| We're all secret romantics. |
[Feb. 7th, 2010|02:12 am] |
On the first day of shooting for Fat Girls Can't Dance, we were shooting the final scene, where the main character Emily, as written in the script, is at a Valentine's day party and she dances alone with abandon as her love interest, Hipster Hottie (no, he didn't have another name,) DJs and watches her from the booth in complete adoration. As we were on the third take however, Hipster Hottie emerges from the Dj booth behind us and enters the frame and starts dancing with her. No one in the crew knew this was going to happen so we're all a little surprised, but it's kind of cute to see the two of them dancing together so we continue rolling and stay quiet behind the camera. After a bit of dancing, he pulls this robot-esque move where he leans over toward her and points to his cheek. The actress playing Emily was genuinely surprised at this move, but she eventually leans in and gives him a kiss on the cheek. Then Hipster Hottie does it again, he wants another kiss. So she kisses him on the cheek again. Then he pulls the move and points to his cheek for the third time, but this time, just as she is about to give him the third kiss, he whips his head around and plants one on her lips!
Oh the magic! Even though we were all very aware that what we were making was fiction, it somehow managed to strike everyone's secret romantic chord in a lovely way. Beth, the director, was in tears (of happiness), Lisa was almost there herself and then exclaimed, "I'm their target audience!", and everyone else just couldn't stop smiling.
( and recent production pictures. ) |
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| (no subject) |
[Feb. 5th, 2010|02:57 pm] |
Just wrapped Fat Girls Can't Dance and now going straight into another short, Alex Madeger's Tongue, with Robert again. The only thing that really sucks about this upcoming project is that my mum and dad are going to be visiting New York while we're shooting. Gah! I'm praying we don't go into overtime.
I can't wait til my mum and dad are here though! For one thing, I'll finally get my laptop back and will finally be able to update my website so that it's not completely out of date. And then I can't wait til Valentine's day! Both my parent's birthdays fall on Valentine's day and this year, so does Chinese New Year. So I decided that we're going to have a big feast in the house! I'm going to roast ducks again like I did for Thanksgiving, Irene is going to come over and make steamed fish and apparently Augustin is going to make some Chinese food too... except I'm not quite sure what. He says that his mother taught him how to make Chinese food but is refusing to tell me what he's making and is insisting that it's going to be a surprise.
Alright! Wrap party for Fat Girls Can't Dance tonight! |
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| Back to busy. |
[Jan. 30th, 2010|03:58 pm] |
So after work and happenings had slowed down for the winter, it seems that things are picking up again. The party that Isobel and I threw last Saturday was a huge huge success! We ended up raising about $1100 for our cause, on top of all the cuts we gave to the house and the bands and such. Both the bands we had, Madame Beak and Christopher Complex and Optimus Funk, as well as our plethora of DJs, were amazing and had people on their feet the whole night. Isobel and I eventually had to literally herd people out after 5:30am because we just wanted to go to bed. I can't wait to see photos of the party because Isobel and I didn't get a chance to take any since we were running around sorting out all the logistics of the event the whole night.
The rest of my week has been spent painting and furniture building with Dario and Roger and getting myself together for Beth Cannon's short, Fat Girls Can't Dance (which has an adorable script) with Lisa again, which starts shooting tomorrow. I realised this week about myself that I am truly at my happiest when I come home, even though completely exhausted, completely covered in paint splatter or sawdust. |
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| I'm a BIG STAR. |
[Jan. 22nd, 2010|12:12 am] |
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So my imdb tells me that my STARmeter went up 212% in popularity this week. So that means I'm famous now......... right? |
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| Baby, it's cold outside (and inside.) |
[Jan. 11th, 2010|10:38 am] |
My toes have been numb for about a week straight. Lisa and I worked on Brooke Sebold's short, where we shot in a dilapidated old house in Fort Totten (which was colder inside than outside) and then in Putnam Valley, Upstate, for the exteriors (where I shovelled much much snow.)
Brooke and I actually first met in LA a year and a half ago, where I did wardrobe on a first year film she produced. I don't ever do wardrobe so I sort of felt a little lost and was going through crap so always felt like I never did a very good job. I felt guilty about it for a long time afterwards because I thought that I should've tried harder and not have let personal issues affect my work. However, a year later, fate brought us together again when I worked for Lisa the first time on Loop Planes -- Brooke was doing the behind-the-scenes documentary. I was so grateful to meet her again because I felt like I got to redeem myself, and also be doing a job that I actually know how to do.
In other news though, Isobel and I are organising a fundraiser at the house on the 23rd of this month. We're going to have a funk band and djs play in the dance studio and hopefully have a lot of people to raise some funds. Very exciting.
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| 2009. |
[Dec. 30th, 2009|11:18 am] |
2009, farewell. You were an interesting year.
Yesterday morning on the radio, they were having people call in and tell their new year's resolutions inspired by Ernest Hemingway's six word stories. I thought it was a cute idea and spent a few minutes trying to come up with one for myself, but then I realised that coming up or trying to set some kind of list of things to do for the next year is probably pointless. Things never seem to go to plan and have a habit of going the complete opposite direction to what you think is going to happen. So... no plans for 2010. Whatever will be, will be. |
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| All good things must come to an end. |
[Dec. 26th, 2009|10:40 am] |
A few days ago, I was telling Derek about Argos and how special it was to me. The day after, I found out that Matt and Spenser are finally going to tear it down. Even though this is the nature of our industry (and considering that factor, the Argos had a really good run,) I was still a little saddened by the news. It was the first bigger set I worked on. Prior to that, I'd just moved around bits and pieces in crappy student films and called it design. I was given so much freedom -- I spent most of my summer that year taking the Bart up to Matt's house in Walnut Creek and was then let loose in the garage where the ship was parked(?) It was in those hours that I truly fell in love with the work. I have a pair of paint pants that I wore almost every time I went up there and seeing the green paint from the Argos still makes me smile.
Some old pictures -- Argos the ship, rest in peace:
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| Christmas. |
[Dec. 22nd, 2009|03:28 pm] |
Gaspar and I are building a giant snowman on the roof over the next week. This would be my first snowman ever, I even went to Mr Kiwi's and spent about five minutes selecting the right carrot for the snowman's nose. I was always under the impression that there was a meaning behind the term, "the snowball effect" though. I grew up thinking that children in colder climates would build snowmen by first making a little ball and then rolling it around, and as it rolls, it gets bigger and bigger (hence, "the snowball effect.") Um. NOT TRUE. Gaspar and Augustin started the snowman by just piling up a bunch of snow, much like building a sandcastle, but I was determined to build one the way I had it in my naive childlike image of the tradition. After about half an hour of me rolling around a tiny ball and it only getting to about the size of my palm (and I have tiny hands), along with Gaspar constantly saying, "Bianca, it's not going to work!," I finally gave up, shattering my childhood dreams of a winter wonderland, and starting joining Gaspar in piling on the snow to the giant mound that was in front of him.
Yesterday I started drawing again. I used to do portraits all the time, but I've been out of practice for a while now. I did a portrait of my friend Ronit, who died of leukaemia in June, ten days before I moved to New York. I miss her. That seems to be a common theme this Christmas. I'm missing a lot of people at the moment -- friends, family, and lovers alike. This will be the first Christmas I've spent away from home, and although my family has never been one for the typical wholesome Christmases you see on movies and Hallmark cards, I will miss the feast we usually have where my dad (the white guy) roasts a turkey and the rest of my family comes over with lots and lots of Chinese food (and sometimes sushi.) It's the same every year, my popo arrives hours earlier than everyone else, then over the next few hours the rest of the family trickles in. My uncle's family always arrive last and he organises a raffle where everyone in the family gets a prize of either bowls, towels or soap. Then the night inevitably ends with the same uncle doing his own renditions of countless songs from the 60s and 70s.
To the people who I know who read this journal, happy Christmas. I miss you. |
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| My first winter. |
[Dec. 19th, 2009|05:50 pm] |
Today I stepped outside the door and saw powdery white stuff all over the pavement. It took me a few seconds to realise what it was and then I just stood in the doorway for a few moments and stared at the beautiful snow falling on New York City. I've seen snow a couple times before but it's always been wet and sludgey, not pretty like it was today. I'm sure my enthusiasm for it will end soon though. I've learnt that I'm really not built for the cold weather. Every time I leave the house, I pile on about four layers so I can attempt to survive these harsh conditions.
Today I've been thinking about past residents of the schoolhouse. I've only been here six months but I've seen so many people come and go. That's the best and the worst thing about living here. It's a magical place and therefore attracts all these lovely, magical people, who, while you're there, you get the pleasure of meeting and knowing and learning so much from. And then they have to go... because they were only here for a semester, or only here for a one-month sublet, or they're going to have a baby in California...
Erin and Joely left today. I miss them already. |
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| I'm a lady. |
[Dec. 9th, 2009|02:20 pm] |
My parents say I shouldn't curse so much. Must remind myself, "You're a lady, Bianca, you're a lady." Ha. Right. Did I ever tell you about the time Cassidy's little sister made brownies and Derek and I had a competition to see who could stuff more brownie in their mouth? Yes, Bianca, you're a lady.
Toast (a.k.a. Augustin) got his film back from the lab yesterday. It was transferred in slow motion for some reason though and the TV we were watching it on in the downstairs living room was freakishly dark, so Derek and I spent most of last night trying to calm Toast down and convince him that the film would actually look great.
I just got a phone call from him this afternoon because he had just watched the actual film on a projector at school and he said that it looked great and he wanted to tell me that it was neither too dark or in slow motion. :) |
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