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September 27, 2006

A Day In The Life Of

Whenever I import and backup the footage from P2 cards, Final Cut Pro is tied up for approximately twenty minutes, which leaves me with a little bit of legitimate free time (in addition to the illegitimate free time I also manage to accrue). I told myself I'd try to use this time to write, but I've been distracted from that plan with Christine Vachon's new book, A Killer Life. I started it yesterday; I'll finish it tomorrow. One of the chapters is an hour by hour account of a day at Cannes; inspired by that, and considering the fact that Jim has fallen quite a bit behind (understandably) on the production blog, I thought I might give a similar breakdown of an average shooting day, from the editor's perspective.

10:00 AM - I arrive at the set. Plug everything in, open up Final Cut Pro and take care of some file management I let fall by the wayside while the rest of the crew gets ready for the first shot.

12:30 PM - I finish a few changes to the promotional trailer I've spent the last two days cutting (cutting in new footage as fast as they can shoot it) and am in the process of spitting out a batch of downloadable Quicktime versions when Michael, the DP, asks me if I can call up a scene frame for reference. I cancel the export and pop open the requested shot. Between instant access to previously shot footage and the promise of newly cut sequences, I think the editing suite will eventually replace video village as the place to be on film sets.

1:30 PM - I leave set to go field a call to LA for the project I'm working on there. This is going to be a pretty regular interruption to my workflow, but it's a welcome one - the only problem is that the crew always inevitably needs me for something the moment I step out. I check my e-mail for a document that I need to offer notes on. It needs to be sent out to various parties by the end of the day, so it can be read over for a conference call tomorrrow. It was supposed to be in my inbox at 11:00 LA time (I set my computer two hours behind so that I can keep track of these dueling schedules) but it hasn't arrived yet. I go back to the set.

2:00 PM - Back at the computer, scanning this just-arrived twenty six page document for what seems like the millionth time. The changes made after the conference call we had yesterday have really tightened this thing up. I make a few perfunctory notes and sign off on it; there are a few things I'm not happy about, but I'm trying to learn how to pick my battles. I return to the set, where my input holds a bit more sway. Nothing has been shot yet.

4:00 PM - I get the first P2 card for the day (we like to call them mags). We just finished shooting the first setup for scene 64. We were supposed to finish this scene by 2:30. I haven't been paying attention to how behind we are. We break for lunch. I was going to head over to the Borders around the corner and pick up the new Cormac McCarthy novel, but instead I go back to check my e-mail and make a few phone calls. As I'm about to log out, I get an e-mail from a publicist, asking if I can interview John Cameron Mitchell on Monday. John Cameron Mitchell! My heart just about skips a beat. I fire back a quick e-mail. What time? Will it be a telephone interview? Will be he in town? Can he come do the interview on set, since I doubt I'll be able to leave? Okay, I didn't really ask that last one, but I tell Yen that I did, and that he is in fact showing up.

5:00 PM - I talk to the publicist. It'll be a telephone interview. I can do that from set. They're screening Shortbus for me on Friday. John Cameron Mitchell! I wonder what's going on downstairs on set?

6:30 PM - They finish scene 64. This is the furthest behind we've fallen, but it's really not as dire as it feels in the moment. When Jim was scheduling the shoot, he pushed the original twelve days into eighteen, and (inspired by tales of Clint Eastwood's sets) allotted eight or nine hours to each workday. It looks like we'll be going four hours over today, but that still leaves us only working an average twelve hour day. Nothing wrong with that. Still, even at twelve hours, we have to drop one of the planned scenes for the day, something I suspect we've been doing a little bit too frequently these past few dayss. The lead actor catching the flu and being unable to speak for two days threw a really big kink in the schedule, too. But back on the flip side, we've yet to compromise on anything. Jokes about 'handheld' and 'natural light' are flying a bit faster and more seriously these days. Of course, the only ones making them are me. And James. And sometimes Yen.

7:30 PM - I've been a stand-in for what feels like three hours now. The charm has officially worn off. I was working on the opening of the film when I heard the dreaded sound of my last name, bellowed across set by James, who hates being an AD but is doing a pretty good job at it. Especially when he gets all gangsta.

8:30 PM - Import complete. The shot I was standing in for is sort of jaw dropping. And by sort of, I mean completely. I'm glad to have been of service to such a lighting scheme.

9:00 PM - Jim offers his apologies to the crew for going late, but explains that there's no way around it. No one minds. We're all here in the first place because we want to be. Not that there would be too many people to mind, since our crew has dwindled this week. Nothing unexpected - people let us know going in that they had prior commitments. I have my business calls, other people have their own projects, some people are in school. PAs keep getting promoted, especially in the grip department.

10:00 PM - I send a text message to Michelle, our still photographer, to let her know we wrapped. She couldn't be on set today, but I try to keep her updated anyway. We're only three and a half hours and one scene behind. I only managed to edit forty seconds of the film itself today. I need to double my efforts. I feel like a slacker.

11:00 PM - I go home. I check my mail. Ramzi Abed has sent me a screener of the final cut of his upcoming Black Dahlia movie, titled, simply enough, Black Dahlia Movie. There was a big mixup in the Hollywood Reporter a few weeks ago, confusing Ramzi's movie with DePalma's. I was hoping to see the former before the latter opened, so I could reveiw both. I wonder if I could find time to watch it tonight.

12:30 AM - I go running. Have to work off that craft services.

1:00 AM - I pour a gin and tonic and sit down to finish my review of The Science Of Sleep, but decide to write this post first. I've got a handful of half-finished things waiting to go up. I really need to start writing on my downtime.

2:00 AM - I'm writing this sentence. Call time is at nine tomorrow. I imagine I'll have A Killer Life finished by noon. Yen has dibs on my copy; he already started reading it today, in between takes. I remember passing Vachon on the escalator at SXSW back in March and feeling somewhat daunted. Maybe I shouldn't have been - she seems so sweet in text! John Cameron Mitchell contributed a few pages to the book. I can't wait until Monday. I also can't wait until tomorrow. Movie sets are my favorite home away from home. People always say things like that when they write about making movies. "It's the best job in the world," or "I wouldn't want to do anything else." They've got good reason.

Posted by David Lowery at September 27, 2006 01:12 AM

Comments

Posted by: Karsten at September 27, 2006 07:53 AM

Posted by: R at September 28, 2006 08:28 PM

Posted by: bryan at September 29, 2006 10:16 PM