1/2 way

Wow. We're just over the half-way mark. 

We have the bestest company on this picture --  it just makes me all gushy. They're all about helping with lights and dragging stuff back and forth and doing whatever it takes to make the movie good. I can't hardly list all the things people have been doing. Without even being asked. Maduka goes from assistant camera to gaffer and then will run to put on his costume and act the role of Warchild. Tom Rowen does the same thing and bounces between playing the monster and the part of Theo. That is, when he's not pulling down his pants and mooning us (the first time he was successful I laughed so hard I almost had to stop driving.)

James Becton misunderstood when I asked him to figure out a "military" way for the Marines to get into a room, so instead of just doing that, he art directed and totally made a beautiful little set out of scaffolding and stuff lying around. Well, actually, he made a big BIG set out of those things and really upped the look of the scene a gazillion percent. Oh and then he worked out the division into Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie teams and helped choreograph their movements.

One of the most visually exciting parts of the movie are the lights on people's helmets and guns, and Ben Sulzbach worked all that out and mounted all of them. A new actor for us, Dan Blatman, painted the prisoner's masks in a brilliantly scary way today. Steve Deighan did the freakin' dishes when we were shooting in Forked River. Gabriella Willenz has been doing a bang-up job on sound, the dailies sound terrific (even though we generally keep the haze machine on all the time.)

Rebecca has been taking stills. And she bought seventy billion calories' worth of Krispy Kremes for everyone this morning. I think Amelia is doing some sort of behind-the-scenes documentary/expose' or something ;-). 

My parents, who are up for sainthood, came and visited the set today. My dad is letting us use his shop to shoot in, and my stepmom Iona actually lets me use her car to transport people. My sister, who's already been inducted into the ranks of angels, has been picking up and dropping off people at the train station and getting dinner. With the dog, who just makes everyone smile.

I'm leaving people out in my list, I know. Those are just the things and the people swimming in my mind right this minute.

Every one is so ready to run in and help and read lines and move stuff around and then clean up that it really touches me. 

Oh, and did I mention they're also terrifically talented on camera? I mean, that's why they're with us in the first place. Everything extra they do just makes my job much easier, and better, and funner.

I'm really exhausted but really exhilarated by the joy everyone has brought to this project. It really makes me feel privileged. 

Now I must sleep for about 14 hours. Afterward -- pictures from this weekend.