Well, dear readers, we survived the second day of shooting the new web series. I got a bit more sleep, thankfully, although not quite enough – about seven hours. We met up at a Mexican jernt just down the street from where we’re shooting the apartment scenes. We got the shot set up while Sami and the fellow playing her date, Alessandro Viviano, got made up. We started about twenty minutes late, but once we were going it all went very quickly and again, I did more coverage than I thought I was going to because we had the time. We wrapped the restaurant scene at noon, they fed us food from the restaurant, and then it was back to the apartment for the rest of the day.
The first two things were left over from the day before and they went very quickly. And then we had a sequence that required rehearsal and blocking, involved video playback, and that all took a while to set up and get ready. But once we did it, it, too, went quickly – I did three or four takes of the master shot, and then we did some fun coverage, and I think it will be fun once it’s all assembled. Then we moved on to other stuff, and now we’ve got three episodes left to do, one of which has a sequence that involves a lot of dialogue and will take some time, but the final episode we shoot in the apartment only has a one-age scene in that location, so that will go very quickly. We wrapped a little later than the first day, at six.
I was just too tired to go anywhere, so I headed back to where I’m staying. They found a space heater so I put that on and it worked well – I warmed up the outer room, then moved it to the bedroom. I was trying to see what the buttons did and one of them turned off the machine and now I can’t figure out how to start it up again. I think I’m okay for tonight, so maybe someone can come up while I’m gone and get it to start again.
I took a walk and got two slices of pizza to go, came back and ate them all up – there really is nothing like New York pizza. And then I fell asleep for an hour or so.
Sometimes my brain doesn’t quite work correctly, so once again I scheduled the notes to post automatically but they didn’t. So, I did what I’d done the day before and noticed that they posted at four o’clock according to the time stamp. That made no sense until I realized I’d posted them at seven Eastern Time. So, four o’clock PST, which is what the site clock is set to. I think then that the trick is to schedule them three Eastern Time, which is our usual midnight when I post and that should work, at least that’s the hope. That’s what I’ll try this evening and I’m going to try and be in bed by ten.
Here are a few photographs from the first day of shooting, all involving two of our regulars – Sami and the fellow who plays her BFF, Karim Samih Hazime.
Today, I’ll be up at seven, I’ll shave and shower, and then I’ll mosey on over to the apartment for our last day of shooting at that location. We’re scheduled to wrap at five but may go a bit later. And there will be a meal after.
Tomorrow begins the whirlwind of being at a lot of different locations every day. First up, is a big rehearsal room in mid-town for the big physical comedy scene. The room is going to take three hours to set up, so I don’t have to arrive until a bit before ten, at which point we’ll rehearse the duet we’re doing the day after with Sami and Allie Trimm. Then when the room is ready, we’ll start blocking out the components of the scene, which involves Sami and a few other speaking roles and over twenty extras. We’ll have six hours to get everything shot and I’m hoping that’s enough, but hope runs high and we’ll just keep it moving along. Thursday, we’re in a green screen studio to do a faux commercial, the duet, and the Charles Busch sequence, which is actually used in one of the LA episodes. After that, we have a break, then we’re in a recording studio to do two songs, so that will be a long day. Friday, we’re in the first of two clubs – for this one, we’re doing the second of the duets – this one with Sami and Karen Ziemba. There’ll be audience extras, too. But the day actually begins with a Brad Oscar scene. It’s a day with a lot of moving parts and hopefully we’ll get through it all as we have a hard out at four. The weekend we’re in rehearsal studios – each day has two audition sequences. Then Monday we’re back in another club and have two musical numbers to shoot and we’re a hard out that day at three. Sunday, after we wrap, we’ll have our little haineshisway.com get-together at a location TBD but maybe just Joe Allen, which is easy.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up at seven, shave and shower, and have our third day of shooting, followed a meal somewhere. Today’s topic of discussion: What’s your favorite New York pizza? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, as we move on to our third day of shooting.