Filming Notes: Twitter
Before I dive into my filming notes I’m going to mention two things:
1. I’m going to start updating my blog at least twice a week. So, check back often. And comment — I love your delicious comments.
2. Go buy Twitter Wit — a book by Nick Douglas who played Nick Shiny in Break a Leg and a good friend of mine. I’m also in it, briefly.
Okay, are we on board? I think we are!
Here we go…
So, we’re working with a company to create four short satirical videos about Twitter. It’s the hip thing to do and we’re nothing if not hip, right?
No no, I’ll answer that — right.
Filming anything is a learning experience. I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s true. That said, we’ve spend the last week and a half filming these Twitter videos and — perhaps to save any of you filmmakers trouble in the future — I’ve decided to write a few lessons learned.
Oh, and don’t worry, non-filmmakers. They’re funny and stuff.
Okay, let’s do it.
Lesson #1: If your actress is allergic to gluten, you probably shouldn’t cast her in a scene where she has to devour 8-9 cupcakes in a row. Also, once you realize the footage didn’t work (and killing her love of cupcakes forever — sorry, Daniela), you probably shouldn’t cast another actress… who is also allergic to gluten (…sorry, Sidrah).
In general, just don’t cast people allergic to gluten (sorry, Gluten-Allergic People).
Lesson #2: Always, always, always ask around for locations. Doesn’t matter what you need — if you ask enough people, someone will say yes. Unless you’re in LA, in which case, someone will say yes after you show them your insurance papers and your checkbook.
But I digress.
Ask everyone. We needed a store to shoot in — we asked two places. The first one felt so bad about saying no that they actually gave all of us (5 in all) free T-shirts (I would really, really advertise your store right now but I completely forgot the name. I’ll remember, don’t you worry!) The second one said yes immediately and let us light a corner of the store to get the scene done and even turned off their music.
Just ask.
Lesson #3: Have the nicest person in your group ask. If he has big puppy dog eyes (in our case, Justin — or, if you watch Break a Leg, Chase Cougar), they’re going to get you in.
Lesson #4: If you need a bar owner and the bar manager comes up to you and calls himself Uncle Dan to the point of actually having it written on his business card, run, run away. Don’t listen to him wax douchetic about how much more he knows than you about film.
Lesson #5: If it’s your friend’s birthday (happy birthday, Dashiell!) and he happens to be an integral part of your production team, thank him like this:
a. Surprise him with cake during the shoot, which happens to be his birthday.
b. Alert him that for the later scene, he’s going to have to be in bed with a girl.
c. Alert him that you can’t actually get a girl for the later scene, so you’re using your other friend in a blonde wig and a bra.
d. Alert him that there will also be another actor, an older actor, who’ll be dressed in chaps and have a whip (thanks Skip).
e. Film it for the best 27th birthday present ever. Ahh, the memories.
Lesson #6: There’s a sexual fetish that’s apparently getting popular where men inject their testicles with saline to increase their size temporarily. I know, it’s not film-related, but, you know, I want to keep you in the loop.
So, saline up.
More blog on Friday, hopefully!
-Yuri