Shooting - Okay Great

2 weeks from today I will be on my 3rd and final shoot day for my short film "Okay Great." Last October I started writing a few scenes that I had in my head. I wanted to do something different, something weird and kind of out there. I wrote about 17 pages but I had no ending, I had 2 ideas both of which I hated. I gave it to my friend Dan Ramirez, who is playing the lead and he liked the script but didn't really know how to end it either. Then another friend suggested the same ending I originally had in mind. I still didn't like it. Then about a month or 2 later I got one. It's been twisted and rearranged and changed a few times and after constantly revising the script here we are finally ready to shoot. I can't wait. It's by far the most ambitious thing I've ever attempted. We have 12 pages to shoot on saturday and if you've ever made a movie you probably just fell off your chair laughing at me. It's going to be stressful, but again, I can't wait.

It's fun to watch a movie progress. Writing is one thing. You can envision everything perfectly and it all sounds right on. Then you get on set and start shooting and the movie starts to take on a life of it's own. Things start to happen. Actors bring things to the performance you could've never imagined and it elevates the part and the work. You have to scrap shots and that you really wanted and are secretly praying that the film will work anyway. You can't get the angle you want and you have to try something else on the fly. It's invigorating. It's also nerve-racking. Then when you come into the edit room, the film takes on another life. Scenes play out funnier than you thought they would or more intense. They start working. Things are falling into place. You put music in, the scene becomes so much more than you thought it could be. On the downside you could get into the edit room and nothing is working and you have to revise the whole plan. To me thats what's exciting about making movies, things can change at anytime and there are hundreds of variables that can kickstart those changes. Happy accidents arise. Hollywood has called it movie magic. Whatever it is, it's fun to watch unfold, especially when you're right in the middle of it.

If you're interested, the still I posted below was taken when we were looking at locations. The scene in the movie that takes place in this bathroom was the first one I wrote.