Well, dear readers, there always has to be one shooting day that’s difficult, and yesterday was it. We were in a green screen studio near the Burbank Airport. We arrived at two and should have begun shooting at three. We did not. We were going to start with an easy song, one Sami has sung many times. But the track that was sent was a third higher than the written key. Say what? I can’t even fathom how such a track could even exist. The song has never been sung in the key of G – it’s written in E, the sheet music is in E and Richard Allen did a track for it in E because we used it in an online Kritzerland show. We wasted a good forty-minutes trying to get an app that would transpose the track – we finally did, but we had to move on to another song and we started almost an hour late, which meant each song had one hour to shoot. I wasn’t concerned about either solo number, but I was concerned about the duet, because I knew that was going to take time. First of all, for four days they kept pushing me showing them the staging – various excuses, none of which I should have allowed. Hence, the two of them didn’t really even work on it, save for us going through it once after Monday’s shoot. So, the ography was rough and I don’t do rough. They worked if for a half-hour, which lost us another half-hour, and then we began shooting it. We had to do a lot of takes for the wide master shot where you can clearly see feet and the ography moves, which are simple but can’t be done sloppily. I do think after about seven takes we have enough to piece it together, and I also did a medium two-shot, two close-ups, which are basically useless, and two dolly shots. Hopefully, Marshall Harvey will work his magic with what he’s got. It’s the one vocal we may have to re-record – I’d have them go in a studio in NY, I’d be on Zoom with them, and they’d have to match the rough track, which is easier than it sounds. We wrapped about twenty minutes past when we should have, which wasn’t too terrible, but it was a very stressful day for us and I really become terse when I feel up against the wall and things aren’t as they should be. I just want the duet to be fun and cute and most of all clean. I got out of there around seven-twenty, stopped at Popeye’s and got two chicken breasts to go, came home, ate both (very good), and then began answering e-mails and catching up on stuff. By that time, it was too late to really watch anything. I did watch a good portion of the Darrell Brooks trial – he’s like a backwards ten-year-old constantly throwing tantrums and not knowing when to shut up. The judge threatened him with removal several times – he talks over her, derides her, mutters to himself audibly in the presence of the jury, and he’s simply the most repulsive little person ever. The State is resting their case this morning, and then I’m sure we’ll have to endure Mr. Brooks presenting his defense. Since he seems to know little about actual law and since he babbles on with all his sovereign citizen nonsense, I have no doubt it will be excruciating, and, of course, all his witnesses will probably backfire on him during the cross examination by the State. The judge is a saint.
Today, I’ll be up at eight and to Vitello’s by nine for our three-hour shoot. Just one song, a little bit by Jason Graae, and some audience shots – hopefully, it will go very quickly. After we’re done, I’ll come home and catch up on tons of stuff, then later we’ll have an end of shoot celebratory dinner – haven’t been told where but am looking forward to it. Meanwhile, it’s apparently still summer here in Los Angeles, with temperatures in the mid-90s. Ridiculous, really. After the dinner thing, I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow is a ME day, although I do have some liner notes to write and some miracles to hope for, along with some orders to forward. The weekend will hopefully be drama free and restful, and then I have to start figuring out the December Kritzerland show. And we still have to do Cindy’s song and phone calls, so that will hopefully all get done in the next week or so.
Didn’t get too many photographs due to crazy yesterday, but here are a couple.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up at eight and to Vitello’s by nine for our last day of shooting, save for Cindy’s song and phone calls, I must catch up on stuff, forward orders, then have a celebratory dinner, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are the most fascinating trials you’ve either followed or watched? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, still baffled by how E became G.