Happy Sauce: Final Preparations

I should probably be more stressed out and nervous about my shoot on Sunday, but I really see no need. I am rehearsing with my actors tomorrow and any further adjustments can only be made after that. Tomorrow night will definitely be very busy. I expect to alter the script, the storyboards, and shot sheet slightly. A film is an evolving process... someone once told me that if your film doesn't change slightly from script to final product you are making a mistake. I find this philosophy a good compliment to my creative process. I like to feel out the shots and the action and my best ideas are often spur of the moment reactions to complications I did not initially foresee.

A good example is the evolution of the opening scene in Happy Sauce. I initially thought it would be a montage of shots of a bartender preparing the "Happy Sauce" which is interrupted when a man stumbles through the door with bags of newborn baby products. The more I thought about this the more lame the idea became. I somehow realized the baby bottle had to be the focal point of the interruption and thought a pan from the drink being prepared on the counter to a baby bottle sliding towards camera would do the trick. When I mentioned this to Petr he suggested a static frame and the baby bottle slides into frame. I really liked this idea and decided that it would be strongest if the opening was only one shot- a high angle shot as a glass of ice is put in the center of the frame. The ingredients are added, and just as the bartender is about to shake the concoction, there is an offscreen thump, the bartender drops the spoon or shaker, and a baby bottle slides into frame in front of the pint glass. For me, I think this is a strong opening shot - from drink to baby bottle.

As I rehearse with my actors tomorrow, there will be moments, words, and actions within the scene that need adjustments. Many times, I might not have a solution until after the film has been completed, but my only objective is to try my best. Sometimes you have to make a wrong decision to gain the experience to make a better one in the future. As I said, film is an evolving process.