Good night Mr. Wolfe

I finished shooting with Erik the other night. We shot in the Village and Meat Packing District. I wanted to get some more footage for the montage, and we got it.

The one shot I really wanted was Allen and Maura in front of the Tiles for America. There are a couple references to 9/11 in the film, so it's fitting. I originally wanted to use this shot in A New and Accurate Map of the World, but I went with the mural shot instead.

The day we shot it was 30 degrees. We were outside for almost 6 hours. The reason it's taken me a week to post this is because I got really sick. I'm not sure if Erik and Elizabeth got sick too, I hope they're OK. Knowing Erik, and his immune system, he's dead and buried.

While we were shooting Julianne Moore walked by, really fast. It was almost "a power-walk", but she wasn't pumping her arms. She's a lot shorter in person.

RA

Camera wrap on Lauren Munger

I only shot with Lauren two days, but I absolutely love her. They were two of the best/easiest days of shooting on the film. Her transition from scripted dialog to improv, and vice-versa, is seamless. I would definitely like to work with her again.

We shot two very small scenes yesterday. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to use a still from one for the poster.

Once the weather gets better here, I need to get all of my pick-up shots. It's nothing major, just some shots of NYC traffic, buildings and such.

I'm going to use still photos throughout the film. I love mixing photo and video. I'm thinking of putting a post up on CL and MySpace asking for people to send me HI-RES photos on NYC. It'll make my job easier, and also be a cool way to get people involved in the film-making process.

RA

Another still

I captured this still a couple weeks ago and never put it up. This is from the first day of shooting. It's the second scene we shot, I think. This is where Maura shows Allen the photos that she took on her trip down from Boston.

I have a clip that I want to put up, but I'm uncertain about doing so. Elizabeth loves it. Erik hates it. If I put it up, it'll be in the next couple of days.

RA

Passing the buck

I just handed off all of the footage to L.E. Salas. He edited "A New and Accurate Map of the World" and he's now going to edit "Because of Time and Space". He's a FAR better editor than I am. He's also much more enthusiastic about the post-production aspect of film-making than I am.

We're going to shoot this Saturday, and again next week and that should do it. I thought we would be light-years ahead of where we are at this point. I thought the film would be near completion. I don't know the exact quote, or who said it, but it went something like this - "If your production turns out exactly as you planned, you failed.".

Take a minute and check out measure's MySpace page - MySpace.com/measuremusic. Some of their music might be featured in the film. Speaking of MySpace, I created a MySpace page for the film - MySpace.com/timeandspacefilm. Send the film a friend request, it's very lonely.

RA

Improvisation: Bagels and Lepers

Falling behind

To pay the bills, I've been doing some art department work on a FedEx commercial. I start on an IKEA commercial next Monday, and that should take me into the first or second week of December. I haven't had time to shoot or edit anything. I'd say that 80 to 90 percent of the film has been shot, so I'm not THAT worried. I was hoping to have a rough cut ready for Tribeca at the end of December, but that's no longer possible.

RA

1st still

I've been editing, the last couple of days, and I thought I'd put up a still. I've only gone through the "hotel" tapes, but I'm happy with the way everything turned out.

Erik is up for a role on a soap, so we had to put off shooting for a week, or so. I can't wait to get back at it.

RA

The (Not-so) Best Western

We finished shooting at the hotel early this morning. I couldn't be happier to be out of there. It was much smaller than I had anticipated. I really felt restricted, with what I could do. I felt like I was shooting the same thing over and over again. We actually changed a scene's location, from the hotel to the streets of Manhattan, just so we could be out of there faster.

It was a tough first three days of shooting. The lack of sleep, caffeine and fast food finally caught up to Erik. We had to cancel today's shoot, because he was under the weather. I think we all needed a day off.

The look of the film, so far, is a different from what I was originally going for. I've been shooting hand-held and using a lot of ECU's. It's just much more intimate this way. It also feels a little uncomfortable.

Table Read/Rehearsal

Everything went really well. I wish we had more time to prepare, but that's not the case - we start shooting in two days.

For the most part, I feel good about everything heading into Monday. I still have some minor location issues I have to straighten out. For one, the office location isn't a lock yet. I made a couple of calls, but haven't heard anything back. Also, there's a scheduling conflict with the cafe. I'm sure it'll be worked out by Sunday.

RA

1st Meeting

Erik, Elizabeth and I met for the first time today. It was the first time that our schedules allowed us to. The meeting was a pretty basic one. We kicked around a few ideas and changed some things in the script.

The two biggest changes involve a pair of scenes towards the end of the film. They both will leave you feeling a bit better about Maura's situation. You still won't be left with that "warm-fuzzy" feeling though. At first, I was hesitant about the changes, but now, I can see they're in the film's best interest.

We're getting together again on Thursday morning, to rehearse.

RA

Casting (Part 2)

Naturally, Maura was the next role that I cast. I cast Elizabeth Wood. Elizabeth is capable of playing hopeful and hopeless at the same time, and that's essential to Maura's character.

There is some nudity in the film, so I needed someone who was comfortable with that. I'm going to use nudity, and sex, as devices to gain sympathy for Maura's character. I'm not entirely sure she's going to need it, but I think it gives the film a more realistic feel.

The fact that Elizabeth is, also, a filmmaker helped me make my decision. Seeing as this is a very small production, I needed someone who was willing to do anything to get the film made, and she is that.

RA

Casting (Part 1)

Erik was the first actor that I cast in the film. He's the best person to be working on a film with. He's always positive and willing to do anything to get the job done. It was pretty easy getting him on board. I sent him a partial script and said "Hey, do you want to play Allen?" and he read it and said "Yeah.". I wrote the script with him in mind. He played the "good" guy in my other two projects and this time I wanted to see a different side of him. Allen's character has very few, if any, redeeming qualities.

This film is 180 degrees from A New and Accurate Map of the World. That film was sweet and when the credits rolled, you were left with a good feeling. You will NOT feel the same way with Because of Time and Space. There's much more drama. The subject matter is real and honest. You're not going to have to suspend disbelief, at all.

That being said, I think the film will be a welcomed challenge for Erik, as an actor, and myself, as a director. We'll both be working outside of our comfort zones.

RA

Because of Time and Space

Because of Time and Space is a film about ex-lovers (Maura and Allen) who get back together for a weekend.

Maura and Allen dated for unspecified amount of time, in the past. Since their break-up, Maura has had a string of one night stands and short-lived relationships. It's taken her some time, but she's realizing this isn't the path she wants to go down.

Allen, on the other hand, has been in a committed relationship for awhile. His current relationship looks good on the surface, but when you look closer - it lacks that spark.

After breaking up with her latest fling, during sex, Maura calls Allen and they make plans to meet in Manhattan.

RA