Dragging Stones

Chalk up hygiene and air-conditioning to the laundry list of “Things I take for granted.” There’s nothing quite like waking up at 5am, walking outside and having your shower immediately vetoed by the humidity of Shreveport. Then you realize it’s still dark, and there’s 14 hours to go. 12 on a perfect day, who knows on a bad one. We haven’t had one of those yet–of course we’re only on day 3–and I’m told things are running very smoothly so far. I have to be told this because I don’t really know the ebb and flow of principal photography–this is my first.

This puts me in the unique position of being blind to the fruits of our labor. Of course I can see the shots, hear the dialogue, everything. But there’s such a magnitude of work being put in, a lot of it that I don’t understand, to produce a finished product that I won’t see for several months. Because I’ve never been involved in film production, it’s difficult for me to see how all the elements will come together. It’s not “as it happens,” like with blogging or other media.

It’s the difference between tactics and grand strategy. You cannot afford to ignore either. Do the best photographers just “snap pictures,” or do they try to express a larger vision? Are you just trying to put words on a page, or are you telling a story? But they are interdependent, the menial supports the grand and vice versa. In movies, I can see how easy it might be to lose sight of either–you wouldn’t believe the ratio of man-hours to seconds of film until you witness it in person. It’s like watching people drag stones. They have their eyes on the summit, but they recognize the work it takes to get there.

I’ve worked lots of jobs with lots of people, but I’ve never really been in a position where I trust the people around me and their vision to really make something. In fact, I’ve never been around this many talented people period, the fact that we’re collaborating in an artistic effort–well, let’s just say that there’s no place I’d rather be, even if that place is wet, 95 degrees, and climbing.