Day 10 was the most intensely emotional day I have had on set yet. I cried, as privately as I could,
many times, through the morning work's tough emotions, and was very worried, mid-work-day, as the rains hit us, rolling across the wide fields as they had been threatening all day. We held for about an hour, huddling under popup tents, with gear under tarps, then bravely went on to try to get the romantic second scene of the day, rain or shine. It rained only a little on the lightly-dressed-summer-clothed actors, and at the end of the day, miracle after miracle occurred...the scene was supposed to have been at sunset, but instead we had a grey sky. Which was all right, and we shot out all angles that way, in our typical "it is what it is" indie attitude. But then...right as we were nearly over with the day and the "Marsha" setup was up (third-to-last shot of the day), wonder broke over the crew as, low on the Western horizon, the sun busted through the cloud cover and we had...a sunset. Quickly we reset everything and everyone and went again. The actors walked lovingly up the hill again with the real sunset behind them and did the scene. And THEN it got BETTER. Pink streaked clouds exploded under the grey. Back they went again. I began to cry, this time for joy. Probably unprofessional of me, but I could not help it; I was so happy. And on that take, with the pink sky, as the dialogue ended, a flock of birds flew up right behind the actors. And THEN it got BETTER. I kid you not. A rainbow appeared. We swung the camera on it. And then we shot the scene again. And then...it got better. Coyotes started to sing. And Kevin, standing at the top of the hill, next to Mariana, improvised "Did you hear that? Coyotes singing." And Chris turned his mic on them. And the actors sat and did the scene a last time...as the color went out of the sky, and the sun set...
I was the happiest director in the world.
Most of the day, I was in a thankful, tender, raw prayer-state. I felt more alive than I had in a long time. When you get as emotionally open as we all got that day, I think the numinous feels closer, or at least more accessible. Some of the usual barriers are down when you are making art of that kind, I think.
many times, through the morning work's tough emotions, and was very worried, mid-work-day, as the rains hit us, rolling across the wide fields as they had been threatening all day. We held for about an hour, huddling under popup tents, with gear under tarps, then bravely went on to try to get the romantic second scene of the day, rain or shine. It rained only a little on the lightly-dressed-summer-clothed actors, and at the end of the day, miracle after miracle occurred...the scene was supposed to have been at sunset, but instead we had a grey sky. Which was all right, and we shot out all angles that way, in our typical "it is what it is" indie attitude. But then...right as we were nearly over with the day and the "Marsha" setup was up (third-to-last shot of the day), wonder broke over the crew as, low on the Western horizon, the sun busted through the cloud cover and we had...a sunset. Quickly we reset everything and everyone and went again. The actors walked lovingly up the hill again with the real sunset behind them and did the scene. And THEN it got BETTER. Pink streaked clouds exploded under the grey. Back they went again. I began to cry, this time for joy. Probably unprofessional of me, but I could not help it; I was so happy. And on that take, with the pink sky, as the dialogue ended, a flock of birds flew up right behind the actors. And THEN it got BETTER. I kid you not. A rainbow appeared. We swung the camera on it. And then we shot the scene again. And then...it got better. Coyotes started to sing. And Kevin, standing at the top of the hill, next to Mariana, improvised "Did you hear that? Coyotes singing." And Chris turned his mic on them. And the actors sat and did the scene a last time...as the color went out of the sky, and the sun set...
I was the happiest director in the world.
Most of the day, I was in a thankful, tender, raw prayer-state. I felt more alive than I had in a long time. When you get as emotionally open as we all got that day, I think the numinous feels closer, or at least more accessible. Some of the usual barriers are down when you are making art of that kind, I think.
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