How Does It Feel?

We Just Wrapped Principal Photography

Jess, Michelle, Rico, Carah were crowded around as we just finished the last day of principal photography.

The remains of crafty on the table, random piles of gear pulled out with haphazard abandon. Open bottle of fake SFX blood. A boom pole in one hand and recorder in the other.

I immediately wanted to say that I had so much more to do. This was really just the beginning of another long and strange trip I was about to embark on.

But it was the end of principal photography. This would be the last time I would call the cast and crew to a location and strike flint to create a flame they would carry.

There is something magical in this act of movie-making. As an actor I didn’t see it. And in my years of theatre in my youth, I didn’t see it there either. There’s this mysterious alchemy that I only noticed as a writer/director.

The amalgamation of actors, camera and sound operators, and light creates this Philosopher’s Stone in the moment that can never be replicated. The characters drafted on page become real and their world is real. And I’m standing there witnessing the fleeting miracle of a shared consciousness.

When I’m acting I see the reality in my mind’s eye. But what I only realized when directing is that everyone on that set is seeing it. That’s truly a miracle. How is it possible that we create a reality out of thin air that we all somehow unanimously share?

The biggest emotion I felt after wrap was sadness. I wanted to experience that miracle again, over and over. I didn’t want to let go of these shared moments with such talented and beautiful people.

Now I have to descend into my cave and create something that honors the work they put into it.

I am very grateful for everyone that made this leg of the journey a reality. I will never forget it.

It is time now to shift gears. As I continue the work in post-production (as well as wrap up the other phases of production), we will begin moving all of our sets, locations, and activity to MY CHANNEL, the new home of The End Is #Trending and ultimately where you will get to see the story unfold when we begin releasing clips of the movie in real time beginning over the summer.

In the meantime, I’ll be here on Substack giving you a look inside the hood of this car I’m recklessly driving.