That's a wrap, now I can rest. HA HA HA HA

Since film school isn't officially over until the finished film gets approved and they hand me the piece of paper I guess I'll keep this going for a while longer. But in terms of what I need to be in Boston for I'm pretty much done. I'm still working on Aaron's film, Move Immovable which shoots June 16-20, but that's because I can not because I have to. In terms of degree requirements I have finished all of my classes and I have directed my film. I'm done. Weird.

Waiting for the last shoot day to start

I'd go over now, but it's too early. No one would be there, including the person with the key. It's going to be a long day, I should be conserving my energy. We're likely to go 12 hours today because the rains earlier in the week wrecked the schedule and we're still trying to catch up. It has gone fast. I can't believe this is the last night. I keep thinking of things we should try to squeeze in. And also I've been closing browser tabs that I've had open for months that have been keeping track of things I no longer need to keep track of. Lists of extras, and stuff like that. It's strange. Tomorrow is going to be a day for tidying up: returning the rented lenses, returning all the school gear to FPS, returning the keys for the brownstone, returning Dan to the bus station in the afternoon. Tomorrow night I think I'm going to be at a total loss. Standing in my empty room thinking "Now what?" At least there's Aaron's film to turn my attention to. That's coming along quite nicely. We'll definitely be ready for that.

I love my team

I say that to them a lot. Whenever things click: beautiful lighting and a smooth camera move landing on just the right performance and it's all working and I can feel it, my response is always "I love you guys." I really mean it and I almost wonder if I'm saying it too often. I don't want it to lose its power. I don't want them to think that's just the thing I say. I really mean it.

This project has a certain importance for me personally, but also I like this story, I believe in this story. I believe in the message that the world is an amazing place, but if you're not paying attention you'll miss it. So to have everyone come together to help me tell that story, to really bring their A game to it, which they all have (the tech crew gave themselves a call time 2 hours earlier than mine and 5 hours earlier than they were originally slated for just so that they could play with some untested gear and be sure they could figure out all the lighting for the 4 days of night shoots that we're about to start), just makes my heart get all warm and fuzzy.

Sometimes you have to let go...

...and I'm a control freak and can find that very difficult. I have a good team for this film. They are all doing stuff. But not all of it is happening quite as quickly as I'd have wished. And the things that are getting done I still don't see in front of me. So I have to just show up on set and trust that everybody will have brought along everything that they were responsible for. To be honest, it's making me twitchy. They're a good team; it will all be fine. But it's the first time I've done a film and didn't have to pretty much do everything myself. It's very strange.

I'll be famous

Well, not really famous, but still, this morning was fun. I went into the WMHT studio and got interviewed for my spot on TvFILM. Funny being on the other side of the lights in an interview, and him giving me the please use complete sentences speech. I think it went well. He thought it went well, said he was happy with my answers. I think I was even having a good hair day.

Here's the important information: for those of you in Albany, NY the first airing will be June 30th at 7:30pm. It will repeat the following Sunday at midnight and then a few times after that. For those not in Albany, it will also be on the website for streaming in its entirety exactly as broadcast, plus extra interview stuff in the behind the scenes section. I'll add that link (to every mention of Killer anywhere ever) once it's live.

I am officially done

I just emailed in my final exam for lighting and my term paper about the Bond films for British Cinema. I need to go to one last class for Production 3 that I am a TA for this Wednesday, but it's not like I have any responsibilities other than showing up. Though there is some stuff I need to do for the Prod 3 final screening. But that's all TA stuff, which is to say, work. My student stuff is finished. All that's left is making the films. And there's plenty to do for that, but that's always been what I do for fun.

Two and a half weeks until we start shooting. There is plenty to do. Have to go to the SAG office today to start that paperwork. And tonight we're having a table read of Aaron's script. Wednesday we're having a table read/rehearsal of my script. There's a couple last locations to confirm. I fear we're going to end up using my apartment just because it's easy, but it's always so loud here.

And I need a boat load of extras. The tours, students in her class, people at the bar, people listening to the violinist on the street corner. I'm going to need extras almost every day. Sigh. I did myself no favors with that.

Ah well, onward. I might be done, but I'm never really done.

Biases in academia? What a surprise (not)

Saw this on NPR

Evidence Of Racial, Gender Biases Found In Faculty Mentoring

I've been trying to decide if I've personally encountered this. I'm not one for cold calling and it would be a different study if they were looking at how professors relate to students they know vs this where it was students they didn't know. Though I did once send an email to a random history professor trying to do research when writing Ghost Tours. And I did once send an email to a film professor at a different school asking for an opinion, though that wasn't random, I'd been given his name by someone who knew him. Neither ever responded to my emails at all much less agreed to meet. So maybe I have encountered it.

Mostly I use it as a lesson to myself not to become that person when I get my professor job.