythm as a group (go team!!!); we got through all the material and didn't miss anything (go Lee!!!); we were able to get from one setup to another quickly, which meant we didn't waste a lot of time (go crew!!!); and the bird landed on the railing on cue, which meant we only needed its stand-in to set up the shot (go Bird Wrangler!!!).
What a great day...
But I have to say, it wasn't just a great day for all of those production-related things that make me happy as an executive producer and writer. I also had a great day as an actor because I was able to experience the kind of moments that actors absolutely live for.
The moments came at the end of our day when we were shooting the very last scene in the pilot. The scene is where my character, Jennifer, decides it's finally time to move on from her ex; and Jen's best friend, Sam, is right there encouraging her. What I'd written in the script was sweet. And in the hands of any other actor, it may have stayed sweet. But then Marnie came along.
Marnie is the actress who plays Sam, and each day we work together I say a silent "thank you" to our amazing casting directors for finding her and bringing her in for the audition. When we were doing the last scene, she and I did it as written for the first few takes... and then we started to really find our way. In the process, we discovered moments together that weren't on the page (even though I literally wrote the page!) and we discovered a connection between Sam and Jen that I didn't even fully recognize when I was writing the script... It was so lovely and so pure, the true friendship and love between them -- and as actors, we felt that connection... so it wasn't so much "acting" as simply "being." It's hard to describe, but those are the kinds of moments that make a character, a relationship, or an entire performance come to life. Those moments resonate with an audience and make them believe that two women who met only weeks ago (Marnie and I) are actually two women who have been friends for years (Sam and Jen). What we found today were the moments that explain why Sam and Jen have been friends for so many years... and why they will be in each others' lives for many, many years to come.
As a writer, I can't wait to find out what those lives will hold. And as an actor, I can't wait to have more moments like that with Marnie and the other fine actors in our cast. Fingers crossed (by the writer in me and the actor in me) that we'll be picked up, and that I'll have many years ahead to explore all that...
posted by MP at 8:39 PM
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