...In which our heroine has tidbits.

Two more days of filming down, and I'm exhausted. But not tired enough for a few things worth sharing:

-Filming itself was decidedly more meh than the first shoot. Things were pretty unorganized and we took forever to get things done. Even when things got done, there was a lot of chaos. We'll see how the thing cuts together. Still, the experience of working with crews has been awesome.

-I'm getting $2,000 more in aid money next year :)

-Even thought it was an April Fool's prank, I want this Tauntaun sleeping bag. 

-New music I'm listening to you and you should be to: Bon Iver, Animal Collective, Ruby Suns, and Dan Deacon.

-I added song number 3000 to iTunes. This would be an accomplishment if I didn't see Lane's iPod and its 16,000 songs.

-I hate the CTA blue line. It's slow and noisy, smells like pee, and takes me to places like Logan Square, which is a pretty sketchy neighborhood.

-VH1's list of the 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders is pretty bad, but of course I'm watching that shit. Neneh Cherry! The Church! XTC!...although none of them are really one hit wonders.

-I missed the finale of ER last night because I was filming. The show has gone soft in recent years, but I've been watching it since I was five years old. I love it, plain and simple. My mom taped it so I'll watch in a couple weeks when I'm home, although I don't really want to. 

-I wish I could've been there to see the Vikings at state. By all accounts, I missed a titanic struggle. 

Enjoy the weekend...I'm just glad to get to sleep in for a few days.

...In which our heroine oughta be in pictures.

Busy is becoming the story of my life. I can't even watch the last ER tomorrow night because I'm shooting, again. I applied this week for internships with the Chicago Film Festival and The A.V. Club. CIFF said no, but The A.V. Club said they'd keep my in mind for summer. I'm going to a job fair on Wednesday to try and land an internship or job for the summer. Fingers crossed.

But, I do finally have something to show for all of my work. My first real script, for an eight minute short, is done for the moment. It isn't all in proper format, but Blogger won't let me import it from my screenwriting software.

Ladies and gents, "This is Not a Test"

INT. Laboratory - Day - 1964

INSERT - CONFIDENTIAL LAB REPORT - DESK

Substance "813" has caused violent hallucinations in subjects when awake. When subjects are asleep, vivid dreams occur. Tests are ongoing.

BACK TO SCENE

INT. Living Room - Day - 1964

The living room door opens to reveal John, a handsome, dark-haired man in a navy blue suit.

A pig-tailed blond girl in a yellow dress, AMY, jumps into his arms before he can take a step inside.

Amy

Daddy! Daddy! You're home! I missed you.

John

I missed you too sweetheart. Where is your mother?

From the kitchen, JUNE, a pale blond woman in a mint-green dress walks into the living room, holding a martini.

June

Hello dear.

She hands him the martini as John leans in to kiss her on the cheek. June grimaces.

JOHN

Just fine. Dinner time?

JUNE

It is 6 o'clock.

June gives a fake smile, exposing her teeth as John gulps his martini.

Int. Kitchen - NIGHT

John sits at the kitchen table and takes small sips of his second martini.

June washes dishes and stares blankly out the kitchen window.

JOHN

So another bad one last night? Did she wake up screaming?

JUNE

Yes, yes she did. Screaming her damned head off and talking about monsters again. I can't believe she didn't wake you.

Looking down at the table, John sighs.

JOHN

I didn't hear a thing. Say, will you get me my slippers?

JUNE

Of course, dear.

June leaves the kitchen dragging her feet.

John approaches the three milk glasses on the counter. He removes a packet of white powder from his pocket and dumps it into a red glass with apples on it.

Amy enters the kitchen, startling John.

AMY

Can I take the milk in Daddy?

JOHN

Sure.

John hands Amy the three glasses, and she struggles to balance them in her hands as she walks to the dining room.

AMY

Red glasses for Mommy and Amy. Blue glass for Daddy.

Amy's foot catches on the carpet and she drops all but the drugged glass. June appears.

JUNE

Why would you let her carry all of those John? Look at this mess...(she begins to scrub at the carpet with her apron)...Can you just pour some more milk?

John stares out the kitchen window, martini in hand, and is slow to react to June's command.

JUNE

It just had to be my new glasses. And the one with the darling little cherries on it. Damnit, John.

He hesitates to get another glass from the cabinet, then shakes his head, as if in affirmation.

Amy sets the apple-painted glass at her mother's place.

Int. Dining Room - Night

The family eats ketchup-covered meatloaf in silence.

AMY

Daddy, what did you do at work today?

JOHN

Well, I'm working on a new medicine to help people. But we're trying to make sure it won't hurt anyone either, so we're testing it.

June glares at him and saws her meatloaf into tiny bits.

AMY

Why would medicine hurt you? Bactine hurts when Mommy puts it on cuts, but then it gets all better.

JOHN

Some medicines can hurt people. I'm making sure this medicine doesn't hurt anyone.

AMY

Maybe then it won't hurt like Bactine...

John makes a funny face at Amy, and ruffles her hair.

The two begin to cackle at each other as June pushes her plate away.

JUNE

John, did you notice these new tumblers? They're the ones the Montgomery's got for us.

John shoots June a bothered look and stops giggling with Amy.

JOHN

No, dear. I didn't.

JUNE

Well look how lovely they are. Mine has a pattern with apples. Amy's has strawberries. Yours has blueberries.

JOHN

That's just swell.

John goes back to laughing with Amy.

JUNE

Who wants dessert, I made lemon meringue pie.

AMY

Ooh, me, me!

JOHN

You have to finish all of your milk first, honey.

Amy gulps down the milk. June's glass is already empty.

INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT

June stares out the kitchen window and sighs.

She does not notice the white residue she washes out of her milk glass.

JOHN(V.O.)

Now Amy, I've checked all the corners and all the closets. No monsters here. The only real monsters, they aren't in your dreams, they're people. But I made sure - you're safe tonight.

AMY (V.O.)

Okay Daddy. I love you whole big bunches.

JOHN (V.O.)

I love you whole big bunches too.

June removes her pruned hands from the dish water and wipes them on a flowered towel.

Hearing laughter from Amy's bedroom, she looks down the hallway towards it and purses her lips.

Int. Living Room - night

June stares blankly at the television, her fingers working quickly at knitting.

John enters and kisses her on the forehead.

JOHN

Good night love, don't stay up too late.

JUNE

I won't.

June does not look up from her knitting.

int. living room - late night

June sits on the couch, eyes wide.

She begins to clang her knitting needles together and laughs hysterically in the glow of the television.

She gets up from the couch, thrusting her arms out for balance.

June blinks at the television for a moment before looking towards the kitchen.

June walks toward the kitchen, arms around her chest to protect her from the darkness.

June's head tilts around the room rapidly, her eyes scanning every corner of the room.


JUNE

So...dark. Where is...why do I feel like this...

Entering the kitchen, June begins hyperventilating and drops to her knees. She crawls around, trying to breath normally.

June crawls over to a cabinet and pulls open a drawer. She rummages through it, face grimaced, eyes wide.

She finds what she is looking for and huddles beneath the stove light.
Int. Bedroom - Late Night

Amy awakes calmly, and smiles as she looks around the dark bedroom. She rubs sleep from her eyes.

AMY

Thirsty.

Int. Kitchen - Late Night

Amy walks into the kitchen and hesitates as she sees her mother's limp hand in the kitchen doorway.

AMY

Mommy?

June lays against the stove in a pool of blood, eyes open. Long, deep scratches run up and down her arms. They have been made by the grill skewers that now stick out of the top of each thigh.

AMY

Oh, I must be dreaming...

Amy turns from her mother, face contorted in confusion, and walks out of the kitchen.

Int. Bedroom - Dawn

John awakes with a start; sits all the way up.

He looks at the gathering light outside and runs his hand over the place where his wife should be sleeping.

He frowns, and gets out of bed.

JOHN

June, honey, where are you?

Int. Kitchen - Dawn

John walks into the kitchen, first past the stove, not noticing June.

He turns around as he notices the stove light still on.

John finds his wife, eyes still open, in the dawn. He is totally still for a moment.

Looking at his wife the whole time, John mechanically begins to dial the rotary telephone.

JOHN

Yes, I need an ambulance. My wife has had...an accident. 50 Eagle Lane. Please hurry.

John cannot remove his eyes from the dead gaze of his wife.

JOHN

Oh, dear.

Int. Kitchen - morning

Amy walks into the kitchen and looks first to her father at the stove cooking breakfast, then to her plate set on the table. She sits down. John sets down a glass of orange juice.

AMY

Why did YOU make breakfast, Daddy? I only had one bad dream last night. It was about Mommy. Where is she?

John stands at the sink and notices the residue in June's apple-painted milk glass.

He looks out the kitchen window, and holds back tears.

JOHN

It worked...

John puts his face on his hands and walks quickly out of the kitchen.

Amy watches her father walk out of the room, looking surprised for only a moment.

She shrugs, looks down at her plate, and begins to eat her breakfast.

...In which our heroine is plains, trains, and automobiles.

Oskaloosa, Iowa:

plains

corn

pigs

horses

Kum & Go gas stations

wood stoves

Cracker Barrel decor

deer heads

gun case

bubblegum

Keomah Road

Ben & Jerry's Half Baked

Planet Earth - Deep Seas

Pokemon cards

Roo, Nerm, Buck

allergies

Elton John

Cruising a "grav"

marijuana

crunchy chicken potato burrito

Jaardsma's Dutch Bakery

almonds

Wu-Tang Clan

chili

naps at 7 PM

nothingness

boyhood bedroom

Veronica

Kirk

small talk

in god's country

geese

Marlboro 27's

pond scum

patchouli

Goodwill

peeling plaster

candles

Metra

Two Belmonts

green windows

Two Chicagos

the birthplace of Wayne and Garth

"In My Time of Dying"

munchies

mismatched cups

Girl Talk

down comforter

lipstick bar

mini horse

9 PM bed time

A few thoughts from the trip. Thought it might be more interesting than a traditional travelogue. Feel free to ask for explanation.

...In which our heroine is domestic.

Having the apartment to myself has been lovely. There's just so much less shit around - it is astounding. The first thing I did when everyone left Saturday was clean the place from top to bottom, and now it's much more livable. 

Pretty much everyone is gone from the building, which is nice since elevators come within seconds instead of minutes. Ben went home today, but the past two days we spent playing house in my apartment. Despite being together a lot of the time, we often don't get much time just the two of us. So to be able to share each other's sole company, make meals together, watch movies, it was awesome. 

Nicholas Plath, son of Sylvia Plath, committed suicide. How sad is that - Ted Hughes is a bastard and ruined five lives. Poor Freida, she's all that's left. Hearing that made me think immediately of "Child" and the beautiful section of her journals when Plath talks about giving birth to Nicholas...and the gas she received during the birth that put her at peace. What an unfortunate, brilliant family.

The new pictures from Where the Wild Things Are, directed by Spike Jonze, are swoon-inducing. 

This has been a ridiculously busy week and there's a moderate end in sight finally. Filming has gone pretty smoothly the past couple of days. There's been a lot of standing around by the rest of my crew, but then my AC (assistant camera) acts like I can't work the camera at all and is constantly second guessing me. I hate being looked at as stupid because I'm a female in the male world of film. But we're getting shots accomplished, and after about nine hours of filming, we only have one scene left for tomorrow.

A few shots from the set, taken by my producer Kyle. I sorta look like I know what I'm doing. 

...In which our heroine is ready for a break.

I am on spring break. Praise science, I am exhausted and it couldn't have come at a better time. The celebration after Production I was of course, a nap. 

I don't really have a break though - we shoot Sunday-Tuesday for my second film and then Iowa for a couple days. Meeting the parents...I'm a little nervous, but I think it should be okay. Plus, we get to see the world's largest truck stop on the way.

The new Decemberists album sucks. Like really sucks. Every song sounds the exact same. What a disappointment. 

The next week, I have the apartment to myself. Which will be more nice than lonely I imagine.

I'm going to try and get an internship at the Chicago Film Festival this summer, since I don't technically have to work and I might as well use that for some practical industry experience. 

And tonight, there's a party in Wrigleyville that's calling my name...

...In which our heroine has been negligent.

I have been a bad poster as of late. But this really has been the week from hell. 

After much consternation and annoyance, I've decided to just go ahead and live in the dorms next year. Well, I'll be staying the summer too - moving a floor up into a two-person apartment with only one roommate. I was driving myself fucking nuts because no one would make a decision on apartments for next year, and I was tired of waiting. So, as much I wanted to move out of dorms, I'll be here again. They aren't that bad, and certainly way cheaper than any other apartment I could get in the Loop.

On Sunday I did homework for eleven straight hours and didn't move from the same position for any of it. Luckily, after tonight my actual midterms are done and now it's just a lot of projects and whatnot. Screenwriting stuff is done, and now I mostly just need to focus on shooting my film over spring break, for which I'm staying here, then going to Iowa. I edited my first film today, and am quite happy with it.

We all need the break. Everyone is pretty annoyed and tired of each other, and I'll be glad to be alone in the apartment for a few days. We've all been at each other's throats, and a brief separation is greatly needed. 

A few trailers to tide you over:

Sam Raimi returns to horror with Drag Me to Hell. Locking on geek missiles in 3,2, 1.

The Sam Mendes directed, Dave Eggers written Away We Go. Gallacher, it has Jim!

The ensemble Explicit Ills

...In which our heroine has food for thought.

School is overloading my brain. I cannot keep a single thought in my head, except for some assorted thoughts.

-By some odd turn of fate, I have been chosen as one of the three directors for films in Production I. I am the only female doing so. I'm flattered, but I don't wanna direct so, we will see.

-Part of me is leaning towards getting a studio to myself next year. I'm not averse to the idea of roommates again, but no one will make a decision. I think it I'd be okay on my own...but it's a big jump.

-The idea of buying furniture for an apartment, if I was to live on my own, is staggering.

-Speaking of big jumps, I register for classes for next year very soon. The fact that I am almost done with my freshman year of college seems impossible. 

-I've become addicted to looking up dream interpretations. They are, as per usual, troubling.

-I'm in one of those phases where I hate all the music I listen to. Nothing sounds good enough.

-After Watchmen, my geek radar sees nary a blip for a while. Sigh...

-I am in love. I just haven't vocalized it yet. Writing somehow seems less permanent because those infamous little words are a big leap. 

-Parents having Facebook should be outlawed.

-I need new food to eat. I am so tired of pasta, bagels, and chicken breast. Suggestions for easy meals on a budget, please. I don't like to cook beef however, it grosses me out.

And now, homework. (!)