Inserts

I miss production. Writers don’t always get to be a part of it, so I realize I was pretty lucky to be in Mexico City for the whole shoot of THE AIR I BREATHE. This summer, life has been back to normal. I usually start the day at my favorite diner, having breakfast with friends and drinking lots of coffee. Then, I write for several hours in my little apartment. Take a walk to Starbucks in the afternoon. Sometimes I meet up with Jieho and Robert in the editing room, maybe help write a bit of voice-over or something. Then it’s back to my apartment and the next day’s work.

But in the midst of it all, there was a little oasis, when Jieho recently shot some inserts for a couple days. Inserts are shots that don’t include any of the lead actors, such as shots of moving cars, or close-ups of a hand holding a photograph or a gun. Our first day was on a small soundstage in Los Angeles. Insert shoots always have a much smaller crew, and many of the faces were new. But it was nice to sit by the monitor again and watch Jieho work with Walt, his brilliant Director of Photography. It reminded me of how much I love this process. I know it’s a lot of hard work, but honestly, I can’t wait until we make another movie. And another.

In addition to all the inserts, Jieho had to shoot a small MTV-style entertainment report that will play on a flat-screen TV late in the film. It’s a crucial scene, and the last actor Jieho had to cast for the movie was the correspondent giving the fast-paced report. A week before the shoot, I was hanging out with Jieho in the editing room and he asked me, “Do you know Kari Wuhrer?” I said yes, and I’m sure I stuttered, because with that question comes a funny story.

Kari Wuhrer rose to fame in the late 80’s as the co-host of Remote Control, an MTV game show that was one of their first original programs. Since then, she’s acted in dozens of movies (recently, she was great as the sheriff in Eight Legged Freaks). Well, sixteen years ago, I was backstage at a hair-metal concert in Cocoa Beach (it was Femme Fatale, one of my favorite bands of the era). My friend and I were getting autographs, taking pictures with the band, and yes, just being geeks. At the time, Remote Control was shot in Orlando (my home town), and the show’s hosts were backstage at the concert. And that’s when I first met Kari. She even signed a dollar bill for me. I still have it.

Well, Kari’s husband, a Los Angeles-based producer, was hired to work on the insert shoots, and he recommended Kari to play the correspondent. So when Jieho asked me about her, I told him my story. And if there’s one thing that Jieho and I believe in…it’s fate. So sixteen years ago, when I shyly asked Kari to sign my dollar bill, I had no idea that someday, I would be standing outside a Los Angeles soundstage, watching her say dialogue that I helped write. After the shoot, I met Kari for the second time. We had fun reminiscing about the 80’s, and believe it or not, she actually remembered that Femme Fatale concert. Really.

And that was my day back on the set of THE AIR I BREATHE. The next day, Jieho shot some driving inserts in downtown L.A. Me, I was at home, working on a new script. Production is fun, but ultimately, my job is right here, in front of my computer, trying to write stories. I hope you liked this one.