In an e-mail I sent my mom, I said "Aaron is in pre-pro for the movie he's DPing and so he might not get to go." It's funny that all of that means something to me, because I know my mom will send me a message back that says "what's pre-pro? what's DPing again?"
Somehow I ended up knowing what some of this means. I hesitate writing about my experience as a wife to a film school grad student [contrary to this blog's title], because it's not like I'm actually doing anything. I'm an observer to the madness that is a set. And while he thinks, and I think, that Aaron is getting great experience that will help him in the industry, he's not there yet. I'm really writing about all of this stuff third hand, as a wife of a student of an industry, and it makes me nervous to sound like any of it has gone anywhere. And presumptive, to think that after August he will land a gig on a set somewhere, although, yes, that is the hope.
So anyway, we're back on set. At least Aaron is back on set. Here's a rundown of the last week:
THURSDAY, 1/6: Begin 01MTH (that means first master's thesis film): Call was at 6 a.m., so Aaron was out the door at 5:15 a.m. He got home around 7:30, which is awesome. That's what I love about an early call; the earlier they are on set, the earlier they can come home. Meanwhile, I am freaking out because I'm trying to watch the news and the TV won't turn on. At first it was unplugged, which I didn't realize, and then I can't figure out why the dumb thing won't turn on. The remote has batteries, the power supply is running... what gives? So, I waited until Aaron got home and he changed the input, and voila! That was a really exciting discovery.
FRIDAY, 1/7: Day 2, 01MTH: 8 a.m. call. Aaron got home around 9 p.m. Not bad at all!
SATURDAY, 1/8: 8 a.m. call. Overtime used tonight, and Aaron got home around 11 p.m. Saturdays are the worst when he's on set, because even though I can visit, I don't like to interfere and feel like I'm in the way.
SUNDAY, 1/9: When shows use overtime, there's a required 10-hour turnaround before the crew can be on set. Aaron went to set while I was asleep. He woke me up around 8 a.m. and told me I was late for work. My foggy-head panicked first, and then I realized it was actually Saturday. He apologized for waking me up and reminded me that he has a skewed sense of days-of-the-week since they don't run on a typical schedule. I took down the Christmas tree and decorations today. Aaron sent me a text that the lead actor for the show was a wide receiver at Nebraska. He was home around 9 p.m. that night.
MONDAY, 1/10: This morning, call time was at 7 a.m. at a jail in a town about 30 minutes away, so he had a really early morning. It was a working jail, so it was a closed set. Aaron said it was really strange to be in holding cells, etc., while inmates were there. This was also the night of the national championship game... second year in a row I've watched it alone while Aaron was on set. I don’t like it, but I did cheer War Eagle for him until he got home. For once, it was nice to live on the East Coast, where the game didn’t end until around 12:30, because Aaron was home by then and got to see the last quarter-or-so of the game. And he won the pool for the second year in a row!
TUESDAY, 1/11: The show wrapped today… 01MTH in the can. Late call and then an early wrap for the last day of shooting, which was fantastic, because Aaron and I had a date night last night. We’re such old people – we had pizza and watched a movie at home – but it was fantastic. I felt really lucky to have him home so early on the last night of a show, because usually shows push it until the very end and then use up the overtime, if there’s any left.
WEDNESDAY, 1/12: Wednesday’s are days off during production. Aaron had a 9 a.m. equipment check-in, and then after check-in he had a meeting in the afternoon. So it’s really not a day off, but more like a day off set. Last night he had a meeting with the DP of the show he’s the camera operator for, and afterward he brought home supper and we watched The Social Network.
THURSDAY, 1/13: Back on set this morning for 02MTH- Mirage. Call was at 8 a.m. at the soundstage, so hopefully he’ll be home at a decent time.
One week in and thesis cycle is feeling a lot better than I remember it from last year. I think that’s because it’s only one week in, and I’m not used to it yet, and it’s because he’s had a few pretty early doors –down in the first show. I am enjoying time to work on projects, organize, and relax on my own schedule while he’s on set. We also turned on our heater for the first time this winter on Tuesday night… it was a chilly 58 degrees and we were out of firewood, so up it went to 63 degrees. Low utility bills!
No comments:
Post a Comment