I looked at that slate, with my script title on it, and had a vague feeling of, “Yeah. This is a major moment … I can tell, intellectually, that this is pretty major” but I was too busy working to go off on a reverie about it. But still. I said to the actress at one point, “I’m not ‘over’ this, or cool about it …” and she said, “Oh, please, neither am I. Every time I walk onto a set I get excited.” There was a tremendous vibe of excitement and collaboration, from the director to the makeup artist (we had a ball together), the key grip to every single person there. It was thrilling, seriously. Nothing better than collaboration, but this is my first go-round with being the writer in a project like this. The director would go flying by me, with five things to get done, and I’d call out his name repeatedly as he went by, like a kindergardener trying to get someone’s attention. He’d stop, I’d say something to him urgently, a note, something I wanted, and he’d nod quickly, and then fly off to get it (and five other things) done. He was awesome as hell. I have spoken with him on the phone practically every day for two months. I miss him already. It was a phenomenal experience, to hand my script over to someone I trusted, someone whose vision I loved, who brought his own thing to it, but never once compromised the spirit of what I have done. I feel like new friends were made, connections were made, people were into it, it looks BEAUTIFUL (cinematographer – WOW!), the actors were amazing … The whole thing has been a bit surreal (it’s happened so fast), but also once that train left the station there was no stopping it. I pulled up to our location in Burbank, a little dive bar – a Green Bay Packers bar, incidentally (to my Supernatural people, there was a huge sign over the door that said CHEESEHEAD DRIVE) – so all of the Green Bay stuff had to be covered up, and it was everywhere, and when I pulled up, there was the lighting truck, there was the focus-puller futzing with the enormous GORGEOUS camera on the sidewalk, there was the sign on the door “BAR CLOSED FOR THE NIGHT.” All because back in March of 2009, lost in the fresh grief of my father’s passing, I wrote a scene about a man and a woman who met up in a bar. To “catch up.” 5 years earlier, they had had a brief relationship that lasted July and half of August. They think it will be good to see each other again. Instead … the interaction is like a downed and yet still live electrical wire, flailing around on the street, randomly sparking this way and that. When I wrote the scene, neither character had a name. They were “she” and “he.” And here we are today. I am grateful to every single person who helped make this happen, and who will continue to help make it happen (editors, producers, post-production).
Major moment. Yeah, I get that, intellectually.
Wow, Sheila. Just wow. How could anyone get over this?
//“BAR CLOSED FOR THE NIGHT.”//
The most beautiful sentence in the English language.
Do you get to keep the slate?
And these poor bar regulars kept not seeing the sign and walking in, hoping for a pint and some sporting event on the TV. Only to see a film crew standing on the bar, holding up light meters and boom mikes. “Uh … is the bar closed or …”
I don’t get to keep the slate! But it was amazing when I first saw it. Lonnie was cool – I was like, “Can I take a picture of it?” She placed it down carefully for me on one of the bar tables.
Good folks, all of them!
Congratulations to you! This just sounds like a wonderful experience.
Thanks! It really was! One of the producers was like, “So what’s next, Sheila? Anything in your drawer you want produced? Let’s do a Kickstarter!”
These are good ambitious people. Glad to know them all now!
Congratulations, Sheila. I’m sure it’s all kinds of awesome, and I hope that soon enough it’ll be everywhere, everyone talking about it. Maybe I’ll even be able to see it here in my neck in the woods?
So awesome! I can’t wait until you tell us more, in your Sheila way, in retrospect. This is all so great! (and I love that we are your Supernatural people.)
Lyrie – thanks!!
whatta ya mean the bar is closed what the ……… can i get a 6 to go at least
Congratulations, Sheila! What a happy feeling, even vicariously for someone I’ve never met, but feel like I know just from your writing.
I hope to see it soon.
Thanks so much! It was an amazing experience and it feels like a real new beginning for me – lots of possibilities and opportunities just opened up.
So, so proud of you. Wow. Congrats She.
thank you Jackie!! xoxo