And it was sooooo much fun.
The pleasure of working with people you love and admire and who love and admire you right back. I would say it wasn’t work but it really was. But at the end of the day, no one really wanted to walk away. It was a bit melancholy to put a pin in this project because it’s been so special for all of us. But I know it’s just the start of something special because this project has felt truly blessed.
The biggest problem was a huge lighting issue on Sunday that set filming back by four hours Lighting is not my strong suit and so it took probably twice as long as it would have for someone who know what they hell they were doing. The other problem was that I had to be behind the camera. I’m pretty good with it but I’d rather have someone else shooting so I can concentrate on my actors and get the performance on camera instead of getting the shot. And I’ve had a great cinematographer for the first three weeks. Oh, well. I think I got what I needed. And it’s all gonna be comic book-y and blown out so I think it’ll be fine.
The biggest entertainment of the weekend was interacting with Brad Wilcox as Mastermind. He had warned me that it might be a weird weekend with him in character and it was a bit. It was fun, though, to see Brad behave like a six-year-old who was wearing his mother’s bath towel as his cape. Yet as soon as the camera rolled, the villainy and the power came out.
Highlights of the weekend:
1. Watching Brad and Beth bond. They are connected in this project in a fantastic, twisted way. I loved the moments when they would just either reach out and embrace each other during the first part of the shoot, when they were Liz and JD and needed to be connected, and the way they stood toe-to-toe, challenging each other as Liz and Mastermind. Whatever they did worked. Their chemistry is amazing.
2. Going into the parking lot at Swordplay to get Brad to come to set. Usually, he and Beth would hang out at the table, smoking, talking, working. No Brad. Look around the parking lot, it’s 2:30 AM, and I look up the staircase next to the door and there is Mastermind, backlit like Janusz Kaminski had lit him, grinning down at me with his best evil grin.
3. I’m setting up a shot at Swordplay, Beth is deep in her preparation for the shot, I see Mastermind sneak up behind her and scare the shit out of her. She smacks him, calls him a dick and they just grin at each other like preschoolers.
4. Beth really enjoying handcuffing herself to the chair.
5. Giving notes to Brad in Mastermind mode about making sure a bit of his alter-ego, JD, comes out on one particular line to make sure there is an emotion and depth to the character. Mastermind just shakes his head at me and says, very quietly but very intensely “no.” I say “yes”. Brad tries not to smile and insists, “no”, putting on his best Mastermind face. I smile right back at him. “Yes”. I poke him in the chest. “It has to come from here”, and poke harder at his heart, “and not here” and poke his head. He shakes his head and pokes his own chest. “There’s nothing here.” But his grin says otherwise.
5. At the end of her part of the shoot, the look on Beth’s face when I tell her she’s wrapped. As she’s getting ready to go, I gave her a big hug and realized how sad I was that we were done and that she’d be gone. The set felt very empty for the rest of the night.
6. A small, private toast after everyone was gone with Brad and my flask of Jamesons.
My favorite shot of the weekend:
All in all, a wonderful, exhausting, incredible shoot that I think it going to result in an amazing piece of film.
Now, on to build the plan on how we’re going to conquer the world…
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