Day Three was Warm..Very Warm...

And yet we all drank enough water to not just survive, but thrive, through garage sales, and nuns in vans, and glorious benedictions. So very very grateful for all my friends, old and new, on this show. Halleluia indeed! Pictured: Gerard Parr and Ron Leamon, Our Set Tree, John Lowrie and Lisa B. Hammond, Shawn Shelton and Andy Spletzer, and Leslie Law, the Rockin' Nun.

Day Two was absolutely glorious!

Day Two was absolutely glorious. Our brilliant, talented, and very genial crew filmed many wondrous actors, in several large group scenes, many of whom I have worked with before, and ALL of whom I respect and adore. Especially the two that were my offspring. Here are a beloved few:

Day One Rocked!

A few morning glitches and "first day delays" were easily overcome by this crackerjack crew, and we sailed through the afternoon, feeling very blessed and upheld. I really do have the "A Team" on this one, in every department, and certainly with the cast. Before we rolled, we heard from Kate Becker, from the Office of Film and Music, and from Chris Compte, our SAG rep, and at lunch we heard from Niall James and Lisa B. Hammond of IATSE. Before we rolled, we had a few moments of quiet gratitude. My heart was very full as we pulled off the first shot. It has been many years since Larry and I first had the idea to approach Stephanie Kallos for the rights to the astonishingly-lovely novel that I based the screenplay on. Many. Years. And many attempts to get the money, and the crew and cast, together. I rejoice in 29 more days of beauty ahead of us! And now I think I will fall over in exhaustion... ( Pics: Tallis' hands by the slate as he kindly played an extra for us today; Rachel Thomson, our Production Designer; Justin Vinall, our Key Set PA, with me; and the Bill Johns Orderly Hunk Squad :) So. Very. Grateful.

Day One is Tomorrow!!!! SQUEEEE!!!!

I cannot tell you how happy I am. But, as it was pointed out to me today, by one of our incredible stars, at rehearsal, I am also more calm than I have ever been, been the night before any other film that I have directed. Why? 1) Our amazing, joyful, mellow, brilliant crew and cast. 2) Prep. It really is the secret to a good shoot. From bringing on our Locations Manager and Line Producer in January for a July shoot, to bringing on our glorious DP a month before the show, we have chosen to invest in solid prep. And I know it will pay off. I have that Christmas-Eve feeling of excitement and quiet glee. And huge enormous piles of gratitude to God, all our prayer partners, and my amazing team. Here we go! God bless us, every one!!! Setting my alarm to 5 am and trying to fall asleep at 9:30...we will see how I do:)

Today we are four days out from principle photography on my biggest movie yet, "Language Arts". We start shooting on Monday. How can I express my delight and gratitude adequately...I think there is no way. This movie is so close to my heart that is is as if it were a part of my body. Even though Stephanie Kallos wrote the novel, and not I, I adapted it into a screenplay. And much about the story resonates with my story, and the story of our family. I believe Stephanie even wrote a chapter based on some of what happened to our family in the 90s, when we were overtaken with toxic mold in our Ballard house (some effects of which still trouble me today, actually). Is it autobiographical? Not exactly, but it has many, many shared elements. I have a talented, experienced, brilliant and, thank God, generously-collaborative crew, and the cast of my dreams. It is the biggest cast I have ever assembled; with 39 speaking roles, 18 featured extras, and many more regular extras. And even with that, I had to exclude many, many gloriously-talented Seattle actors; some that I have worked with multiple times, and some that I have only dreamed of working with. So it goes. It is actually one of the toughest parts for me when casting, and when crewing up: excluding beloved folk, because there is no way that in the current paradigm, we can hire them. I have to recover for a day or so after decisions are made, but then I give myself full permission to rejoice in who we GET to work with!!! I want to hug myself every time I think of the talent and crew. Thank you GOD for these people!!!! Tech scout and production meetings have happened, wardrobe fittings are well begun; locations are secured (thank God), sets are being created, hair and makeup are being designed, camera and electric packages assembled, transportation is being locked down...we are on the toboggan and rushing down the hill!!

"FAILING AND FLYING, by Jack Gilbert: Everyone forgets that Icarus also flew. It's the same when love comes to an end, or the marriage fails and people say they knew it was a mistake, that everybody said it would never work. That she was old enough to know better. But anything worth doing is worth doing badly. Like being there by that summer ocean on the other side of the island while love was fading out of her, the stars burning so extravagantly those nights that anyone could tell you they would never last. Every morning she was asleep in my bed like a visitation, the gentleness in her like antelope standing in the dawn mist. Each afternoon I watched her coming back through the hot stony field after swimming, the sea light behind her and the huge sky on the other side of that. Listened to her while we ate lunch. How can they say the marriage failed? Like the people who came back from Provence (when it was Provence) and said it was pretty but the food was greasy. I believe Icarus was not failing as he fell, but just coming to the end of his triumph." Jack Gilbert, "Failing and Flying" from Refusing Heaven. Copyright © 2005 by Jack Gilbert.

Yes, it's been awhile since I have written in this blog. Before I start posting about the latest film news, here is a brief catch-up. It's been about three years, that encompassed both my mother's death, and the end of my marriage. Two weeks ago my name went back to 'factory reset', on the day Terry and I got divorced, after over three years of intense discernment as to whether or not we should. Here is what we sent to our families: "Dear Ones, With great sadness we must tell you all that, after many years of deliberation, agonizing, counseling, therapy, and prayer, we are now divorced. It is the most painful decision that either of us has ever had to make. We have known and loved each other for 30 years, this summer. We have been married for 28 (and-a-half) years. It is utterly heartbreaking to have finally come to this parting, as you can well imagine. It is a very amicable divorce, and we remain close friends and dedicated parents. We have been separated since June of 2017, but Corrie only moved a short distance (a five minute drive, or a twenty minute walk) away from the house that we have all lived in for twenty years. Terry and Theo live there, and Tallis lives in an apartment up the hill. We have frequent family dinners and get-togethers. We parents refer to each other as “Anam Cara” (soul-friends), because that is the best way to describe what we are now. Please understand that we are very tender, and we may not wish to talk about it. Do still please consider us both your friends, if you did before. And please keep our boys in your prayers, if you are so led. They have both fully accepted the divorce, because they know that we are not angry with one another, and that we still care deeply for one another, and they understand that we all remain family forever, but that their folks live apart now. Thank you for your friendship. Bless you as you grieve with us, and help us to walk forward with as much grace and compassion as we can. Gratefully, Corrie Duryée and Terry Moore". More to follow as I slowly begin to explore how to proceed with my new life, while intensively preparing to direct "Language Arts". Thank God for such good work in the midst of such sadness.