the one where I meet an X-Files sculptor.
On Monday, I had to do an interview. The director of one of our shorts was making props and puppets and invited me over to his house to get some footage of the process. He buzzed me into his black gate out front, and I got lost in his front yard. So much stuff. Think of a car junkyard, but instead of spare parts, it's all art. Sculptures, wood, furniture, paint. Piles and piles, no rhyme or reason, it was another world. I wandered around for ages just to find his workspace, but never did. I finally heard him calling for me from across the way. He brought me inside and there were TONS of props, "toys", and their boxes, lined on shelves across the entire perimeter of the room. I noticed two X-Files boxes, and the actual Mulder/Scully busts in a glass case near the hallway. I wanted to be like, "Oh, you like X-Files?!" but I forced myself to be professional.
So I start shooting his workspace and asking him questions. He is such a nice guy, and a genuine pleasure to interview. No one's been especially mean in interviews but you can tell when you hit someone who doesn't really care for them. No - he was all about it. At one point, I was on my knees, and his puppies - Art and Print - started burrowing between my feet, I felt them getting pushed apart and it took everything not to laugh or fall over. I asked him what kids bring to the table that adults can't, and if working with them forces him to dig out his inner child. "That's a really unfair question to ask me, because I don't feel as if I've ever grown up." Which... I fucking love in its own right, okay, but it gets better - "Like you can probably tell just by looking around this room, all this shit I collect. To be fair, it's all stuff I've made - like a living portfolio - but still..." He went back to painting his puppet, and I connected the dots. And then it just definitely came out - "I saw those X-Files busts over there, did you make those?! Because I was obsessed with that show."
He laughed fondly as he said something like , "Yeah, I made those in David and Gillian's trailers. They'd pose for me - well, Gillian would, she was always really cool with it but David was a struggle." He slapped his knee with a bigger laugh and said, "My favorite David story - one day I asked him if he could give me the quintessential ~Mulder expression~ and he goes, 'I will give you no expression'." I said, "... and that was exactly the expression you meant," at the same time he said, "I pointed at him and was like, That's it!!" We laughed at each other and how we both knew ~the face~, it made me so happy, you guys. I know I complain and get so fucking stressed out here sometimes but moments like that... higher than anything and I kind of can't believe my life. Like, this is literally my first paid project and I get to talk to these wonderful, involved people, where will I be when I've actually had experience? Who else will I get to talk to, what else will I crack open? It is so empowering and inspiring and I really need to hang onto experiences like this because it can be so brutal. I want to quit and go home at least 3x a week but then I get on set or meet someone like this and it's all so fucking worth it.
I had a couple of moments on his set where I was a total idiot/blonde(even though I'm not even) but he was still so incredibly nice. As I was leaving he asked how it all went, if I got good stuff. I said yes with a big-ass smile and he said, "Great. I can't wait to see."
He had asked a friend who does behind-the-scenes work to come as well - the same guy I had KIND of a bad experience with but who is super nice and we are much better now. When he heard I was going to be there, he was really excited and I love when he's there because he always grabs stills of me working and they are always so amazing. When he showed up, our producer didn't know he was going to be there, she got excited and said hi, blah blah. And then he started kind of teasing me, talking about how ~I clearly wasn't good enough~, I know he was just ribbing me and it was totally fine but Producer was like, "No - Alyssa's doing a great job." Which was fucking AWESOME to hear from her because she was the one who was all worried that I didn't have enough video experience at the beginning or whatever. And she's been nicer to me lately too - she was never mean but now she like, responds to my emails and actually does work I need her to do, I think it changed when I stopped caring and started backing off a bit. When I stopped acting like a needy, self-conscious, new person, she stopped treating me like one. And she's even started calling me "Liss" which is kind of adorable.
Anyway - I bring up that other guy because he was SO FUCKING NICE, he had to leave early but he let me keep his cameras to play with! He said he'd leave his D7000 and I was like, "Okay, sweet," and then he said he'd leave his Canon 5D Mark II and his dolly slider and his mic and battery pack and shit. I was like, "No, lol, don't." He asked why and I was like, "BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO BREAK ANYTHING, THAT IS WAY TOO MUCH TO BREAK." He laughed and told me I wasn't going to break it. I was like, "No I actually might." That's a lot of shit for my tiny self to keep track of, you guys, especially around that many people who are constantly moving. He was like, "Okay how about you just try not to break it. If you do, whatever, just try not to - that's all I ask." I smiled and said okay. P.S., I didn't break anything.
We had to swing by his house after wrap to bring it all back, but he wasn't home when we got there. "Just put it in the trash cans out front," he says. LOLS DKLJFHASLJKDHFAHJKL. No guys it actually drives me nuts how little he cares about his equipment lol. Like he'll constantly leave his cameras just SITTING IN THE MIDDLE OF EVERYTHING, LENS DOWN ON CONCRETE. I am constantly yelling at him to not leave his multi-thousand dollar livelihood laying around for people to step on. Like oh my god! Some guy came over and was like, "We had to move one of the walls, we didn't know this was behind it, and we kinda knocked it, sorry." lol seriously he just leaves his shit on the floor. And now he wants me to put it in his trash can. "I'm not going to put your cameras in your fucking trash can, Lan," I said deadpan into the phone. "Okay not the trash, I mean the recycling can." I'm not doing that either! "Okay just find a place somewhere," he says, "Just shove it all somewhere, it'll be fine." lol I put his memory cards in his mailbox and then NEATLY set his cameras and slider between his house and a wooden table that was leaning up against it. He got everything okay, it was a successful operation but damn. I can't wait until I get to the point where I don't have to give a fuck either. But what an awesome, trusting dude.
We shot on Tuesday, it was a 15 hour day and everything hurt but I didn't even care. And the kids! God, continue to melt my heart right the fuck off! Their tiny voices, and the way they kept referring to Director as "Mr. [mouthful of a last name]" IN those tiny voices. And he let them call "Action!" IT SLAYED ME. And the little actress, she was like 8 and she brought her little sister and she was telling me - "Next time my sister comes back to do a movie, I'm going to be in it too." I asked her if she wanted to be a famous actress someday. Her feet went a little pigeon-toed as they dangled from her chair, as she nodded yes. "You go, girl," I told her as I gave her a high five. She lit up. I can't, I just can't.
So I start shooting his workspace and asking him questions. He is such a nice guy, and a genuine pleasure to interview. No one's been especially mean in interviews but you can tell when you hit someone who doesn't really care for them. No - he was all about it. At one point, I was on my knees, and his puppies - Art and Print - started burrowing between my feet, I felt them getting pushed apart and it took everything not to laugh or fall over. I asked him what kids bring to the table that adults can't, and if working with them forces him to dig out his inner child. "That's a really unfair question to ask me, because I don't feel as if I've ever grown up." Which... I fucking love in its own right, okay, but it gets better - "Like you can probably tell just by looking around this room, all this shit I collect. To be fair, it's all stuff I've made - like a living portfolio - but still..." He went back to painting his puppet, and I connected the dots. And then it just definitely came out - "I saw those X-Files busts over there, did you make those?! Because I was obsessed with that show."
He laughed fondly as he said something like , "Yeah, I made those in David and Gillian's trailers. They'd pose for me - well, Gillian would, she was always really cool with it but David was a struggle." He slapped his knee with a bigger laugh and said, "My favorite David story - one day I asked him if he could give me the quintessential ~Mulder expression~ and he goes, 'I will give you no expression'." I said, "... and that was exactly the expression you meant," at the same time he said, "I pointed at him and was like, That's it!!" We laughed at each other and how we both knew ~the face~, it made me so happy, you guys. I know I complain and get so fucking stressed out here sometimes but moments like that... higher than anything and I kind of can't believe my life. Like, this is literally my first paid project and I get to talk to these wonderful, involved people, where will I be when I've actually had experience? Who else will I get to talk to, what else will I crack open? It is so empowering and inspiring and I really need to hang onto experiences like this because it can be so brutal. I want to quit and go home at least 3x a week but then I get on set or meet someone like this and it's all so fucking worth it.
I had a couple of moments on his set where I was a total idiot/blonde(even though I'm not even) but he was still so incredibly nice. As I was leaving he asked how it all went, if I got good stuff. I said yes with a big-ass smile and he said, "Great. I can't wait to see."
He had asked a friend who does behind-the-scenes work to come as well - the same guy I had KIND of a bad experience with but who is super nice and we are much better now. When he heard I was going to be there, he was really excited and I love when he's there because he always grabs stills of me working and they are always so amazing. When he showed up, our producer didn't know he was going to be there, she got excited and said hi, blah blah. And then he started kind of teasing me, talking about how ~I clearly wasn't good enough~, I know he was just ribbing me and it was totally fine but Producer was like, "No - Alyssa's doing a great job." Which was fucking AWESOME to hear from her because she was the one who was all worried that I didn't have enough video experience at the beginning or whatever. And she's been nicer to me lately too - she was never mean but now she like, responds to my emails and actually does work I need her to do, I think it changed when I stopped caring and started backing off a bit. When I stopped acting like a needy, self-conscious, new person, she stopped treating me like one. And she's even started calling me "Liss" which is kind of adorable.
Anyway - I bring up that other guy because he was SO FUCKING NICE, he had to leave early but he let me keep his cameras to play with! He said he'd leave his D7000 and I was like, "Okay, sweet," and then he said he'd leave his Canon 5D Mark II and his dolly slider and his mic and battery pack and shit. I was like, "No, lol, don't." He asked why and I was like, "BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO BREAK ANYTHING, THAT IS WAY TOO MUCH TO BREAK." He laughed and told me I wasn't going to break it. I was like, "No I actually might." That's a lot of shit for my tiny self to keep track of, you guys, especially around that many people who are constantly moving. He was like, "Okay how about you just try not to break it. If you do, whatever, just try not to - that's all I ask." I smiled and said okay. P.S., I didn't break anything.
We had to swing by his house after wrap to bring it all back, but he wasn't home when we got there. "Just put it in the trash cans out front," he says. LOLS DKLJFHASLJKDHFAHJKL. No guys it actually drives me nuts how little he cares about his equipment lol. Like he'll constantly leave his cameras just SITTING IN THE MIDDLE OF EVERYTHING, LENS DOWN ON CONCRETE. I am constantly yelling at him to not leave his multi-thousand dollar livelihood laying around for people to step on. Like oh my god! Some guy came over and was like, "We had to move one of the walls, we didn't know this was behind it, and we kinda knocked it, sorry." lol seriously he just leaves his shit on the floor. And now he wants me to put it in his trash can. "I'm not going to put your cameras in your fucking trash can, Lan," I said deadpan into the phone. "Okay not the trash, I mean the recycling can." I'm not doing that either! "Okay just find a place somewhere," he says, "Just shove it all somewhere, it'll be fine." lol I put his memory cards in his mailbox and then NEATLY set his cameras and slider between his house and a wooden table that was leaning up against it. He got everything okay, it was a successful operation but damn. I can't wait until I get to the point where I don't have to give a fuck either. But what an awesome, trusting dude.
We shot on Tuesday, it was a 15 hour day and everything hurt but I didn't even care. And the kids! God, continue to melt my heart right the fuck off! Their tiny voices, and the way they kept referring to Director as "Mr. [mouthful of a last name]" IN those tiny voices. And he let them call "Action!" IT SLAYED ME. And the little actress, she was like 8 and she brought her little sister and she was telling me - "Next time my sister comes back to do a movie, I'm going to be in it too." I asked her if she wanted to be a famous actress someday. Her feet went a little pigeon-toed as they dangled from her chair, as she nodded yes. "You go, girl," I told her as I gave her a high five. She lit up. I can't, I just can't.