That's a wrap!

Well. Sort of.

Remember the LA marathon? We didn't get to make up that lost time today, as we were shooting again in orange county, and couldn't fit in a location in Orange County, and then three in Hollywood. Too much distance to cover, not enough hours in the day, too many SAG rules!

This means we'll have to do pick ups in this coming week. We only have about half a page of action to cover, which we can get in a day in Orange County, and back up in North Hollywood. This also gives us a chance to review the footage that we have, and make sure there are zero gaps in what we've got.

Today is probably the 4th or 5th (likely more) time I've watched an actor from the monitor and felt a tingle around my nose and the beginnings of tears at what I see. And I don't mean it's because the lines written are special, or that every scene is a tear jerker, but in every scene we've shot, these artists have delivered 100%, and I believe them every time. It's a truly wonderful thing to witness.

Today we shot in the hospital, an important scene in which June has a final check up before a surgery, and we learn that she has an interpreter. Thanks to Santa Ana Health Group, we were able to secure an entire clinic for the afternoon, load in all the gear we needed, and have access to a real room without disturbing anyone. Outside we worked with two of our actors, Amber and Kalen, on a scene with a nurse, and an interesting connection that I cannot wait to get the final edit on. Both of those ladies are talented, and so fluid to work with.

Speaking of the talent I've managed to score on this project, we wrapped up in Orange and headed back to Hollywood where yet another lovely actor joined us-- Lexi. As we were running the scene, making line tweaks and discussing feedback, I found that we were taking out words and lines often. Amber and Lexi found a natural groove in this scene that didn't require exposition, and we caught several tiny "mistakes" that becamse the pieces of their performances with each other that I liked best.

We went guerrilla style in the metro, but I've found the LA public transit world to have been nice to us filmmakers on more than one occasion. By the way, LA metro stations look awesome on camera if you're on the hunt for a good looking transportation scene. Much better than the bus stop I wrote in the original draft. The more indie sneaky approach to filmmaking is one aspect I love, because you get funny stories, and great mistakes. Jason Roberts was red-faced and giggling, trying to hold his thumb on a hose out of frame to make rain. Quinn punctured holes into soup lids because the effect was better then out rain machine, and hanging one foot and his head out the window to get the perfect angle. Or the best grumpy face you've ever seen was caught on the face of a woman staring into our lens on the metro, because we didn't block off the car and do it pro-style. It's actually pretty great.

We are going to review a lot of footage tonight, rest our feet, and I hope our actors are home and cozy-- they worked really damn hard this weekend. We'll be back at this several days this week to pick up those scenes, get a few inserts, and as I get more pictures, I'll post them here.

This certainly not the end of any of this, as we have lots more to do! Also no way am I ready to be done with using all the fancy film jargon I got to say everyday. But. That's a wrap on principal photography. I can't wait to share this with you.