camera obscura – last minute prep

i leave tomorrow for new mexico! people have been asking me if i’m excited, and i have to say i’m more stressed and exhausted than i am excited. once i get there, i’m sure all that will fade and the excitement will take over.

i did a final revision on the script and the shotlist. i have about 85 shots over 4 days of shooting for an 11 page short. is that a lot? i don’t remember how many shots i had in my previous shorts. i’ll have to rank the shots in terms of priority in case i start running out of time and have to cut shots.

it’s hard to visualize how the shots will look because i haven’t been to the actual locations yet. i’ve seen still photos and videos my producer took, so that helped. from those, i was at least able to mock up loose floorplans. and from those floorplans, the last major thing i want to do is to make overhead diagrams for all of the shots.

here’s my schedule for tomorrow:

• 12 pm – flight to albuquerque, new mexico
• 3 pm – arrive. my producer is kind enough to pick me up from the airport, and we go straight to the house to check it out. the first day of shooting will take place there so i really have to see it to get a sense of the space. the art department will already be there dressing the set.
• 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm – review the shot list with the DP and AD.
• 5:30 pm – 6 pm – check into hotel.
• 6 pm – 9 pm – duke city shootout kickoff reception
• 9 pm – 10 pm – back to the house to take some of the still pictures that will be used in the movie, and to run some camera tests.