Scary rearview

Scary Normal postmortem

So that happened.

Yesterday the director and the DP reviewed all the footage and the script supervisor jotted down a few continuity notes, but as of today the baby is pretty much in the care of the editor and the sound designer. I'm much less sad than I was a day ago, though still pretty empty-nesty. At the same time, I'm ready to get back to Mets games, and to Philip Roth, and to the Times crossword puzzle (well, OK, I've done most of the past 20 days' puzzles, but on a catch-as-catch-can basis rather than as part of a daily routine).

And I suppose I'm ready to get back to my day job--or if I'm not ready, I'd better get ready pretty quickly, as I'll be at my desk in less than 48 hours. And I can't deny that I'm better suited for and more skilled at that job than at the one I've been performing the past 3 weeks. As eager as I am to see the finished (or even rough cut) film, I am trepidatious about the inevitable forehead-slapping continuity errors--how many will there be?

Apart from that, though, I am as happy with the experience, and with the film we made, as I could possibly be. As I've probably said before, my expectations were high and were far exceeded by the actuality. And leaving the cast and crew behind will leave a hole in my heart the like of which I never would have imagined. That the screenwriter could produce a script filled with smart language and real people was no surprise--I've known for a long time that she can do words. But how did a first-time director manage to put together such a professional group of (mostly) young people on both sides of the camera? "Professional" in the sense of their approach to the work, that is--with a budget of {mumble} thousand dollars, she couldn't afford to pay anyone what he or she was worth, but it's hard to imagine a better film being made for that kind of money.

Proud, happy, enormously impressed, eager to see the results, and ready to commit to the next project in advance--and I'll be better at my job next time, I promise.