It was a prop filled shoot at the Inn. The longest scene of the pilot was up. I think I was overly concerned about how long the scene would take to do so I'd blocked out the whole day. Of course Garrett kept telling me it wouldn't take that long, and sure enough, we wrapped by lunch time! It worked out perfectly as we were able to hang out on the deck at the Inn, have lunch as a group, and enjoy the warm sun of a late summer day.
We showed up at the Inn at 9am and guests were still having their breakfast. So, we hung out, drank coffee, got Carolyn and Christine set up to do make-up out in the not yet finished new dining room, then Garrett and I started rearranging the living room.
This scene had the most dialogue and the most sitcom-ish action of the pilot. JT and Chris (Scott and Dennis) had a great moment together where they hear that Libby's about to enter so in attempts to impress, Dennis throws his apron at Scott, throws on his stethescope, and they both haul in their guts. When Marybeth tells them to act more natural they do an exaggerated exhale (nice call, Debra). I've enjoyed watching Debra's skill in knowing when to ask the actors to punch it up in certain scenes, and in others to "throw the line away" which often becomes the most natural moments. In either case, it always works!
What I can't imagine doing is acting out the same scene over and over and trying to keep it about the same as the last take. Now that I've seen what happens behind the camera, I watch sitcoms with a scrutinizing eye and it amazes me how they get away with the lack of continuity (bodes well for us!). I guess there's a certain threshold, a point where they figure the audience won't notice - with our general lack of attention to detail... Like, I'm curious to see the mess of flour on Chris's apron move from take to take, should be comical, or maybe, as we hope, not that noticeable to the non-discerning eye. We just figure, as long as everything is fairly accurate and not too out of sync, we're fine. It'll give the audience a chance to feel smarter than we are.
The day took about half as long as I'd anticipated so with Susan joining us for lunch, she arrived with our sandwiches in tow. After lunch, I took a bunch of photos of Susan as the ghost with Libby on the couch in various poses. Publicity shots, really. It didn't take long to turn into a laugh-fest (you know. Susan as the ghost Jane reading "Dumped at the Corner of Love and Hate" and consoling that "poor, poor child" Libby) and a mini-history of my life because I went through some of the saved photos on my camera. It's been so great getting to know everyone but it's just as we're jelling as a group, it's just about over. (But that's okay, cast party is coming up, then our TBD Premiere Party, then the Emmy's... what else. :-)
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Shake 'n Bounce
Get your pajamas on, it's time to shoot the bedroom scene with Scott and Marybeth. We shot in the Carriage House of the Inn which was perfect with a bed in front of a bookshelf stocked with an interesting variety of books (including, Dumped at the Corner of Love and Hate displayed in all too obvious a manner above Marybeth's pillow). With a tv glowing blue with the Ipswich local access posting of, I don't know, might as well have been lunch menus, we didn't have to move a thing.
For props I had brought, among other things, a magic eight ball only to find Maria
has some sort of affinity for them (who knew?) and brought her own. I made a logo for the "bought in bulk" box of pregnancy tests and we tucked that under a night stand. I only bought one test for Marybeth to unnecessarily shake and Scott (you're a doctor?) to get all "eiw" over. I didn't bother telling the young, male cashier at CVS that "it wasn't for me." "It's for a TV pilot we're shooting" would have been a great excuse and probably something they don't normally hear. Though, he was so engrossed in a conversation with the other cashier about some sort of rehearsal schedule that I was almost tempted. But I took my change and left quietly with the box in the not quite opaque white bag shoved into my purse.
Maria looked great in hot pink silk pajamas with a green camisole underneath. Scott in striped "sleeping pants" as he called them and a t-shirt. Needless to say, they looked like a fabulous and believable couple.
Garrett and Debra worked out the blocking relatively quickly and Garrett got shooting. We had to cut and tell Maria to bounce up and down on the bed more while she was shaking the digital thermometer (okay, so I'd written in a mercury thermometer but since those are like lethal if they break, we opted to go with a "why are you doing that?" kind of line. We joked about throwing in a PSA about mercury thermometers but that may have broken the flow of the scene. We had to have her bounce so then Scott could get all uptight about the (added in post-production) squeaky bed and how it'll ruin his concentration, and oh no, give the town more to talk about.
I have to say, this is probably my favorite scene of the pilot. As I've said Dennis is the heart of the show, this scene is the most heart-felt. In writing the pilot I felt like I had to remain quite surface level with the characters, introduce them, throw out a few glimpses at back story (Hello, Dennis and the lawn? the bedspread?), but the story of Scott and Marybeth trying to get pregnant, as much as it's exploited on Erika TV (i.e. local access) and talked about around town, it's still a serious, private matter which is what's explored. They're so bummed the test came back "better luck next time" and the way Garrett shot their resigned slump back into the pillow from above looked so cool!
The set became very relaxed very quickly. It was interesting to watch two actors, who don't know each other all that well, having to portray a natural closeness, and five crew members watching their every move. Nice work to JT and Maria.
And to Christine and her first experience slating. After just a couple soft claps that she felt the need to rate with two thumbs down :-), she was giving David a run for his money.
It was a good night. The comfort of the cast and crew working together was surfacing more and more. It made me feel reassured that the next shoot at the Inn would go very well.
For props I had brought, among other things, a magic eight ball only to find Maria
has some sort of affinity for them (who knew?) and brought her own. I made a logo for the "bought in bulk" box of pregnancy tests and we tucked that under a night stand. I only bought one test for Marybeth to unnecessarily shake and Scott (you're a doctor?) to get all "eiw" over. I didn't bother telling the young, male cashier at CVS that "it wasn't for me." "It's for a TV pilot we're shooting" would have been a great excuse and probably something they don't normally hear. Though, he was so engrossed in a conversation with the other cashier about some sort of rehearsal schedule that I was almost tempted. But I took my change and left quietly with the box in the not quite opaque white bag shoved into my purse.Maria looked great in hot pink silk pajamas with a green camisole underneath. Scott in striped "sleeping pants" as he called them and a t-shirt. Needless to say, they looked like a fabulous and believable couple.
Garrett and Debra worked out the blocking relatively quickly and Garrett got shooting. We had to cut and tell Maria to bounce up and down on the bed more while she was shaking the digital thermometer (okay, so I'd written in a mercury thermometer but since those are like lethal if they break, we opted to go with a "why are you doing that?" kind of line. We joked about throwing in a PSA about mercury thermometers but that may have broken the flow of the scene. We had to have her bounce so then Scott could get all uptight about the (added in post-production) squeaky bed and how it'll ruin his concentration, and oh no, give the town more to talk about.
I have to say, this is probably my favorite scene of the pilot. As I've said Dennis is the heart of the show, this scene is the most heart-felt. In writing the pilot I felt like I had to remain quite surface level with the characters, introduce them, throw out a few glimpses at back story (Hello, Dennis and the lawn? the bedspread?), but the story of Scott and Marybeth trying to get pregnant, as much as it's exploited on Erika TV (i.e. local access) and talked about around town, it's still a serious, private matter which is what's explored. They're so bummed the test came back "better luck next time" and the way Garrett shot their resigned slump back into the pillow from above looked so cool!
The set became very relaxed very quickly. It was interesting to watch two actors, who don't know each other all that well, having to portray a natural closeness, and five crew members watching their every move. Nice work to JT and Maria.
And to Christine and her first experience slating. After just a couple soft claps that she felt the need to rate with two thumbs down :-), she was giving David a run for his money.
It was a good night. The comfort of the cast and crew working together was surfacing more and more. It made me feel reassured that the next shoot at the Inn would go very well.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Coconut Cream Pie
Thank you Agawam Diner! Or, should I say, we did it!! Probably the most "out of our control" shoot on the schedule was the afternoon we needed to shoot at the classically chrome Agawam Diner in Rowley. About a month ago I stopped by to pitch the show and how we'd like to shoot a scene there and was told as long as we do it on a slow weekday afternoon, it was a go.
We of course showed up early to have lunch, club sandwiches, fries, and free refills of Diet Coke. We then eventually staked our claim on half of the diner as our "extras" showed up. Garrett's mom and brother, Morris from Film North, Nicole, David and myself who sat in a corner reading "Dumped at the Corner of Love and Hate." Hee hee. (I hope Garrett humored me and got me in the shot!!)
Once we got settled in and the diner grew quite quiet, we felt more comfortable being there and started talking up one of the waitresses, Ethel, who gave Leila as the waitress a few pointers. Ethel who "Elvis Costello made a video with" was awesome. The other waitresses enjoyed the free entertainment and we ate as much pie as possible.
Coconut cream. Lemon meringue. Oh yeah. Good stuff.
Mike Evers as our Slow Poke and our leading lady Erika as Libby came in, sat down, and did their thing. I couldn't watch since I was supposed to be reading my book but Debra and Garrett seemed psyched with the performances - why wouldn't they be? When it's said on the TV that Libby is single, we were all to look at her. I completely deadpanned it, thinking, why as a single girl should I give HER sympathy?
Or, that might just be justification for a crap acting job. Stick to the writing...
The only "oh no" moment we had was when this cute pair of elderly ladies who probably have been coming to the diner at 3pm sharp every Wednesday for the past 50 years, walked in and towards our area. We asked if they would sit on the other side and they shook their heads NO! Like, "this has been our lucky booth since time began, we're not budging!" But, it ended up that they thought we were shooting on the other side and didn't want to be in the scene. Whew. All good.
Afterwards, Garrett, Erika, and Mike took off to do the driving scene and it was done in a snap! Garrett said Mike drove obnoxiously slow which is sooo perfect for this area. I hope Libby did some road rage moves, well, that you can show on local access.
Our teaser is in the can! So is a big slice of coconut cream pie. As a friend of mine says, "A minute on the lips, years on the hips."
The shoot went smoothly so, hey, I'll take the extra pound.
We of course showed up early to have lunch, club sandwiches, fries, and free refills of Diet Coke. We then eventually staked our claim on half of the diner as our "extras" showed up. Garrett's mom and brother, Morris from Film North, Nicole, David and myself who sat in a corner reading "Dumped at the Corner of Love and Hate." Hee hee. (I hope Garrett humored me and got me in the shot!!)
Once we got settled in and the diner grew quite quiet, we felt more comfortable being there and started talking up one of the waitresses, Ethel, who gave Leila as the waitress a few pointers. Ethel who "Elvis Costello made a video with" was awesome. The other waitresses enjoyed the free entertainment and we ate as much pie as possible.
Coconut cream. Lemon meringue. Oh yeah. Good stuff.
Mike Evers as our Slow Poke and our leading lady Erika as Libby came in, sat down, and did their thing. I couldn't watch since I was supposed to be reading my book but Debra and Garrett seemed psyched with the performances - why wouldn't they be? When it's said on the TV that Libby is single, we were all to look at her. I completely deadpanned it, thinking, why as a single girl should I give HER sympathy?
Or, that might just be justification for a crap acting job. Stick to the writing...
The only "oh no" moment we had was when this cute pair of elderly ladies who probably have been coming to the diner at 3pm sharp every Wednesday for the past 50 years, walked in and towards our area. We asked if they would sit on the other side and they shook their heads NO! Like, "this has been our lucky booth since time began, we're not budging!" But, it ended up that they thought we were shooting on the other side and didn't want to be in the scene. Whew. All good.
Afterwards, Garrett, Erika, and Mike took off to do the driving scene and it was done in a snap! Garrett said Mike drove obnoxiously slow which is sooo perfect for this area. I hope Libby did some road rage moves, well, that you can show on local access.
Our teaser is in the can! So is a big slice of coconut cream pie. As a friend of mine says, "A minute on the lips, years on the hips."
The shoot went smoothly so, hey, I'll take the extra pound.
Boys Boys Boys
What a fun night of shooting! Granted, it was all the guys of the cast, but the vibe was strong from the get-go. We shot the scene in the apartment that is on the back of the Inn. The living room was pretty small and us who like to watch had to peer over each other's shoulders into the room that increased in temperature in about 5 degree increments.
Garrett got the room set up and we had some time to hang out in the kitchen while the sun set. It's great to be able to hang out with the cast, I feel like I'm slowly getting to know everyone since we're shooting this all broken up in scenes and the same groups of people have only really been together once or twice.
I was able to get some beer and soda pop from Mercury Brewing Company to place with the labels conveniently out for some shameless product placement. Of course, in return for the free advertising I asked to have beer donated to our cast party! I'm enjoying involving the community in this project and I love the nod to Ipswich with all the "Ipswich Ale" labels. I was instrumental in creating the half-full (and empty) bottles. :-)
Hiccup.
The guys took a little time getting comfortable with acting together, for the first time really, and the energy ramped up after a few takes. Walt Kosmolski as "Husband 1" was pretty freaking hilarious. I had to bite back many laughs every time I heard his comments about sports bras being "so unflattering." The way he ran his hand across his chest, oh man! I thoroughly enjoyed the ranting husband that Will Keary played. He's got the hot wife who always covers herself and she has the nerve to comment about his figure!! I loved the lines delivered by the guys when Will was all "I'm not fat!" - it was such a typical girlfriend moment, "Of course you're not. "You're fine."
Chips, anyone?
I ended up changing the bit of the script where Dennis and his son Henry are hanging out on the couch watching Libby on TV. Originally, we aren't supposed to see Henry's cute face, but a.) not knowing if we'll shoot more episodes and b.) Todd Daily's adorable face and energy convinced me that we should give him some deserved face time. We felt bad yelling upstairs, "Todd, you don't need make-up because we won't see you." Awww. So, he made it on. It was a lovely scene actually. Chris Doyle as the innkeeper, Dennis, made me realize he's the heart of the show. He has this caring, emotional way that stood out from the rest of the actors. He cared about the book they were "reviewing," and cared about Libby upstairs in his inn, and we'll learn with his wacky flavored muffins, he's the caretaker of the group of friends that the show revolves around. The character Dennis is a bit less sad and more heartfelt to me now.
And, the very last take of the night was Chris having to say "Excuse me?" over and over dropping from a falsetto womanly voice down into his normal voice. I had to leave the room or else all Garrett would pick up would be my laughter. Everyone lost it at that point, really. Ending on a high note (or I guess, a less-high note) really is a very good thing. It made lugging my TV and tables back into my house at 11pm a bit more worth it.
I do want to commend the guys on their wardrobe choices. I more or less left it up to the actors to dress as they thought their characters would. For this particular shoot I said it's a casual golf shirts and khakis kind of evening, not even thinking Scott (a "too right" for the part Jonathan Thomson) should be in something that makes him stand out a little, just as his wife Marybeth did. He looked perfect in his blue oxford and loose tie completed with country doctor Chuck Taylor high-tops. And Chris with his slightly loud but by no means obnoxious shirt was great too. I now need to find him a not-too-loud apron...
Quote of the night: "Just don't dye your hair." I'll keep the story behind that one for the DVD extras. That and, "Can you say 'friggin' on local access cable?"
p.s. I had too crazy a day to remember to charge my camera battery so as soon as I get stills from Mike Evers who shot an evening's worth of behind-the-scenes footage, I'll get them on the site.
Garrett got the room set up and we had some time to hang out in the kitchen while the sun set. It's great to be able to hang out with the cast, I feel like I'm slowly getting to know everyone since we're shooting this all broken up in scenes and the same groups of people have only really been together once or twice.
I was able to get some beer and soda pop from Mercury Brewing Company to place with the labels conveniently out for some shameless product placement. Of course, in return for the free advertising I asked to have beer donated to our cast party! I'm enjoying involving the community in this project and I love the nod to Ipswich with all the "Ipswich Ale" labels. I was instrumental in creating the half-full (and empty) bottles. :-)
Hiccup.
The guys took a little time getting comfortable with acting together, for the first time really, and the energy ramped up after a few takes. Walt Kosmolski as "Husband 1" was pretty freaking hilarious. I had to bite back many laughs every time I heard his comments about sports bras being "so unflattering." The way he ran his hand across his chest, oh man! I thoroughly enjoyed the ranting husband that Will Keary played. He's got the hot wife who always covers herself and she has the nerve to comment about his figure!! I loved the lines delivered by the guys when Will was all "I'm not fat!" - it was such a typical girlfriend moment, "Of course you're not. "You're fine."
Chips, anyone?
I ended up changing the bit of the script where Dennis and his son Henry are hanging out on the couch watching Libby on TV. Originally, we aren't supposed to see Henry's cute face, but a.) not knowing if we'll shoot more episodes and b.) Todd Daily's adorable face and energy convinced me that we should give him some deserved face time. We felt bad yelling upstairs, "Todd, you don't need make-up because we won't see you." Awww. So, he made it on. It was a lovely scene actually. Chris Doyle as the innkeeper, Dennis, made me realize he's the heart of the show. He has this caring, emotional way that stood out from the rest of the actors. He cared about the book they were "reviewing," and cared about Libby upstairs in his inn, and we'll learn with his wacky flavored muffins, he's the caretaker of the group of friends that the show revolves around. The character Dennis is a bit less sad and more heartfelt to me now.
And, the very last take of the night was Chris having to say "Excuse me?" over and over dropping from a falsetto womanly voice down into his normal voice. I had to leave the room or else all Garrett would pick up would be my laughter. Everyone lost it at that point, really. Ending on a high note (or I guess, a less-high note) really is a very good thing. It made lugging my TV and tables back into my house at 11pm a bit more worth it.
I do want to commend the guys on their wardrobe choices. I more or less left it up to the actors to dress as they thought their characters would. For this particular shoot I said it's a casual golf shirts and khakis kind of evening, not even thinking Scott (a "too right" for the part Jonathan Thomson) should be in something that makes him stand out a little, just as his wife Marybeth did. He looked perfect in his blue oxford and loose tie completed with country doctor Chuck Taylor high-tops. And Chris with his slightly loud but by no means obnoxious shirt was great too. I now need to find him a not-too-loud apron...
Quote of the night: "Just don't dye your hair." I'll keep the story behind that one for the DVD extras. That and, "Can you say 'friggin' on local access cable?"
p.s. I had too crazy a day to remember to charge my camera battery so as soon as I get stills from Mike Evers who shot an evening's worth of behind-the-scenes footage, I'll get them on the site.
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