last weekend of filming

with a bittersweet sigh and sad sniff i have to say this is, as far as i can tell, our last weekend of filming.

today couldn't have worked out better as far as getting our last scenes lined up and ready to go. it's been tricky because finding a location has been extremely frustrating! is finding a diner rocket science???

there are four crucial locales in my script:

a cemetery

a river

a gravel road

that came complete with rusty cotton trailers

and a field with cows

and, last but not least, a diner.

i was tipped off to a great location,

so we added a railroad tracks sequence

and lazarus spotted the railroad bridge over hwy 51

that he loved so we incorporated that, too.

the diner came to us at the eleventh hour, no less! (don't have a picture of it yet)

i was about to have a nervous breakdown. of all the places i'd looked into, there was some sort of hang-up...more like BS.

the first place i wanted to use would have been perfect however, they wanted to charge me an insane amount of money to pay two people to be there the whole day AND take out special event insurance for one (1) day. what?!?! i told her, ummm...yeah, remember i said this is a STUDENT PROJECT. student project = NO $$$$

moron.

another location was being persnickity about the whole thing and said would get back to us...we were like yeah, you do realize we need to film on SATURDAY (and this was tuesday). ugh! anyway, blah blah blah. there were other locations that weren't exactly right but might have just 'had to do' no matter what. sooo...

last night i called the guy who helped us get our nifty vintage car - our 1963 mercury meteor. just had to throw that in there! i heart that freakin' car.

he gave me the name and number of a guy in memphis who really wanted to encourage filmmakers to use his location.

i didn't know if he would be willing to help us out, especially on such short notice, but low and behold, he was more than happy to help! what a relief.

it was good news to both me and to lazarus, my director.

the owner was very excited about us filming there and had no problem with our being there for a good part of the day saturday to get everything done. i can't possibly say what a heavy weight lifted from my conscious after having put this in order!! he even said he would help throw our wrap party there as well. a place called alex's tavern. great vibe to it *and* it has a jukebox!!!

that's a plus because we needed a jukebox in the scene in a most terrible way. so technically, my diner is now going to be a bar. but that's ok. at this point, i'm not caring too much.

he was so excited that i asked him and he's got everything ready for us to shoot on saturday morning. we also need to film the pay phone scene, which we'll do in midtown memphis somewhere. the weather is looking good both saturday and sunday so everything will *fingers crossed* be working in our favor.

then on sunday, we're going back to the cemetery to finish up that scene and then back to the gravel road to wrap up the final car scenes.

lazarus and i still have to ride around and get establishing shots but other than that, we'll be done. how surreal!

i also talked to my last music publisher today regarding one last-minute song add, so it looks like that's in the bag. need to find out who's owns the master recording and i'll be good to go.

so now i need to finish up mundane things like laundry and cleaning up the place. have to prep the kitties for my weekend away. i know they'll be glad when mama is back home again to stay for a while and give them some lovin'. poor things. they miss me.

i'm tired but i'm not tired. i want to rest but don't give a flying flip about sleeping. all i've been doing is living and breathing this film. i am going to be so sorry for having this stinky attitude tomorrow.

mopeds, french kisses, old friends & le sacre couer

over the weekend i spoke to an old friend of mine who jogged my brain about so many childhood memories and also mentioned 'amélie.' it definitely lent a 'cosmetric' quality to the overall experience (i don't think he'll mind if i borrow his word for a minute).

it not only reignited my ongoing love affair with france but it got the little hamster in my head running like mad on his squeaky wheel. my life has certainly come full circle lately: bringing me back to hernando, reconnecting with old friends, dusting off some old dreams and watching other aspirations turn into realities. it reminded me that i need not short-change myself in life or in any other respect---especially relationships, whether if be a friendship or otherwise.

and because i need the moment of escape...

i am going to take a moment to daydream of a parisian love affair of my own.

so...

here's to sexy roman noses,

kisses along the banks of the seine,

family-owned pâtisseries et les cartes postales.

i look up and across the table and he is watching me. we smile knowingly at each other and share a cigarette while people pass us by along the sidewalk. briefly we wonder where they might be going; but what truly matters is we both know this is exactly where we're supposed to be.

and hopefully a pigeon from above will not ruin the moment.