Wide Awake

You know what’s nice? Catching yourself in a moment of your life where you think, “I have never been here before, or anywhere remotely like this…EVER.” I felt that way the other night, Oscar night in fact. Here’s what happened…

When people are talking in a screenplay, you want to find ways to make it interesting to look at. Two people in a moving car is generally a lot cooler than watching people talk in a room. But in that pre-production period when Jieho and I were compressing locations and cutting speaking roles to try and save money, it was suggested by our producers that we start cutting driving scenes. So that’s what we did, keeping just the driving scenes that were the most important, and it ended up being one day of shooting to cover all the scenes.

Well, I just found out why we cut driving scenes: they’re not a pain in the butt, really, but…well, actually, yes they are.

Here’s what happens: you want Brendan Fraser and Emile Hirsch driving in a car and talking? First thing you do is take the wheels off the car and put the car on a giant trailer called a process trailer. On this trailer you must also fit your camera, maybe a dolly, lights, and the entire camera crew.

Pulling this trailer is the camera car, which basically is a very big pick-up with a flap over the back to shield whoever’s riding. On this you have the sound guy and his equipment, the video guy and his equipment, two video monitors, the director, script supervisor, assistant director armed with a bull-horn, a producer crouched on a little apple-box, and if you’re lucky, a screenwriter, grinning ear to ear.

So when it comes time to shoot, the camera car starts up, pulling the process trailer behind it. And behind them, are about six to ten other vehicles that basically block traffic and provide background. That way, when you’re shooting Brendan’s close-up for instance, you don’t have an SUV driving beside him with people hanging out the windows taking pictures. No, that’s what you have in between shots. Seriously, it’s a major production and we stick out like sore thumb, especially when we’re driving through one of the busiest areas in downtown Mexico. The cars are all around us are a mix of star-struck people, trying to drive and simultaneous take pictures on their cell phones, while the rest of the cars are angrily honking at us for slowing down traffic.

Imagine Emile tearing through some of the funniest dialogue Jieho and I have ever written, when some creep starts laying on his horn through the entire shot, just to mess us up. It’s a crazy process, but we’re blessed with an amazing team and incredible actors who ended up nailing it every single time.

Eventually, the sun went down, and we set off for another scene. As police held traffic, we took a sharp turn into probably the busiest intersection in Mexico City…and broke a wheel. All of sudden, there we are, stranded, holding up about a THOUSAND cars (I’m only sorta exaggerating). Sarah and Brendan were in this scene, and thus stuck in the car, trying to keep each other laughing and in good spirits as a thousand cars honked in rage at us, our crew racing to fix the trailer and get us on our way before we started a revolution in the streets.

After a tense fifteen minutes, we finally took off and as we slowly drove through the streets, we passed through a specific park where Mariachis in full costume socialized on the side of the street. I don’t know how it happened, but a producer leapt into action, money changed hands, and all of a sudden, there we are, driving through the bright lights of Mexico City, pulling a process trailer behind us, as a Mariachi perched on the corner of the trailer, serenading the crew in between shots.

That’s the moment where I just laughed and thought, “I have never been here before, or anywhere remotely like this…EVER.” And it was right after that when word came over the radio…Brendan’s film CRASH had just won the Academy Award for best picture. Brendan was playing a very serious, quiet scene, and in between takes, he was cheering like a kid, completely thrilled.

I felt so privileged to be a part of this moment, and so privileged to be here in Mexico City, where every day brings a new experience, a new chance to live a moment so unlike any other I’ve ever lived before. I guess that’s what life is, a never-ending series of chances to do something new, see something special. I take it for granted when I’m home and one day just seems to roll into the next. But I do not take this experience for granted. Not at all.

I’m wake awake in Mexico City, drinking in the city and the experience of making this movie.

And I am forever changed.

A Particularly Good Day

So what’s a shooting day like? Well, generally, it’s made up of a series of scenes, preferably in the same location, because moving the whole crew is the biggest pain imaginable. The amount of scenes can vary from one big scene to maybe seven or eight smaller ones.

A little while ago, we were shooting in an upstairs warehouse space that was dressed as a storage space/office for Fingers, the charismatic crime boss played by Andy Garcia. We had two BIG scenes to shoot in this space. The first one involved Brendan, Emile, Andy, and Victor Rivers. Victor’s playing Fingers’s bodyguard Eddie, and Victor’s a nice fellow, great company over dinner, and built like the biggest tree you’ve ever seen in your life.

We started right after breakfast with a blocking rehearsal. This means that Jieho and his Director of Photography meet with the actors and work through the scene. Jieho tells everyone what he wants from the scene and the actors figure out where they’re gonna stand and how the moments are going to play. Sometimes things change, out of necessity or even better, inspiration. Brendan, Andy, and Victor are all stoic, tough guys, and seeing Emile bound into this scene with a burst of youthful energy is a real treat. Andy suggests he grab a seat behind his seat, prop his feet up. It’s a charming moment, inspired and fresh. The scene plays great.

Then, when Jieho and the actors are happy, our A.D. calls in the heads of all the various crew departments as well as the actors’s stand-ins. Everybody watches as the actors do a run-through of the scene, beginning to end. Every time an actor stands in a particular spot, a camera assistant lays a cloth “T” at their feet. This becomes the actor’s mark and they’re committed to arriving in the same spot for the rest of the day. This is what they call, “Hitting your mark”.

The blocking rehearsal over, the actors head back to their trailers to continue the process of getting into wardrobe and makeup. While that’s happening, stand-ins (actors who are the same approximate size and look of the cast) stand on those cloth T’s while the D.P. and his team set up lights to capture the action. The most unexpected part of this process? The set is completely silent. Everyone works in whispers to keep the noise down, allowing everyone to do their jobs without distraction. Imagine dozens of people, working hard, and without a sound. This is one of the most surprising things I’ve learned about making movies. It’s just so quiet…

A little while later, the actors are called back to the set and they rehearse the scene one more time, in what’s called a camera rehearsal. This is so the camera-operators get one chance to practice on the actual actors before we start rolling film.

After that, the A.D. calls out “Rolling!” in Spanish and everyone grows silent. And then magic happens…

The second scene of the day is in the same location. It’s Andy, Victor, and Brendan again, only this time the ensemble is completed by Forest Whitaker, in what will be his final scene shot for the movie. Thrown into this mix is my friend Will, cast in a small but crucial part. Will’s a long-time friend, a great actor and experienced improviser. I won’t tell you what happens in this scene, but suffice to say Andy is less than happy with Will. As Andy expresses his anger, he improvises a bit, throwing curve balls at Will, who handles them with grace and skill. I allow myself a smile…there’s my friend, improvising with Andy Garcia. How cool is that?

Close to the end of the night, we share in a moment called the Send-Off. After Forest shoots his last take, the A.D. gets everyone’s attention and says, “Ladies and gentlemen, that’s a wrap on Forest Whitaker!” Everyone explodes into applause. Forest trades hugs with his co-stars and Jieho. Everyone wants pictures and handshakes. Such a gentle person, such a remarkable actor. It takes Forest forever just to get out of the building.

Meanwhile, Will wraps a few shots later, strolls to the make-up trailer, still a little dazed at having the opportunity to work with such incredible actors. It’ll hit him later, I’m sure.

And that was our day. Will’s only day. Forest’s final day. For the crew…just one out of many. But a particularly good day. Oh yes, it was.