Night One

Thursday, June 5, 2008 | 4:40 PM

With Steve being so busy, and the scripts finally locked (it was tight - last revisions were literally completed the day before shooting started!), I figure I'll finally be around a bit more this week than he will. Although, just because I said that, I'm sure he'll be poking around trying to one-up my posts.

Last night was shoot night #1 - as Steve said, three different episodes had scenes at our bar/restaurant/club location in moonlit Santa Monica. For me, it's always the most uncertain part of the filmmaking process - the transition between script to the first shots. Everything is theoretical up until this point, just before the cameras roll. It's an idea in your head - shot, lit, cut together in a particular way. And then it all changes...

It never ends up how you pictured it - but that's part of the exhilaration. It's born, it breathes, it comes to life right before your eyes. You've seen your 'child' so many times in your head, but when you REALLY see it...it's pretty incredible. And things get even better when you're working with a director who's in tune with your vision, but also has the creative skills and dexterity to make the story evolve.

Oh, yeah...and a crew...a full crew! When you're doing stuff on your own, you rarely get the joy of having a full production crew working to make the whole story happen. It's an extraordinary sight, and I couldn't be more grateful to the incredible group of people who are busting their tails off, and re-adjusting their internal clocks to shoot from sunset to sunrise!

The night wasn't without it's hiccups, but the first night of shooting (particularly in a new location with a tight schedule) never is. But by the time the sun was coming up, things started clipping along at a nice pace, and everyone started getting into a real good groove. A satisfying first night's shoot.

More tomorrow!