It’s only three days since we shot film number two and we just shot film number three. Madness. It has been a crazy couple of weeks.
Film three is Snap Happy, the one I mentioned about the young woman who goes around taking photos of everything.
We had eleven different locations stretching between Newtown, Paddington and the Opera House, so we had to move at a bit of a clip. We hired a big van which turned out to be smart move number one.
Things weren’t looking so flash at five in the morning when I could hear the rain bucketing down outside. Those are the horrible moments they don’t brief you on at Twelve Short Films In One Year School. But it cleared just in time, and once again worked in our favour as the cloudy morning and the clear afternoon helped to create the impression the story is happening over more than one day.
The biggest drama was finding extras. Sorry if I bombarded you with requests about it, but it really was a mad panic. I had so many people willing to help who just couldn’t or people lined up who then had things come up. I must have asked thirty people individually as well as a couple of all and sundry crop-duster attempts at high altitude.
All day I was checking my phone to see if we had any last minute takers and finally I got two young women only hours before we needed them. Phew! I was walking on air. Then ten minutes later they found out they couldn’t make it.
We kept on anyway. We managed to get away without extras for most of the day. The lovely Lenka from our Café scene kindly volunteered to be our ‘hat lady’ for one shot. And I stepped in front of the camera for another.
But there was one scene where we really needed at least one young woman. And we had not one – except our lead, Florence, and she was busy leading.
We arrived to the location for this scene and I was broken. I’d tried everything and everyone. I couldn’t believe I’d failed – somehow I believed it would just work out, and it hadn’t.
Rupert Brown our Cinematographer and I were lining up the shot when my phone rang. It was Russell Masters from Fanatic Films. I haven’t talked to him in ages. Terrible timing though, I’m on a shoot. Still, I unanswered it, just in case.
“Hi JJ, are you still looking for a young woman for your short film? Michelle, our receptionist might be able to help you out.”
Don’t tell ANYONE this, but I think my eyes welled up a little at that point. I didn’t cry or anything though.
Michelle was free and happy to help out. She jumped in a cab and was on set twenty minutes later. And she was perfect.
So there you go.
Thanks Russell. Thanks Michelle. Thanks everyone who was willing to help but couldn’t. It really is appreciated. Things do work out. Another thing they don’t tell you at Twelve Short Films In One Year School.
___
Big thanks to Florence Noble who was amazing as our lead. And thanks once again to Rupert Brown our Cinematographer who is making a habit of being awesome. Thanks also to Sean Nunan, Lenka Porubska, Max Clavel and Gusto Delicatessen in Five Ways and Matt Walsh and the Lord Raglan.