On the Set: Day 1

Today we began production on "Bagged and Boarded." We started bright and early at a large park and went the full day there, shooting what would be about three major sequences in the film.

Here's some of what rocked: We had very nice weather (even if it isn't what's considered ideal "filming" weather). We had our two actors pretty much bang out their scenes with pretty much no flubs. If today is any indication, we're going to have a pretty boring blooper reel. We had a great crew, each with a great personality. We did some nice shots that, to me, looked pretty damn good.

Here's some of what sucked: Noise. We were shooting in a large open park the entire day and at each location, there seemed to be some sort of issue involving a source of noise. Throughout most of the day, there were constantly planes in the air (guess we were by an airport, something that no one ever caught during location scouts). Then there was the sound of gunshots at one point. Yeah that's right. Apparently there was some type of shooting range nearby. That sucked.

We did shoot a behind-the-scenes video and I'd love to get a cheapy little "Side Panels" video up soon, but I don't want to make any promises. Tomorrow Mike the DP and I scout two locations and review a little footage, and then the next day we're shooting again. Final thoughts on today: I had a lot of fun and I'm feeling good, but I also have a different perspective on the characters. My goal, especially with Cola, is to alter her personality in future scenes so that it contrasts heavily with how she did today (to show two sides of the character). As an editor, I see myself trimming some of these scenes down to improve the cadence of the film (but we'll see what happens when I really start editing). Also another final though...to hell with outdoor shoots. George Lucas got it right...controlled studio environments! But seriously, I think today was a great start and I can't wait to get to some of the more comedic, light-hearted sequences.