Jonathan W. Stokes

After we wrapped the shoot, Anthony popped a bottle of Champagne and gave a really wonderful speech. My attention diverted, I have to admit I did not see this coming…

Ravi Patel and Randy Wayne. Other directors, be warned about these guys.

You can see Anthony got hit in the crossfire.

The art department got me a ’40 as a gift, and I made my closing speech to cast and crew. All I feel is gratitude. To everyone who contributed their time and hard work, their talents, and their heart. Much love to all of you.

While the movie is in one take, we’re also shooting a teaser to play over the final credits. This is the last thing we’re shooting. And because of all the water pumps, we only have one chance to get it right.

I love directing on the fly. I know what I want in my head, but try to express it in such a way that actors and crew members can add their own spin to it. Chuck and the actors always contribute great ideas, so we talk it through a few times until we’re all on the same page. It’s fun and it’s how I like to work. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

I’m not going to explain what this shot is. But suffice it to say, it was pretty complex, and required a lot of ingenuity from our producer and resident mad scientist, Peter Marr (the guy in the black wife-beater on the roof).

Success!  Randy Wayne is soaked from head to toe.  He is a trooper.

We had one chance and it worked. I am absolutely thrilled. There are so many millions of miracles that happened to make this shoot work against all odds. I am thankful for all of them.

This is the last shot of the movie.

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I feel great.

There was a ton of energy on set today. Everyone has performed the movie so many times now, it’s feeling like a real party.

During the day time scenes, another party of girls down the street started screaming incessantly. I had to send producers over to ask them to quiet down. So if there’s screaming in act one of the movie, you’ll know it was the neighbors down the street.

During the time lapse, it started raining. In the middle of July in Los Angeles. The sound and camera teams had to cover their equipment in plastic. And the usual suspects started telling me to cancel the shoot.

Things get worse

Our set parakeet, James Jamison, died during the time lapse. Just keeled over and died. Richie and I got rid of the body without the cast noticing. The dead bird and the rain clouds seemed like a pretty ominous sign.

So I asked God, a character in the movie, for a miracle. God (Martin Kelly) put on his sunglasses and pointed at the sky. Then we waited another ten minutes.

And I kid you not, this really happened.

If you watch this movie, look for the strange purple lighting during the time lapse from daytime to nighttime. Who knows, maybe we’ll just color correct it.

But possibly, at one point in the time lapse, you will see the whole cast and crew pose for a photo and point at the sky. We’re pointing at the double rainbow off screen (that’s the camera filming in the middle of the group).

Everyone was relaxed today.  Cast and crew have settled into the rhythm of the shoot.  I think we got some of our best performances.

Everyone is going to different parties tonight.  I hope the actors still have their voices tomorrow.  Shooting this movie is fun like summer camp.  I feel like I could do this for years.

A film crew is a group of teams working together. Some of the department heads report directly to me (Art, Makeup, Wardrobe, Sound) and some report directly to Chuck, the director of photography (Camera, Grip, and Electric). If the director is the commander in chief, then Chuck is a four star general, and all the department heads are major generals commanding their own divisions.

Chuck’s Team

Typically, the director of photography has a gaffer to implement the lighting design, and a key grip to help put everything together. The gaffer’s assistant is called a best boy electric, and the key grip’s assistant is called a best boy grip.

The camera team consists of a camera operator, a first assistant camera (focus puller), and a second assistant camera (clapper loader). Unofficially, when the DP is also the camera operator, the DP takes the title of Cinematographer.

Shannon Mita (2nd Assistant Camera), Me, Joe Segura (1st Assistant Camera)

Shooting requires the teamwork of all departments. As Chuck’s camera navigates through the crowd of extras, he is trailed by the boom operator, the first AC, the second AC, the first AD, the second AD, and sometimes the script supervisor and me. As soon as the camera shifts away from an actor, makeup and wardrobe swoop in to keep everyone looking pretty.

As the party grows throughout the night, Shane Richard’s production design team sets props, moves scenery, and makes sure continuity keeps everything in its proper place. Tiptoeing just behind the camera is a well choreographed ballet.

My Team

During the shoot, I am supported by Amy Arter, the script supervisor, who watches for missed lines and continuity errors. Each day I come on set with over 100 actor notes from the previous day’s shooting. A lot of these come from Amy – spotting where actors are deviating from the script!

The producers and PA’s support me in myriad ways. For The Last Hurrah, all of the producers are on set as extras for the entire movie. Richie Molyneux has the responsibility of corralling the background extras to fill each shot. In costume, he is able to amble through a scene, quietly whispering directions to the extras to position them where we need them.

Jason Kennedy (1st AD), Chuck DeRosa (Cinematographer), Me

The first assistant director, Jason Kennedy (pictured above), is my rock of Gibraltar. Someone has to be the barking dog to get everyone into position, and if the director does it himself he looks like a ninny. Jason sets call times, pushes the actors through wardrobe, makeup, and micing, and then polices the entire shoot.

Each day before shooting, Jason, Shane (Production Designer), and I walk through the entire set inspecting every inch. We are generals surveying the battlefield. Once we start shooting – that’s it for the night. So we must examine every scene set up to make sure everything is perfect. For some reason, it’s one of my favorite parts of the day.

The world rushes in.

Today we got a good take. I ran across the lawn and hugged all the actors. We did it.

Today we shot through to the end of the movie. I think the actors feel a sense of accomplishment. That we can do this.

I told the actors that we now have a good movie in the can. So we can relax tomorrow and just aim higher. This is a good feeling.

The truth is, I don’t think we’ve shot anything close to our best yet.

Watching the shoot from “video village”

I need a little bit of rest and a little perspective. I feel like I martyred myself for this movie today. That I fell on my sword. I quit my job to direct this movie. I have given every penny in my bank account, and gone $42,000 into debt. I have given everything now.

I’m just waiting for the world to rush in.

I can’t tell the actors I’ve just sold everything I own to keep them on set. The director must project confidence. I put on a relaxed face, and smile and joke with everyone.

Today actress Heidi Johanningmeier caught me off guard. She walked into one of the bedrooms and found me catnapping on the floor, worn thin. Spent. She knelt down and gave me a hug. She never spoke a word. Silently, she understands.

An actor like that. I will walk through fire for an actor like that.

My producing team has negotiated all fifteen of our actor contracts as “most favored nations.” This means that our smallest actor gets exactly the same deal as our biggest actor.

I can’t imagine how this works in our favor, but it seems we’ve just been muscled into it. Our actors have signed four contracts now and two of the managers have rejected every one of them. Now we’re already into filming and still no signed contracts, so the managers just have us over the barrel.

And there’s not a ton I can do to help the producers negotiate because I’m sort of busy directing a movie.

Finding $28,712.28 in two hours

Step 1) I sold all my stocks today. My beloved Google and Apple. I was going to hold them for a decade. The best laid plans of mice and men…

Step 2) I liquidated all my savings. $20,000 I painstakingly saved as a piano teacher. It will all go into the pockets of my actors now. At least I’m supporting the arts.

Step 3) I called my mom and dad and told them I’m making a movie. I told them I need to borrow $8,000 today or my movie gets shut down. My mom and dad agreed. They were setting money aside to buy a new car in September.  But instead they’re wiring the money directly to the actor payroll company. Thank you mom and thank you dad.

Wiring Information

I need to wire this money immediately and none of my producers is answering their phone this morning. What are they sleeping? It’s 10am! Not Lisa, not Anthony, not Richie – no one. I am all alone in this.

Sublimation

I’m trying to decide how to feel about the two actors’ managers that cost me all of this money. Their actors do deserve their own trailers. I would get them if I could. They do deserve lots of money. I would pay them a king’s ransom if I could. But those actors should understand that I am paying for this movie on my credit cards. That we are all here for love of the game.

It is illogical for me to be upset with these actors. My job is to work well with them and bring out their absolute best.

I am emotionally tired. But my mind is working at lightning speed. I am not thinking about myself or my producing team. I am thinking about working with my amazing actors. I am thinking about what I can emotionally give to rally them to be their best.