Yesterday, was the fourth and final day of shooting for "The First Date After." I am exhausted and relieved, and ecstatic and melancholy all at the same time. My first time out as a director since NYU was all that I expected and more.
It took so much time, energy, commitment and required a great many sacrifices from my family. But I did it. And I can say I did it.
There are so many people to thank; so many people who helped me out in so many ways. I think I assembled a fairly good team. And last night, I got pretty sad saying goodbye to everyone. I actually wanted it to last longer. I guess that just like Cinderella, I didn't want the ball to end so soon.
I've been in this biz for a while now (10 years) and although I took a sabbatical for motherhood, I've always stayed in touch with the filmmaking community. I still think my heart lies in producing, because it comes very naturally to me and it is where I feel comfortable. But I liked trying out the director's chair for a change. The chair sure felt nice. Actually, it felt better than I thought it would.
Anyway, while I'm a bit sad that the shooting is over, the real work has just begun. Now I have to start editing the footage for a rough cut. Then I need to do some color correction and post-production tweaking, finalize music, effects, the score, and do an intense sound design. Then I have to finalize the short film and start sending it out to festivals and markets, and so on and so on.... But all of that can wait.
Today I took a break from the film. I have been so engrossed in it that I really needed some distance. This morning I snuck out to see "Lost in Translation" while the kiddies were in school. The film was as great as the critics said it was. The acting was fabulous. The direction was pretty damn fine -- for a girl (lol!). Seriously, I truly respect what Sofia Coppola has accomplished in her young years. I also liked the first film she directed "The Virgin Suicides." She is certainly a role model for little girls who dream of playing with the "big boys." But there does seem to be a price to pay for fame and glory. Sure Sofia is up for an Oscar, but she is also going through a divorce from her husband Spike Jonze. It must seem like the best and worst things are happening to her at the same time. I'm not jealous of what she has accomplished, just aware that some accomplishments come at a cost.
That's why I am pretty content with directing a simple 10 page script in my house and local surroundings. I opted out of the whole full-time showbiz career thing years ago. Which is fine, because at the end of the day, I still have my husband and my kids to come home to.
So for me, right now, life is "all good." I have no regrets about where I am in my life and what I have accomplished. And seeing "Lost in Translation" today only filled me with deepest respect for the art of filmmaking and inspired me to keep telling stories in whatever scope possible...because that's what it's all really about -- telling stories.
Anyway, since I'm kind of at a loss for words about the whole shoot, you can get a more objective viewpoint from my friend Liz who I dragged along for the ride. She writes about Monday's shoot in her blog.
Comments