Music Video Shoot
Sunday I had an early call time. I met Danielle, the director, at 7:30 am at Marina Del Rey. It was a beautiful day and I was looking forward to working with her again.
We started with a few shots at the beach and when the rest of the actors arrived, we took a quick breakfast break and continued to shoot with the group.
Hanelle Culpepper, the director of Six and the City and A Single Rose came to support this project, but this time not as a director but as an actor. (Hanelle I met at a film festival in 2002 and I stayed in touch with her since.)
Bill Philip, an actor I met at one of my classes and who became a friend, was also there as an actor and he was also helping out wherever needed. (I love to see people who are involved and whose eyes are everywhere and who help when needed. He is a person I know I would refer when the right role comes up.)
After the beach scenes we moved to a woodsy area for some twirling shots which was the last shot that involved all the actors. I had one more scene left which was very important to me and which was one of the reasons why Danielle cast me.
Danielle I stayed in touch with for many years and through my email blasts she knew about my advocacy on riding public transportation and on bike. So she asked me if I wanted to be involved in a music video documentary, where the main character rides the bus to the beach to plant a tree, which will grow into a forest.
Throughout the entire day I was thinking of this scene. It was important to me not to skip it. And finally we were on the bus, finishing the last shot and we wrapped for the day.
It is important to me that we show on screen that not everybody is in a car and to show that people ride the bus, their bikes and that people walk. It is important for me to show on screen to my friends and to the movie industry that there are people on public transportation who are not poor, who are not underprivileged, but who choose to ride instead of drive.
It felt awesome to work on something that is meaningful and that says something about doing good for the planet without being preachy. I love that there were no car scenes and I love it that my character who uses public transportation is portrayed in a positive light.
The shoot was a lot of fun and it was a fulfilling day for me. I hope Danielle will win the competition and I hope this short will screen at many festivals.
