The title this week refers to my general attitude about pre-production. I’m the worst at it. Episode progress always grinds to a virtual standstill every time pre-production rolls around. I just don’t want to do it. I don’t want to tally script locations, props, or potential advertising tie-ins (which we’ve done none of so far, so what’s the point). I don’t want to call people and try and convince them to let me film on their property when there’s effectively nothing in it for them but a headache. I want to shot list, but can’t convince myself it’s a good use of my time until the other location, prop-ish, casting stuff is out of the way, so I procrastinate in any way I can possibly think of. I actually did the dishes last night WITHOUT bitching about how we don’t have a dishwasher. I wanted it to take up as much time as possible. I find myself more motivated to go out and take a jog to try and get in shape for the coming episode knowing full well that I’m pushing the shoot further away by using jogging as a pre-pro’ procrastination technique. Pre-production is the homework of filmmaking. It’s as close as I get these days to the whiny, “I-don’t-wanna” attitude that I created and successfully embodied during my late-90s, look-how-cool-I-can-make-apathy-look, high school phase.
In other news, right now, as we’re getting down to the wire on needing to buy a camera for production, Canon announces that they’re going to make an industry-altering announcement/unveiling on Thursday of this week. Okay. I guess any decisions we were about to make get pushed back a couple more days. Odds are good that whatever they’re unveiling is going to be out of our price range, but there’s no use buying anything until they cut that ribbon.
I realize that blog entries like this have to be a little frustrating to read for some people. There’s always an element of “Oh, poor thing. He hates planning for his successful web series. He can have his thousands of audience members dry his tears with their glowing comments.” I hear you, theoretical blog-reader. I read this stuff and feel that same way about myself. Obviously. I mean, I’m having a hypothetical conversation here on this public forum with the little internet critic inside my own brain.
Then you’ve got a guy like Joss who uses his free time while directing the biggest summer action movie of next year to shoot a tiny independent version of Much Ado About Nothing with his stable of favorite actors. That’s a guy who just goes and goes.
On the other hand, I also promised myself I’d be honest here. That I’d use it to look back after all was said and done to remember how the whole experience felt. No use doing that if I’m holding back, so…
PRE-PRO’ IS THE WORST-O!
Thanks for reading, guys.
Jarvi out.
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