In the Thick of It.

I think I lost a follower. Serves me right, I guess. But this time I think it's omission, not commission—as I haven't published a post in.......forever.

The thing about six 12-14 hour days a week is that you're left with very little time...

But here I sit, determined to document—at least in some detail—my current experience.

It's been a month and change since I started at AFI; it's been the most potent month of my life. That's honestly why it's been so hard to sit and write: there's SO much to say that I am overwhelmed by the mere thought of actually writing it down.

It is a whole other level of busy, this new life, and it is literally the continual, perpetual and endless absorption of film and filmmaking into my system, via all 5 senses. To help reinforce that statement, let me give a partial list of the films I've watched in the last month:

— THE GODFATHER II
— UP!
— HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
— LOST IN TRANSLATION
— ED WOOD
— DISTRICT 9
— PRINCESS NICOTINE
— EDISON'S KINETOSCOPES
— 21 GRAMS
— CINEMATOGRAPHER STYLE (Super 35mm Print)
— AMELIE (also known as the greatest film ever made)
— MANHATTAN (35mm Anamorphic Print)
— INGLORIOUS BASTERDS
— KNIFE IN THE WATER
— INTOLERANCE
— EXTRACT
— 500 DAYS OF SUMMER
— THOSE AWFUL HATS
— THE REDMAN’S VIEW
— DELICATESSEN
— COCO BEFORE CHANEL
— MILLION DOLLAR BABY
— WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH OUR OLD?

And that's to say nothing of the texts I've read (books, scripts, etc), the hours and hours of lectures, and fieldtrips.

We've been visited by Steven Soderbergh (regardless of how I feel about his films, I have enormous respect for him as a filmmaker) and several other important filmmakers, including the Costume Designer for Raiders of the Lost Ark (and while she was lecturing, the CD for INCEPTION dropped in to say hello); the Writer of WALK THE LINE; the Writer of DOG DAY AFTERNOON; this old-school Script Supervisor who's been working in Hollywood since the 1940's (take that in for a moment). Last week we screened EXTRACT with its Cinematographer, Tim Suhrstedt (who shot LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE). Not a life-changing film, but funny, and a good experience with Tim.

This was my day on Friday last: Viewed our Boot Camp Dailies for a couple of hours, went to COCO BEFORE CHANEL at the Arclight, then crewed on a Walgreen's TV Spot with Doug Chamberlain (a solid DP and good friend) where we shot a Night Exterior on the Warner Bros Ranch in Burbank:


The big sphere in front of the house is actually a giant light filled with helium—a Light Balloon. Believe it or not, this is a small one at 12'x12'. And that's an 18K HMI in the top right of the screen—that's 18,000 Watts—a bit more than your typical household bulb.

And lastly, the house in the back is where they filmed I Dream of Jeannie.

Ah, nostalgia. Hollywood's full of it.

It is a life where you pass by the Warner Brothers and Disney Lots every day on the way to class; where the Hollywood Sign and Blvd (though never the people on it) are becoming quite ordinary; where you see celebrities—and it's just not that big a deal; where the headquarters of PANAVISION, KINO FLO and JL FISHER are literally 5 minutes from my house; a world where the most talented people in an industry are all living and pursuing their dreams together. It's a world that I am very comfortable in.

Yes, there are tainted souls. Yes, there are leaches and vampires (we're into metaphors here). Yes, it's an unbelievable amount of work and subsequent exhaustion. But it's exactly where I want to be, for now, and exactly what I want to do with my life. I am so proud—so very fortunate—to call myself a Cinematography Fellow at AFI. It's the genesis to the rest of my life.

This week we shot Boot Camp, which was a single scene from our Cycle 1 script—in 4 hours. It was very doable, but also very challenging. It was brilliant. Then yesterday we met with John Bailey, ASC at The Getty Center, where we viewed the Irving Penn exhibition:


As well as other original works of art, like this Renaissance Gem:


The Angel Taking Leave of Tobit and His Family, by Jan Victors, 1649.

SIXTEEN FORTY-NINE. Unreal. It just glowed. You can't imagine how beautiful the original is.

OK. I think that's a good hour's effort in making up for the last month.

But one more thing:

I want to give the first official, written praise for my wife, who is quite literally making this possible for me. She sustains—with an incredible effort—the life we've made while I go off and pursue this dream. She puts up with sleep deprivation, comforts a screaming toddler and nurses a baby; she cleans, she cooks, she does laundry and somehow still finds time to design blogs, sites and scrapbook papers. She is the real Wonder Woman. I cannot thank her enough for her sacrifice and support. No one knows how good she is to and for me.

But I do. Lyndsay Ward, I love you.

wesman.