the process of production

OMG it's Finished

2009-12-18T18:09:00.002-05:00

Wow. What an intense, wonderful experience. I can't believe how much I learned this semester. I can't wait to see what it feels like once the information has settled into my body. I am really surprised by how much I enjoyed the graphic design part of the course. I'm inspired to take some more classes in that direction to further my skills. I am almost really happy with the way my final project turned out. The class was very supportive today when they insisted that I was being to hard on myself. I will admit that isn't the first time anyone has said that. It's not that I'm beating myself up saying I should have done better, it's just that I can see where things could be better, and where my skill set needs improvement.
I also learned that I really like the more artistic area's of production, and part of me wishes I had chosen to do a narrative. I look forward to the time where I can explore the narrative more.
It was really nice to see everyone's work today. I was really impressed by all of the work that everyone did, and the varied styles and content.
All in all this was a fabulous experience, and my favorite class so far at Brooklyn College.

making a website

2009-12-12T00:22:00.000-05:00

I don't know what it is about making a website that gets me so excited! I have never been so pleased with myself. When ever I click the "put" button and then check the interweb and see my design live I freak out!
So far I understand almost half of what I'm doing. It's sinking in the more I try, but the process is slow. I still don't really know what's going on over in the html box. Thank goodness that I don't really need to know to make.
I need to figure out a couple of simple things. The blank black page being one of them. So simple yet, I so don't remember.

editing....ugh.

2009-11-17T20:23:00.001-05:00

I wish I would have log and captured every clip. But no lazy me. Had too much to do while it was capturing, couldn't be bothered to sit and log each clip. Ugh. I really f*d things up. Now I'm having a horrible time of editing. Going in and and making individual clips sucks!
I'm also having a hard time figuring out where to cut and where not to cut. It's really hard to cut it so that it goes smooth. I like editing abstract things so much better. This hard people!

feeling good

2009-11-13T18:49:00.003-05:00

I know, I know. I haven't posted in forever. The honest truth is that the semester really started taking off and I became so wrapped up in the actual work that reporting on the work was pushed aside. But I am here to report that I am learning and it is intense. For those of you who know me personally, you know that I really dig intense. It's part of who I am. I hope that someday I get less of thrill from it because it's really hard to sustain.

Today we presented our Movie Poster's to the class. I really didn't like mine at first. But after some tweaking it's beginning to grow on me. What I find really exciting is my comprehension of the Photoshop program. I would say that I have a basic understanding of how its works and I actually have begun to enjoy playing around with it. I'm looking forward to the next phase of the project WeB DeSiGn! BRING IT!

don't give up

2009-10-21T22:29:00.000-04:00

My sweet Italian friend emailed me today to ask me how to translate something for a film she's dubbing in Rome. After she asked me to describe what a "porn package" at a motel is, she mentioned that she had been reading my blog, and noticed that I hadn't posted recently. She said, "don't give up."
So to Serena, and my other dear readers, I haven't given up, I'm just pooped (and for Serena that means really freaking tired)

Trying to keep up the momentum after shooting has been rough. I'm exhausted and totally uninspired to edit, anything. And boy is there a lot to edit. I have a ton of work to do that I am not doing and most of it involves editing. What don't I like about editing? The solitude. The lack of outside stimulation. The tediousness of trying to figure out a program that I think hates me.
What am I doing instead of editing? Watching Hulu on my fancy new computer that I bought to edit, and baking. Anyone want a slice of Walnut Pumpkin Bread, or perhaps some pumpkin bread pudding. How 'bout some squash or some homemade soup? The guilt makes it taste better than usual.

react and respond day

2009-10-16T23:19:00.000-04:00

Today we watched each others trailer's and gave feedback. Screening days are my favorite. I was really impressed with everyone's effort. I'm thrilled to hear that we can take people's feedback and make the trailer better. I hate admitting this, but there were a few things I wanted to do in Final Cut that I couldn't figure out how to do. I think that with more time, and a possible tutorial somewhere, I could make the trailer what I REALLY wanted it to look like. I'm pretty proud of the work that I did considering my mental limitations.
The feedback was really helpful. It was suggested that I add the sound of Dages talking in a couple of spots, clean up the titles( although it was a choice to have them "edgy" looking, now the challenge is to up the production level and keep it "edgy" at the same time) and cut the overall length, adding faster cuts throughout.
I was really pleased when one of my classmates said that it looked, hip. (You can laugh at me) BUT I so wanted to make a hip cooking show about Kale, and if that came across at all, I'm stoked.
Here's what some of my facespace friends said about the trailer:

Hallie

nice! I feel strangely tempted to knead some kale.

Zeb

I agree.  That kale stirs up strange feelings that I didn't know I could have for cabbage.  Wild cabbage. 

Thomas

Nice Peppy beginning, really good energy..  Matches you well.

Jen

Love it!!! I want more!

Brian

Kale is wild cabbage?
Dages

looks fabulous drea! great work!!!

Myrrah

Love the energy! Great smiles, can`t wait for the dialogue.

Sheena

It looks awesome Drea!!! Love the MM wear in it!!  

trailer. done.

2009-10-15T23:31:00.000-04:00

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE

the inevitably of mistakes

2009-10-15T13:24:00.001-04:00

I heard somewhere that we need to embrace the inevitably of mistakes. That the only thing that we can count on is that we will make mistakes. The good thing about making mistakes is the learning that comes with them. As I go through the footage that I shot on Saturday my mistakes are glaring.
The first mistake that stands out is my choice to do a medium shot and a close up. I needed something inbetween the two. Also, I'm not 100 percent sure but I think that my medium(cowboy)shot is out of focus. The next mistake was my lack of direction with the second camera. I didn't explain to the second camera operator that zooming is not a good idea. The shots are SO "zoomy" that they are almost unusable. I also didn't communicate well enough with what I wanted from her. I wanted edgy shots of the food as it was being prepared. She gave me medium shots of the host with the light in the shot making it totally unusable.
I'm also concerned about the audio. There are several times when the host's hair brushes the microphone and a loud wind sound happens.
The shirt. Oh the shirt. The shirt that I love and looked great on Dages, made funny lines on the screen. Yep. It looks alive. I kind of remember hearing something way back when about stripes and video. Like don't wear stripes on video cause they look alive. I'm hoping that final cut pro can help me.

Next time I will need to be more in control of every detail. I wish that I had a better understanding of the camera. It's staring to click, but its a slow boat. I have learned more in the last month than I have in years, and my brain is freaking out. I also wish that I was better at math. I feel like if I understood math better I would understand the camera better. Next semester I'm taking a math class and maybe then it will sink in.
More mistakes as the reveal themselves....

capture

2009-10-13T21:19:00.000-04:00

Today was the moment of truth. Would my footage look good after it was off the tape and in the computer. The answer is, yeah? I'm being really picky of course, but there is a spot in the top right hand corner of the shelves that is empty. It looks weird. Also, I should have got a more medium medium shot. The close up is weird for a cooking show. I also should have been more in control of the second camera operations. The second camera is so zoomy that I can't use most of it. I think I will be able to edit a decent looking episode, but a catchy trailer, I'm not so sure.
I've been at it for two hours and I have 10 secs of a 30-45 sec trailer. I can't remember how to work the cool effects and I think I may have run out of usable, cool looking b reel.

some photos from yesterday

2009-10-11T11:21:00.000-04:00

we did it

2009-10-10T22:25:00.000-04:00

Holy crap. That was amazing. I can't believe how well today went. Even after it took two extra hours to set up, we still finished shooting on time. It was really hard setting up the lights. Stressful and hard, but once we did it everything just moved right along. My team was incredible. We totally re arranged Maria's kitchen and almost got it looking the same as we started. We forgot to take a photo of the kitchen before we began to make sure that we could get it back to normal, but in the end it looked good as new.

Wow. I did it. Now......the fun part. Time to edit.

tomorrow

2009-10-09T23:44:00.000-04:00

I didn't think I had it in me to blog tonight, but it seems that I can't sleep, so I figured I'd jot down a few notes before bed. 7:15 wake up call. Yuck.
Hallie came down this afternoon and spent the evening with me, making me laugh, and helping me stay sane while I went over all of my check list. It turns out that they weren't kidding when they said "double check your equipment when you take it from the TV lab" I got home to find out that they didn't give me a mic cord. Luckily I thought to call Dominika. Her boyfriend is in a band and has one otherwise I would be totally bummed out. She will bring it with herself in the morning. She is going to be my second camera operator.
Fingers-crossed there won't be any more major problems. To be continued after the shoot.....
(p.s. the park slope food coop rocks! I came in $80 under budget for food.)

budget?

2009-10-08T21:33:00.001-04:00

I have never been that great at budgeting money. Spending, no problem, saving, forget about it (unless there's a plane ticket involved, and even then it's tough.)I saved two weeks of unemployment mixed with some fin aid that came to around $500.
So budgeting, you know planning everything out before, is a hard concept for me to grasp, especially when it's my own dough. I'm pretty sure that budgeting is one of the producer's many jobs, so I have a lot to learn in that department.
So far this is what I have spent, and what I project to spend.

Makeup: $34.00
Wardrobe:$32.50
(these two items may get returned after the shoot)
Craft Services: $34.00-spent $30.00-more projected
Lighting: $80.00 Rifa Light Light bulbs and Gaff Tape $17.50
YumYoga Dinner for 2( research for me, consulting thank you to my ex-DP) $90.00
Produce and Food for Props: $150
Transportation: $60
Set Dressing: $60

Now to add it up...I hate this part.....$208.00 Spent $380 projected
For a grand total of: $588, $88 over budget

In the great scheme of things that's not SO bad. I'm good at eating lentils.
And Kale is CHEAP:)

its called money

2009-10-08T17:28:00.000-04:00

It gets it done. I called EVERYONE I knew that might maybe have a light and then gave up and rented one. It was THE last Rifa light in NYC available this weekend. Luck and a 100 bucks will get it done.

lights. please.

2009-10-08T11:42:00.000-04:00

So I'm feeling kind screwed. Sorry for the strong language but I am worried. On of my biggest concerns on this project is lighting. I want the light to beautiful. I reserved a hard light kit which consists of 3 200 watt studio lights, because my DP had a couple of Rifa lights and we were going to fill in the blanks with the lower watt lights. Now I need the Rifa lights and I can't get them because they are all checked out for the weekend. UGH.

my first shot list

2009-10-07T22:50:00.002-04:00

I really have no idea how to do this. I'm going step by step through the recipes to break down what shots I need to get. I'm meeting with my Prof. on Friday morning to go over this to see if I'm missing something. It feels like I'm missing a lot. This is what I look like after four hours glued to my laptop

Simple Shot List

Introduction to the show

Introduction to Kale

Kale being washed and stripped

Kale broken up into little pieces

Kale getting olive oil bath

Kale being laid out on cookie sheet

Cutaway at Oven-Over the shoulder POV

Going into the Oven

Coming out of the Oven

Finished Pretty Baked Kale display

In Plastic bags for snacks

--------------------------------

Simple everyday Kale Intro

Cutaway to pot on stove-Over the shoulder POV

Dages chopping Greens

Cutaway greens being strained

Shot of the greens being dressed in the bowl

Explanation of variations

-----------------------------

Intro to raw Kale

Ingredients Introduction

Massaging the Kale Close UP

Combing of ingredients to make salad

Closing remarks on the beauty of Kale

MARY MEYER

2009-10-07T16:50:00.002-04:00

I am so thrilled to announce that Mary Meyer, a totally hip brooklyn designer, has signed on to my project. Mary is from one of my favorite towns in the world, Bolinas California. It is a beach community in Northern California that a bunch of hippies moved to in the late 60's and created a community that is full of funky fabulous people and ridiculously beautiful vistas. Her designs are urban, but hippie at the same time. And I mean hippie in the coolest sense of that word. Hip and chic, but organic and tribal. I'm going to her studio tomorrow afternoon to pull looks. I can't wait to see what she's working on next! Check out this awesome write up in New York Magazine this week.

todo list

2009-10-07T14:22:00.001-04:00

*shopping
Lights:
*Lightbulbs- 60&100 watt
*Clothespins
*2 to 3 prong adapters
*Gaffer tape
Wardrobe:
*Sweater-Uniqlo
*Black Tank top
This just IN: A designer friend of mine
may lend us a few pieces for the shoot!!!
This would be Awesome! Her designs are exactly what I want!
More to come as the story unfolds.

Food:
*Too much to list
Set Aside List:
*Buddha Head
*Black Clothes
*Black Apron
*Jars with colorful stuff in them
*Black pot holder

i'm so excited

2009-10-07T13:38:00.001-04:00

Wow.I am so taken care of. Last night I went with my old DP, John Romeo, to YUMYOGA with Dages, at Maria's beautiful loft. ( Let it also be said that she is a a major reason the loft is so beautiful, her energy is radiant) It was perfect. John walked me through all of the lights, and how I should work with the light in the space mixed with the lights at school. Unfortunately the lights that I have on reserve are the wrong lights. I'm hoping that witha a phone call to the TV Lab, I will be able to get the Rifa light kit instead. Fingers crossed.
I have a bit more confidance in my ability to shoot this today after my lesson in lighting and my on location tutorial with John.
Dages was amazing. She was beautiful and poised and John complemented me on my ability to see a great on screen talent. She is going to be be fabulous on camera. I have no doubt. I took a few photos with my Digital SLR still camera to get a feel for how it should be framed and to look at the light situation in the room.
We are going to have to change a few lightbulbs and make sure some lights are turned off, especialy the floresant lights because they will turn green on camera.
So exciting!

pulling myself up off the ground

2009-10-06T15:22:00.000-04:00

Tired today. Suffering from a bit of an emotional hangover, and just worn out. After thinking some more on what Michael and I discussed last night I've made some more specific choices about what I want the set to look like. I really want to look to be late summer. I know that we have entered fall already, but I want the look of this episode to be really alive, growing almost, and fall is the opposite of alive. I also don't want too much clutter. Color yes, but clutter no. It is going to interesting to see how I am able to communicate with my style consultants to make sure that my ideas are getting across, and so that they still feel creatively satisfied.
We may do a teaser for the next episode, and that should be fall.
Tonight I am going back over to the location to participate in a yumyoga dinner for inspiration and to get a better feel of how my shot list should go. Romeo will be joining me to go over what he thinks the best way to light the kitchen, which will be great so that I can have some direction on how to get the look I want.
My other concern today was that I wouldn't get the equipment that I needed, and it turns out that I can get everything except a reflector. I wonder if I know anybody who has on I could borrow?

$%@&*^!

2009-10-05T22:22:00.000-04:00

It really was too good to be true. But ah, such is life. I was floating on a little cloud of joy this evening after meeting with Michael and Maria, so happy that I have such beautiful people to work with, thrilled at the direction the kitchen styling is going, and then the inevitable happened. My DP called and told me that he got a paid gig for this weekend. It had occurred to me that this could happen. I even thought to check out a back up camera for the weekend, just in case. That still doesn't help my absolute terror of ruining the shoot with my shoddy abilities. I called a friend to see if he could help and he was busy, and he pointed out that I am a student, and that this is my first student film, and that all first student films suck, and as much as I see the logic in this line of thinking it doesn't make me feel any better. I really wanted this to look AMAZING, and I'm worried that I'm going to ruin it and let everyone who is so generously offering their time, down.
I'm sad. BUT the show must go on.
I called my gaffer Brian to see how he felt about helping me with the camera stuff, and he was very positive and offered to see if his friend was available to be an extra set of hands.
I am now also freaked out about the audio. We were going to use the DP's wireless lavaliers and now I have to use the ones from school. They have a long wire that connects to the camera. UGH.
On the bright side, I'm trying to stay positive, is that John is going to come look at the location with me and help me map out the shoot.
I'm sure that my Professor will be thrilled at this tragedy, now I'm not "cheating" by getting a professional to help out.
I hope I feel better about this soon. Right now I'm flat out terrified.

craft services

2009-10-05T12:16:00.001-04:00

I have helped out on many super low budget films, and my biggest complaint is the lack of consideration for my stomach. It seems to be the thing that always gets forgotten. I refuse to let this happen on my shoot! The fact that its a cooking show makes the need for on set snacks imperative. I'm trying to find a volunteer to help me make sure that my crew is feed well throughout the day. We will need coffee, tea, water, baked goods, and some sort of high protein lunch. If you want to get involved let me know. I have a small budget for this but will need to be smart about it.

schedule

2009-10-04T21:38:00.000-04:00

Saturday October 10, 2009

Delicious Dialogues

Schedule

8:30 Drea-Pick Up Dages in Park Slope

8:30 Brian arrives at John's house in the West Village

9:00 Arrive at Location in Chelsea(John, Brian, Drea, Dages, Hallie, Michael and Jean Marie)

9:15 Set Up Begins-John/Brian Lights+Camera; Michael/Jean Marie Kitchen; Hallie/Dages Wardrobe

10:30 Begin Shoot-First Run

12:00 LUNCH

12:45 Set up for-Second Run

2:30 Finish Shooting (Dages, Hallie and Michael wrap)

2:30 Break Down (Brian and John lights/camera; Drea and Jean Marie Kitchen)

3:30 Leave Location-Brain and John take car back to West Village to unload equipment

4:00 Wrap

Note: This is a generous dream schedule; please be prepared to stay as late as 5:30

the nag

2009-10-04T17:11:00.003-04:00

Hi Dages,

So sorry to bug you more. I know you are very busy with so many things. I'm just trying get as organized as possible for Saturday's shoot so that we can be as efficient as possible.

I need to make a shot list and to do that I need to know what we are making and when.

For example, are we making all three dishes at once? Which is first logically? ect.

I also need the actual recipes.

Knowing the recipes will help me to understand the order and prep work that is involved in each dish.

I have an assistant that will be prepping food day of, so I would like to have a list in order so that you can just sit and

get pretty(er) in the makeup chair on Saturday. My aim is that you be as relaxed and happy as possible on Saturday and that all of the little things be worked out before as to keep everyone's stress levels low and the joyfullness factor UP!!

The plan is to do the whole thing twice. One from a wide angle, and the other focusing on close ups. In the case of anything that is cooked, we will do that dish three times. Once in the beginning off camera and twice in front of the camera.

I will go shopping for food at the Coop Friday night so that everything is as fresh as possible.

Also how many heads of kale per recipe?

Can you bring umeboshi vinegar and gomasio? If not that is okay.

I will have the schedule for Saturday finished soon, but I want to give you a heads up that my plan as of now is to pick you up in car on Saturday at 8:30 am. We will head over to Maria's for 9am. The day will be finished no later than 5:30, but the actual plan is to end by 4:30.

I'm sure this isn't the end of the emails, so thank you in advance for your patience and support, and know that I'm trying to keep them to a minimum even if it doesn't seem that way.

Best Ever,

Drea

the menu

2009-10-04T16:44:00.003-04:00

KALE. Kale. kale. Kale three ways.
Baked Kale Bliss
Raw Kale Avo Salad
Simple Kale for Every Day
I really need to get the actual recipes. So far all I have is a list of ingredients and no recipes.
lots o kale, sea salt, olive oil, cumin, avocado, lemon,olives,sprouts, red pepper, snipped nori, toasted sesame oil, umeboshi vinegar, gomasio-I have no idea what this is
I'm hoping that I can get the recipes from Dages. I know that when I cook I wing it a lot, and unfortunately winging it isn't the ideal for shooting. In fact it could kill everything( insert more flames here). I'm trying to get a really clear shot list together in the next couple of days and the more specific it can be the better.
So far the outline is as follows:
1. Intro to greens
2. Intro to kale and overview
3. Washing/prepping greens and shopping storage tips
4. Easy recipes:
- Baked Kale Bliss
- Raw Kale Avo Salad
- Simple Kale for Every Day
5. Teaser about condiments, sauces.

After I get the shot list together, I need to get a very specific prep list in order. All of the prep that needs to be done before shooting. If a dish is cooked we need to make one on camera, and one off so that we don't wait around for the food to cook. Another email is going out now to Dages to ask for the actual recipes. I feel like a major nag. I have a hunch that part of the job of a producer is to nag without sounding like one. What do you think? Comments greatly appreciated.

stylist information needed

2009-10-04T13:35:00.003-04:00

I just got off the phone with my stylist Hallie. Hallie is going to do hair, makeup, and wardrobe. Amazing! The look that I want to create is a chic, urban look but with a hint of hippie yoga. Finding the words to describe what's in my head is a huge part of the challenge of creating a certain look. Because Hallie has never met Dages, and won't until the day of, I have to figure out how to prepare her from afar. I sent Dages and email that lays out what I need her to bring so that I can find out if she has everything before next Saturday( the shoot date) so that I can fill in the blanks. (the photos on the left are from Donna Karen's Urban Zen line, some inspiration for the look I'm trying to create)

Dear Dages,

Hope you had a lovely holiday!

I just got off the phone with your stylist for Saturday and we have come up with a rough outline of what we need you to bring.

Please look this over and get back to me with the parts that you don't have so I can fill in the blanks.

Thank you so much!

Wardrobe:

We are looking to create a clean line that will be dressed up with accessories.

Tight black pants

Black shoes

Low scoop black tank/t-shirt that fits close to the body

Good Bra

Please feel free to bring your signature jewelry pieces for consideration.

Hair:

Wear you hair dry like you would normally wear it and

we will touch it up.

(Please bring your normal hair products in case we need to start over day of)

Makeup:

I will need to take a close up photo after yumyoga on Tuesday to send to Hallie.

The big question is: What type of Foundation do you wear? (Brand, Color) If you have foundation

please bring it on Saturday.

If you don't wear any that's fine, the picture should help us get the right match.

Thank you again for your quick response and please feel free to call me with any questions.

After she responds to the email I will have a better idea of what I need to go out and buy.

If this were a real shoot with a real budget I would go out and buy everything, but since we are on a very tight budget, I need everyone to pitch in there own stuff.

FEAR

2009-10-02T23:29:00.002-04:00

Today the fear set in. In class we all got up and pitched our ideas. It was informal, lasted only a minute, and was extremely helpful in freaking me out. The "what if?" segment is what really did it, but the, "make sure that this project is you," didn't help either.
The class was super helpful in pointing out that my ideas may not translate on camera. That the aura that surrounds Dages may not be seen on film. That my idea has been done a million times in a million ways and that there is danger that this may be a boring copy of what everyone on the Food Network has been doing for years. That I don't have any idea what I'm doing and that the whole thing could be a giant disaster and a failure! Somewhere in class it was also said that a failure was perhaps the best way to learn this stuff, but somehow that wasn't at all reassuring.
Then there is the part that about how I need to be "in" this project. That my point of view as a director and producer is what really counts. That I must create my aesthetic and that it must be ME ME ME. I can intellectually get my head around this idea, but when it comes down to the action part of this step I am still at a lose for the how to do it. I think that this is what has been keeping me from being on this side of production for so long. I am a good actress. I take direction well. That is what every director that I have worked with has said. I am good at helping you with your vision, and now, now it's my vision that I have to help. It's my point of view that matters, it's me that needs your help.
This is terrifying.

What I'm not afraid of is the organizing, the calling, the arranging, the moving and the shaking. I also know that the only way to figure this out is by doing. And if I end up going down in flames, I will bring some marshmallows to roast over the open fire while taking note of what I could have done better.

talking with romeo

2009-09-29T22:26:00.000-04:00

Tonight I had the pleasure of chatting with my DP John Romeo. He called to check in and make sure that I was taking the next right step with my pre-production preparations. It was perfect timing, I was thinking of calling him and he beat me to it. I was going to call him to find out exactly what kind of camera he has. His camera is a Panasonic AG HPX 170 handheld camera. Instead of using Mini DV tapes it records to a P2 card instead. It turns out that there is a job out there called, digital imaging technician. The DIT takes the information out of the camera and into the hard drive. I am all about learning "marketable skills" and that sounds pretty darn marketable, boring, but marketable. What is really great about digital imaging, is that I won't have to re capture the footage, it will already be on my hard drive.

Speaking of hard drives, I have to buy a hard drive that has around 400 gigs of memory. It also needs a 800 firewire, cause my new mac book pro doesn't have a 400 firewire.

The P2 has 16 gig's of memory which is about 40 minutes of footage shot at 720p at 24 frames per second.

We also talked about how long the shoot should take. We are estimating 1 hour for set up, 2 hours for the shoot, and 1 hour for take down, and 2 hours of buffer time. It is my intention to stagger everyones in times so that we don't waste anyones time. We shall see how that works out.

Next Tuesday Romeo and I will go to the location and attend one of Dages' cooking classes to get a feel for our shoot.

My DP homework is to find out exactly what kinds of lights we have at school. I went to the TV Center today and didn't get very far. All I found out was that I have to be very careful when plugging in all of the lights. They are really strong and the apartments in NYC are very old, which could be a problem. Luckily Romeo knows what he's doing and the loft in Chelsea is renovated so all should be gravy.

inspiration_real food

2009-09-27T21:12:00.002-04:00

the dream team_step 2

2009-09-27T20:57:00.003-04:00

The next step was figuring out what I needed for the shoot. Where would it take place? What kind of a crew would I need? Who would compose the music? What would the topic be for the first episode? What kind of props would I need? How much money was this going to cost? And bit more advanced, what is my aesthetic?Not having any funding for the shoot outside of my own pocket I needed to think about who would volunteer their time and expertise for free. Even thought I would need to ask for a freebie, I still wanted the best that I could find. I am very lucky to have amazing friends who are super talented and willing to help out. After figuring out that we would shoot October 10th, I set about to see who could be there for the big event.

Location.
Finding a good location is clutch to the look of the show. The look of the kitchen needs to be state of the art and chic, modern but not to cold. Welcoming and easy to light, meaning no large windows to mess with. It occurred to me to ask Maria Grey. She is a long time supporter of Dages and her work, and someone whom I've wanted to get to know better since I met her. She designed her kitchen and she often host's Dages' cooking classes at her home. I had another option in DUMBO, but as great as the view is, the lighting would have been more difficult than I think I could handle. My third idea was to pitch the idea to Brooklyn Kitchen in Williamsburg and see if they would be interested in sponsoring the show. I contacted Maria, my first choice, and she said that she would be very happy to host the show at her house. Every time that I get a yes I am so excited! I can't believe the amount of yeses so far. It is very encouraging.

Kitchen Stylist.
After speaking with Maria she suggested that I hire a person to style the kitchen. The first person that came to mind was my friend Michael Cohen. Michael has tremendous style and has been developing his portfolio for prop styling and I thought he might be interested in helping me on the project. He agreed and I sent him some some words that describe the aesthtic I'm looking to create: urban, rustic, hip, fresh, alive, joyful, delicious, and simple.

Hair/Makeup/Clothes Styling.
Hallie Goodman is one of the most fashionable people I know. She no longer actually styles people (aside from me) Instead she writes copy and article's about fashion and beauty. But since she loves me and wants to help, she is going to come down to help with Dages' look. I want her to look a polished urban hippie hipster yoga chic.

Director of Photography.
Okay this is where I really went for it. I have the pleasure of knowing a very talented DP who works internationally, John Romeo. John was one of the first people that I met when I moved to New York, and he is as lovely as he is talented. It has been my experience that to learn how to do something well you should learn from the best, and John is up there in the best category. He is also very honest and a born teacher and I can't believe that he is going to help, let alone be in town for our shoot. He has also offered to shoot on his HD camera and teach me and his assistant how to capture footage directly to the hard drive from the camera. This has a fancy name that you can bet I will find out so that I can list it as a marketable skill.

Assistant DP/ Gaffer.
Brian Reiser. Last month I acted for Brian in his final project for the New York Film Academy. He is a lovely supporter of my work and really looking to expand his skill set and when I asked him if he would assist, he was thrilled.

Music.
This is another small miracle. I totally went out on a limb and asked my dear friend Sunshine Jones in San Francisco if he would make a song just for my show and he said....YES! I can't believe it really. Sunshine is one of the pioneers of House music. His band Dubtribe was one of my favorite bands in my early twenties, and it is the perfect kind of music for this type of show, and his positive, joyful, outlook makes him perfect for the overall theme of the project.

the dream team_step 1

2009-09-27T16:26:00.007-04:00

Meetings.
After the idea I had to figure out how I was going to make it all happen. The first order of business was to get Dages on board. I had taken her class and we had several mutual friends, but we didn't really know each other. I set about writing an email that I hoped would get her as excited about the program as I was.
Dear Dages,
It was so lovely to get your newsletter in my inbox today! Writing you was at the top of my todo list and it felt oh so serendipitous.
First I want to apologize for not getting back to you sooner. When you sent me that email last month I was on my way out of the country and I had all of the best intentions to respond and It just never happened. I was so happy that you thought to ask me to pass along your information to folks because I absolutely love what your doing and would love to help spread the word!
Ever since I attended Yumyoga I have had this idea floating around in my head that is starting to gel enough to where I can run it by you and see what you think.
I have recently returned to college to complete my degree, it turns out the hippie clown/acting program I went to in California isn't really the path that I want to continue down (who new?) Instead I am interested in harnessing the power of the Mass Media to perpetuate positivity and well-being. The question I keep asking is, What if loving-kindness was the driving force behind the media instead of consumerism?
What does this have to do with you? Well, I would like to produce a Delicious Dialogues with Dages television/web segment with you. I really believe in the work that you are doing and I think that it could translate to a large audience, helping to perpetuate health and well being to all.
This fall I am taking a production class where I will have an abundance of resources at my finger tips. In the class we will produce a five to ten minute short, create a dvd for it, and a website. It would be a dream to produce your show!
If this is something that you would consider, I would love to get together with you over tea to talk.
I really believe that your sparkly, passionate, approach to eating healthy and happily can and will inspire the masses as much as it has inspired me!
love, light, and laughter,
Drea
She responded a couple of weeks later that she would love to meet to talk about ideas. We met the first week of September and I pitched my idea to her in person. She was delighted with the idea and agreed to participate. Game on!

the idea

2009-09-27T16:16:00.002-04:00

Last year I had the pleasure of attending a cooking class at the home of architect Maria Grey in Chelsea. The class was lead by Dages Keats, a holistic health counselor and cook. It was there that I began my love affair with kale. A gorgeous leafy green that I had always thought too tough to eat. Dages taught us how to cook the kale in a way that was delicious and inspiring. After the class on my way back to the subway, I couldn't help but think that she should be on television, inspiring the masses to eat healthy and tastily!

Thus the idea for my project was born. A webisode series starring Dages Keats, that looks at different vegetables and teaches the wonder of eating healthy, locally, and tastily!

The title of the program Delicious Dialogues is taken from Dages's website/newsletter of the same name.

http://www.deliciousdialogues.com

http://deliciousdialogues.wordpress.com/