Filming, 2/12/09

I have spent three years in this damned building and still cannot conceive of where classrooms are hidden. Jimmy told me to meet him in B202. That room is Mrs. McGraw's room, and the upstairs computer lab. And lucky for me, Rob and Alexa found me vaguely wandering the 1st floor B-wing, not entirely close to the stairs. Having had 2 bottles of water since 3rd lunch, I had to go to the bathroom. However, after 2:40 or so, every single bathroom in the entire school is under lock and key. However, however, teachers have keys and Jimmy's got connections.

The first shot, Jimmy did an outside vertical building shot of Rob and I peeking out a window and discussing the possibility of jumping out said window. My character complains that it's 20 feet and is not jumping out a window. Rob's wants to build a rope ladder. Filming adjustments required that we repeat the scene 3 times or so. During what should have been the final one, Mrs. McGraw realized what we were talking about and instructed us that we were not allowed to jump out of the window. Much hilariosity ensued, and we repeated the scene after relating the story and apologizing to Jimmy. Shooting the final scene, at the same point, she repeated with more emphasis that we were definitely not allowed to jump out of a window. Jimmy laughed and said we were good enough.

After arriving inside, Mrs. McGraw told us that some day two years ago, the Great Francis Tracy oversaw a class where, while raining, a student lept from the very window we were filming at and ran home. The scene had to be done from approximately 6 inside angles which went fairly well.

Next came super awesome hallway rejoicing scene! The characters, Ben and Rose, have some sort of unexpressed relationship. Earlier in the script, in a scene which has yet to be shot, Rose calls Ben and begins to say, "Ben, listen... I-" but is cut short. The tone of that sentence is probably the most important clue to their relationship. Did she want to break up? Is she saying "I love you" for the first time? Is it, "want to go to Panera's after school?" It's should be said how Jimmy wants, but he "has no idea" and it's vague enough that I had no idea where the characters were in their relationship, though it is positive. After "the catastrophe" happens at school, they run out of their respective locations to find the school empty, but each other "to much rejoicing," as written in script. Asking Jimmy how much "rejoicing" should take place, and demonstrating an Anchorman "freeze frame, legs tucked jump," he reiterated he had no idea.
"Like, a hug? An awkward hug?" I asked, "High five?"
"Strip down and have sex?" Rob suggested.
"Don't you even not know each other?" Jimmy asked, inquiring of Rob and I.
"Well, yeah, but the characters do." Was my astute observation.
"You two are awful. Just make it up. No stripping."
A regular hug was decided upon, and much rejoicing occurred. Much rejoicing also occurred when Rob found the most excellent, "Party Locker."

The characters, Ben and Rose, were in separate places when the event happened. Ben was in the guy's room, washing up, tripping, and ripping a paper towel. I was not needed during this scene, and decided to practice my "shake, rumble, trip" scenario for the next scene in the empty hallway. The German teacher came out while I was seemingly throwing myself at the ground in a locker bay completely devoid of people. *sigh* She left, then I resumed. Then a janitor came out. I stopped and sat down to wait. They almost used all of the paper in the towel dispenser.

Now my solo scene during the rumble. There is a copy machine in the teacher's lounge upstairs, which is what I was doing while separated. The Pepsi machine does not have real Pepsi in it. There is a gallon of Dutch Chocolate ice cream in the fridge growing hair, and a gallon of Vanilla we did not investigate. Their closet will close, but lock on itself. Experimental data was thought of to verify the warning's claim, but decided against. Jimmy left the shot list in the bathroom during Rob's scene. So to "copy stuff," I used a random paper lying around with Markie, my brother's ex girlfriend,'s name on it. I looked awful crawling around, pretending there was an earthquake, but I did get to eat a powdered donut in the teacher's lounge.

During the Guitar Hero 3 Tournament on Friday, Jimmy filmed Steve and Susan leaving the building in the wooden room with the "Not Creative Enough" mural, which is actually, in fact, a girl, and not a guy. The sun was perfect, and it wound up being a beautiful shot of sunlight streaming onto the reflective tile floors and silhouetting their forms. Wanting to capture that light effect again, Jimmy decided that Rob and I would epically exit the building during sunset, with the sun falling about us and casting shadows across the hall. It was during this time, Rob found another unlocked locker, this time, oddly enough, Markie's. Interrupted by Twilight School kids, it didn't seriously delay our epic running scenes.

Today was really fucking windy. The "last" scene occurs outside, after we have escaped the building. During "the epic running scenes," Rob and I would go to the double doors and push them open, to have gusts of wind scatter incredible quantities of dust everywhere. That wind didn't stop, but gives dramatic effect to our ecstatic, thankful running from the school. Having to film the last scene outside, Jimmy and Rob went outside, and I was supposed to follow, but had been behind a bit. Luckily, before exiting the building, I realized the doors would be locked if we attempted to return. A rock was procured for door propping services. Leaving, a joyous embrace occurs between Ben and Rose. Rob smells nice and I miss hugs.

Filming out of order:
Remember the rope ladder idea from earlier? I will leave it a surprise what we initially use to try to get out. However, the singular scene of me gloating took well over 40 minutes because we consistently became distracted by such distant conversations as "My mom ruined Titanic for me," which set up an Opus and Anthony joke, which was interrupted by Mrs. McGraw asking about who they were, continued into Jimmy berating her for interrupting him, she accusing him of always being mean to her because she never responds angrily, him agreeing, and finishing, his one line, somewhat funny joke. It was now around 6:10 and we had kept Mrs. McGraw and her daughter for far too long.

Rob gave Jimmy and me a ride home. It was a very pleasant, very enjoyable experience, and I told Rob he smells nice. I think Jimmy was indignant.

Notes on the Film:
It's about an earthquake.
Eric P. was originally scripted to play "Ben."
My character's name is Rose.
When I volunteered for this, I assumed I'd be "Girl #2" or something.
Jimmy and Rob are hilarious.
Rob smells nice.
Jimmy might too.
I don't know.
Jimmy didn't get his candy gram.
:(
During filming I met 3 teachers I had previously only known as names.
Mrs. McGraw's daughter told Jimmy she was 6.
Jimmy acknowledged that.
Jimmy does not know anything about kids.
She is 11.