IT'S A WRAP!!!
The title says it all! Production is done!!!!
The last day/night of shooting went extremely well... as always, we had a lot to get and not a lot of time to get it, but we were fortunate to have an incredible director, DP, cast, and crew who all worked together to make it happen. Although we had to cut a couple of things from the shot list (and Billy and I did a last minute script tweak to help Lee combine some shots so she could get them), we got everything we needed. And, as is usually the case, the time crunch ended up in some different shots that may end up being better choices than what we would have gotten otherwise.
Speaking of the footage we've gotten, let me just say that the unanimous consensus is that it's gorgeous!! As an executive producer, I get the dailies (VHS tapes with everything that was shot from the day before...usually there are 4-5 tapes per day). But as an actor, I've chosen not to look at any of them yet. I've heard through the grapevine, though, that the performances are great and the shots are stunning. I can't wait to see it!
So what do we do now that shooting is done, you might ask? Well, now begins the post-production phase... Barry, our editor, has already started cutting footage together. And as of Monday, Lee will be permanently attached to his side as they work to do a first rough cut. Meanwhile, Billy and I will be in the office first thing Monday morning looking at all the dailies and making notes to ourselves of the various takes we liked. In a couple of weeks, Billy and I will look at Lee's cut of the pilot presentation; we'll give our notes to her and Barry, and they'll go off and make adjustments. Once we all have a version we're happy with, we'll present it to Dave and Pam, the LOGO executives here in Los Angeles, and their boss Eileen in New York. They'll give us notes, we'll make more tweaks, then we'll send it off to Eileen so that she can present it to her boss, Brian. He's the one who will ultimately make the call as to whether or not we'll go to series...
And I really hope we do. Because this past week has been an amazing experience. Everyone on set genuinely seemed to have a great time working: people laughed at the funny stuff -- in some cases, actually cried at the touching stuff -- and despite having a tight schedule, everyone got along... which is no small feat. But, as Billy often says, fish stink from the head down... meaning, that if the people in charge are raving diva-licious lunatics, then everyone else will have license to have attitude issues as well; but if the people in charge are mellow, collaborative, and know how to lead effectively, then everyone else will take their cue from that instead. Billy, Lee, and I are all in the latter camp, and we're blessed to be working with network executives (Eileen, Dave, and Pam) who are also in the latter camp. Thus, a happy environment that can definitely be repeated when (she says, putting that out there into the universe) we go to series.
On a sidenote, I just have to add a quick commentary about our network execs. I've heard horror stories of what it can be like when the "creatives" and the "suits" are working together... and I'm so thankful that hasn't been our experience. We're fortunate to work with people who are not only smart, but who also have a good sense of when (and how) to give input... and when to simply observe and let us do our thing. Also, they all seem to love this project and trust us to run it, and all of that shows. I'm really looking forward to working with them when (she says again) we get picked up.
I'm really looking forward to that because as of this morning, while writing this post, I'm having some withdrawals... Shooting a project is a bit like going to summer camp, in a way. The people you work with become a sort of family because you're around them 12-14 hours a day every day. I'm going to miss being with my fellow actors every day... joking with the camera operators, the ADs, the lighting guys, the production associates... chatting with our hair and makeup gurus every morning... laughing as the craft services cook gives me a hard time about not being able to eat spicy salsa... all of those moments that are so lovely in between doing the work we're there to do.
But I have a feeling we'll all be back together again soon. I can't imagine anyone at LOGO/MTV looking at this project and not wanting to see it on the air... personally, I think it's a pretty great thing. And if the comments I heard around the set are any indication, a lot of other people think so too... Here's hoping the powers-that-be agree with all of us...
-----------------
And now, to end this post, some photos from our last day/night of shooting:
The first is our yacht in the daytime with the windows blacked out so that when we're shooting inside, it will look like nighttime; the second is of the yacht at night; the third was taken on the roof of the yacht at night during our last scene.
This is me with Barbara (our 1st AD, who keeps the set running on time), Lee, Billy, and Michael (our DP, who sets up all the shots for/with Lee).
Me at dinner with Cathy, who plays Becca.
These last two pictures were taken after we'd wrapped up shooting for the evening. The first is of me and Marnie; the second is of me and my sister, Nicolle, who drove all the way to Los Angeles at 4:30am just to come and spend the day with me on set... :-) In that one, I'm holding the previous days' dailies in my hand... I can't wait to watch them!
The last day/night of shooting went extremely well... as always, we had a lot to get and not a lot of time to get it, but we were fortunate to have an incredible director, DP, cast, and crew who all worked together to make it happen. Although we had to cut a couple of things from the shot list (and Billy and I did a last minute script tweak to help Lee combine some shots so she could get them), we got everything we needed. And, as is usually the case, the time crunch ended up in some different shots that may end up being better choices than what we would have gotten otherwise.
Speaking of the footage we've gotten, let me just say that the unanimous consensus is that it's gorgeous!! As an executive producer, I get the dailies (VHS tapes with everything that was shot from the day before...usually there are 4-5 tapes per day). But as an actor, I've chosen not to look at any of them yet. I've heard through the grapevine, though, that the performances are great and the shots are stunning. I can't wait to see it!
So what do we do now that shooting is done, you might ask? Well, now begins the post-production phase... Barry, our editor, has already started cutting footage together. And as of Monday, Lee will be permanently attached to his side as they work to do a first rough cut. Meanwhile, Billy and I will be in the office first thing Monday morning looking at all the dailies and making notes to ourselves of the various takes we liked. In a couple of weeks, Billy and I will look at Lee's cut of the pilot presentation; we'll give our notes to her and Barry, and they'll go off and make adjustments. Once we all have a version we're happy with, we'll present it to Dave and Pam, the LOGO executives here in Los Angeles, and their boss Eileen in New York. They'll give us notes, we'll make more tweaks, then we'll send it off to Eileen so that she can present it to her boss, Brian. He's the one who will ultimately make the call as to whether or not we'll go to series...
And I really hope we do. Because this past week has been an amazing experience. Everyone on set genuinely seemed to have a great time working: people laughed at the funny stuff -- in some cases, actually cried at the touching stuff -- and despite having a tight schedule, everyone got along... which is no small feat. But, as Billy often says, fish stink from the head down... meaning, that if the people in charge are raving diva-licious lunatics, then everyone else will have license to have attitude issues as well; but if the people in charge are mellow, collaborative, and know how to lead effectively, then everyone else will take their cue from that instead. Billy, Lee, and I are all in the latter camp, and we're blessed to be working with network executives (Eileen, Dave, and Pam) who are also in the latter camp. Thus, a happy environment that can definitely be repeated when (she says, putting that out there into the universe) we go to series.
On a sidenote, I just have to add a quick commentary about our network execs. I've heard horror stories of what it can be like when the "creatives" and the "suits" are working together... and I'm so thankful that hasn't been our experience. We're fortunate to work with people who are not only smart, but who also have a good sense of when (and how) to give input... and when to simply observe and let us do our thing. Also, they all seem to love this project and trust us to run it, and all of that shows. I'm really looking forward to working with them when (she says again) we get picked up.
I'm really looking forward to that because as of this morning, while writing this post, I'm having some withdrawals... Shooting a project is a bit like going to summer camp, in a way. The people you work with become a sort of family because you're around them 12-14 hours a day every day. I'm going to miss being with my fellow actors every day... joking with the camera operators, the ADs, the lighting guys, the production associates... chatting with our hair and makeup gurus every morning... laughing as the craft services cook gives me a hard time about not being able to eat spicy salsa... all of those moments that are so lovely in between doing the work we're there to do.
But I have a feeling we'll all be back together again soon. I can't imagine anyone at LOGO/MTV looking at this project and not wanting to see it on the air... personally, I think it's a pretty great thing. And if the comments I heard around the set are any indication, a lot of other people think so too... Here's hoping the powers-that-be agree with all of us...
-----------------
And now, to end this post, some photos from our last day/night of shooting:
The first is our yacht in the daytime with the windows blacked out so that when we're shooting inside, it will look like nighttime; the second is of the yacht at night; the third was taken on the roof of the yacht at night during our last scene.
This is me with Barbara (our 1st AD, who keeps the set running on time), Lee, Billy, and Michael (our DP, who sets up all the shots for/with Lee).
Me at dinner with Cathy, who plays Becca.
These last two pictures were taken after we'd wrapped up shooting for the evening. The first is of me and Marnie; the second is of me and my sister, Nicolle, who drove all the way to Los Angeles at 4:30am just to come and spend the day with me on set... :-) In that one, I'm holding the previous days' dailies in my hand... I can't wait to watch them!
posted by MP at 12:10 PM
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