Department Notes

As Matt and I shot listed the script, it made me think about the visual style in much greater detail. The story definitely has the comedic tone and earnestness of a Wes Anderson Film (wonder why?), and it's interesting to decide what visual aesthetics to use in which place. For me, I feel almost like an architect. I like to make sure everything is balanced in terms of structure and timing, and the way all the little jokes pay off.

In going through the script with a fine-tooth comb, I found all sorts of things that need to be clarified for the shoot. For example, when the montage of "Little Audrey" begins, because the shot starts on an adult with a child, I needed to add in a line of dialogue for the adult to say, such as "Now it's your turn Audrey!" (Calling Audrey by her name) so it's clear that the child is Audrey. The joke won't play if we think the adult is Audrey! It's a fun process for someone who's crazy organized and enjoys detail work the way I do.

So this week I've been making all kinds of notes for prop people, make-up, fx, myself and other departments to remember on the set. For example: There's a scene where Little Audrey is in the school's Shakespeare play, and there are 2 kids that would need to be on stage dressed as Horatio and the grave diggers. Since they have no lines of dialogue, I must make a note for the costumer! Fun stuff like that.