Designed by the incomparable Mayumi Ando.
I couldn’t be happier with this design, which, although abstract, I think perfectly communicates the vibe of the film. And I would run out of language before running out of nice things to say about Mayumi, the wonderful woman who made this. She’s my dream girl and a dream collaborator, and I’m grateful she let me rope her in to this project.
It’s been a while since an update, I know, but they’re about to get a bit more regular. I sense this odyssey edging up on a fun phase.
-bodine
Since I last checked in, I picture locked the movie. Can you believe?? I’m finished with the edit. I feel like I’ve been running a marathon for so long, I forgot mid-race that it might end, making the first hint of finish line a total surprise. Now it’s being sound designed and scored and we’re about to submit to festivals.
The wonderful musician scoring the film, Dan Tepfer, got a killer review in the NYT about a performance he just gave at Le Poisson Rouge. Dan is an amazing composer and performer and also a very good friend. I feel really honored that he’s part of this project. If you can catch this guy live, dude, I’m telling you, do it.
But so I meant to hand over the picture locked cut to my unbelievably kind and talented sound designer, Hollis Smith, on my birthday, August 16th (thirty oneDERFUL), but the delivery technically took place two days later. Revising the edit was a very fun phase of this project. Having a full cut, being able to look at it and see a movie, but then going in and doing these tweaks that so deeply resonated throughout the whole of the thing–that was delightful. A nice change of pace from the initial edit, which often felt like throwing myself into a wall. A moment of darkness in particular descended after I had been editing for a few weeks and was only on scene 42 (out of 124). But I guess the lesson there is if you throw something at a wall enough times, you’ll drop the wall eventually.
Man, though. Picture lock is a funny mental hurdle. It marked the first time I would show the movie to someone and not give my standard addendum: if you have any notes, let me know. Now I say, this is it. This is the thing I’ve invested my entire self into for two years. This is what it looks like, basically finished. Which is scary. That is a scary thing to say.
But when I watch this movie, which I have seen hundreds of thousands of millions of times, I still fall into the story. Catherine Missal’s performance still leaves me incredibly moved and Anna Margaret Hollyman still makes me laugh. I remain grateful and amazed that character conversations I had with David Andrew Macdonald and Brendan Griffin blossomed into performances that are worlds better than what I could have imagined hoping for. This cast knocked it out of the park and I am so excited for them to see themselves on a big screen.
We’re close, guys. Thank you so much for your interest and support and love.
-bodine
Alexis and I were interviewed by Seed&Spark about making MAL, and I talk about some of the crazy shit that happened during filming. Alexis also goes a bit into our general strategy for moving forward.
Yes, I got punched by a stranger and we contended with fires and floods but also—especially now with a little distance and reflection on the scope of the luck that carried us through—making this film remains the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. Even if nothing else comes of it, I can say that honestly and with pride and also with joy.
I am EPICALLY EXCITED to share this film.
-bodine
I was going through pictures on my phone this morning and found some fun ones from production.
This shot, for instance, brings back a lot of feelings. It was our second day of filming, and two weeks after we shot there, the building burned down. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
Notice that my script is a sheaf of loose leaf papers. I think by the time we wrapped I had 45 or so of the original 112 pages, and they were absolutely not in order.
I feel honored that we got to film this incredible space, even if our miracle-working production designer Sara Walsh gave it a very different feel.
The above was taken by Maeghan Donohue, who was gracious enough to come to set a few times and get some great behind the scenes stills.
David Andrew Macdonald is extraordinary. There aren’t enough nice things in this world to say about him. He was so easy to act with, so open, so generous. He gave such a nuanced and brilliant performance. Ah. The actors in this thing! They’re so good!
Speaking of which.
Brendan Griffin, man. I don’t even know what to say about him. We get into this industry to make movies with our friends, and when we get to, it’s the most fun thing in the world. It makes everything else seem worth it. Getting to act with Brendan is one of the aspects of this whole project that I most value.
When we went to the costume fitting for the uniforms, I was all IT WILL BE COLD. But Brendan and Casey wouldn’t let me get them these hats.
Their loss I think? The hats are cute! And it was really cold.
But my heart was stolen by Cat Missal. Best attitude award hands down goes to this girl. She nailed a really difficult role. She just nailed it. The film is so much better for her involvement, and the set was so much more fun because of her attitude. She was a joy to have around, and so epically talented. I also got to know (and adore) her mom, Karen.
Oh MAN was it cold. I’m getting a chill just looking at that picture. That day was long, but that scene turned out beautifully. Here are a few more from Maeghan of that day:
Haile! I miss you, Haile. Come back from San Francisco!
Any time Anna Margaret was on set, I was instantly 30% calmer.
She is hilarious and a treasure and a marvel.
Los Angeles took her from me a few years ago, but I’ll keep writing movies if it means getting this girl back on the east coast for a while.
And then OH MY GOD these three:
My key PA, AD and producer. Missy, Dan and Serena. This picture was taken on the last day of filming, and we’re all loopy and exhausted and so fucking happy. It was the first time where I let myself be like, okay. We’ve done it. This will be a movie. I still kind of feel like I’ve pulled off some sort of caper.
This was our wrap party. It sums up my mood well.
There was a karaoke party after the drinking-at-a-bar part of things, and Alexis got this great shot of my parents:
I love these two so much. They have been nothing but supportive for my entire life. What a gift.
-bodine
I wrote a post for Seed&Spark about how to make a movie with a loved one. Basically I compare the experience to getting a tattoo and presume to give advice to others. But there are some things in there I wish I’d heard in December, so I hope it helps someone.
Thank you to the always lovely Emily Best over at Seed&Spark!
(photo by the incredibly talented and wonderful Maeghan Donohue)
-bodine
If you ever find yourself spending twelve hours a day editing footage of your own face, day after a bunch of days, and you have friends sending you text messages that are just “have you gone outside today? go outside,” you’re probably in need of some survival tactics. I’d recommend you make yourself dance around your kitchen to this song once an hour:
Alternate with this one:
Everyone said that when we wrapped filming, I’d get really depressed. I’ve just been working on it for too long. But production tentacles are still wrapped around my throat, so it’s a touch surreal for me. I’m editing the film, and there are a lot of details that just aren’t done with me yet. Location issues, payroll. It was an enormous and terrifying thing to just up and make the film ourselves. The analogy I kept coming back to in pre-pro was that it felt like driving a car that hits a patch of ice. You’re going so fast and the brakes won’t do anything but you can still sort of control the steering. So you guide the car into the skid and hope for the best. That was me, all January. On set, my AD pointed out that production felt to him like a very fast train, and we were all running in front of it to lay down track. The overlap in our analogies is interesting, I like that we both went to these nightmare vehicular catastrophes. So you go through that for a month or so and then it’s over! It just stops. I no longer have to think about scheduling, or hiring extras, or worrying about whether it’s going to rain when we need to shoot in the park. I don’t have to panic that I’ve brought the wrong costumes or lunch is late.
The absence of that daily drama is to fall backwards in a warm bath. I am so relieved we got through it. For two weeks I’ve been feeling ALL OF THE EMOTIONS but mostly it’s relief. We shot it! It’s been filmed. That part is done. Editing, oof. I’ll have a cut within two months, probably, not one as previously desired. I already feel like I’ve been editing forever, and I’ve only cut 10 or so scenes. Out of 124!
But god. It’s complicated, you guys, because also? I got to spend a month listening to the best actors in the fucking world say lines I wrote. I got to watch my husband put together shots that are so elegant, so perfectly composed and gorgeous, that they break my heart. I got to hang out with my mom for a few weeks, since she was on set helping out. I got to watch Serena blossom into a role she was born to do and I cannot wait to work with her again. I got to operate at a level of sustained focus and intensity that was a beast to maintain but also wonderful. I’ve never worked harder in my life, and it gave my life a color that was new and sustaining.
So yes, I suppose I’m a little depressed. Well, not depressed. I feel crazy. I don’t know what to talk about when I hang with people who weren’t on set with me. I don’t know how to talk about this project, because how do you? Like, all of the above post – can you imagine if I said that to you at a party? Dude, I did that Saturday. Crazy is the word. I feel super crazy.
I’m working on a teaser trailer, something with a bit of the story and my favorite pretty shots. I recently edited one that’s too disjointed to work for promotion, but I like how it came out. It’s cut to a song we use in the film called Catch 22 by Imani Coppola. It’s off of her outstanding album The Glass Wall. If you want to see it, go here. The password is teaser.
Thank you for caring about this project. I am so enormously excited to share the finished film.
-bodine
This has been an insane experience. Today is our last day off – we film tomorrow and Thursday and then we’re wrapped. We’re almost wrapped! That’s an absurd thing right there to get to say and think about. There have been four hundred or so distinct moments when I thought this would continue happening forever. Production is insane. I’ve never had to think about so many things at once (god, costume continuity alone has given me a succession of minor panic attacks), think about feeding so many people for so many days, think about paying so many people for so many days. We’ve weathered bizarre plumbing emergencies. There was an accident to the cube truck that three different insurance companies have found a way to avoid paying for. The blizzard hit when we were meant to shoot a ton of exteriors. The location we shot in for Paul’s apartment was lost in a fire a few days ago. I was punched in the shoulder by a homeless veteran who hassled us on the street on the lower east side. I’ve definitely been yelled at on the phone at least seven times.
I mean it when I say that making this film is the hardest and best thing I’ve ever done. I look around at Serena and Dan and Alexis (not just them but especially, especially them) and think with gratitude that I am getting the chance to make this film, and that is a gift. When I look back on this, I know I won’t be thinking about the long hours or how cold I’ve been or how tired. I’ll think about the lunch break dance parties and crew code names. I’ll think about how many smart, talented people have come together over a script that fell out of my head. I will work with these people forever if I can.
This was taken yesterday by my very good friend Keith Goldberg. We had just filmed the last shot of the movie and Alexis and I are watching it back on the monitor to be sure we have it. Serena is on the right in her amazing hat that I covet. I look like a tenant farmer out of Grapes of Wrath. It seems to sum up everything.
So many people have demonstrated that they believe in the project. By giving to our funding campaign, by reading a draft (or six) of the script, by having drinks with me and saying that making a feature on our own is not a terrible idea. We wrap Thursday, I’ll sleep in on Friday for approximately 25 hours, and I expect to have a rough cut in a month. I can’t wait to edit a teaser.
I’m exhausted but buoyed by gratitude and excitement. Thank you for following this process.
-bodine
I admit I’d hoped to be better at posting to this blog while we film. But it’s so overwhelming! We’ve had six shoot days, and hit our schedule each day and come home with footage that I think is amazing. I want to devote the rest of my life many blog posts to the talent of the rest of the cast. And the attitude and ability of the crew. I’m floored and grateful and having the time of my life.
I’ve already started cutting it because I literally cannot resist. Here are some stills I’ve pulled.