A couple weeks ago I just happened to be on the CSI TV show set out on location when they were shooting their season finale. Of course, it wasn’t something that just ‘happened.’ It did so happen that one of the producers of the show was a classmate of mine. We had taken some directing classes from Judith Weston, who is fairly well-known as a damn good directing teacher. At the time he (Alec) was an editor on the show with directing aspirations, and I was trying to get our project “Dreams Awake” off the ground. He subsequently directed several episodes and eventually moved up the chain to become one of the show’s producers, and I went on to direct and produce “Dreams Awake, from my screenplay. And we have periodically kept in touch over those years.
And then last month I happened to see that he was scouting locations in Filmore to shoot their final episode of this season, which is near where I live. So I contacted him and he let me watch his CSI team work. Plus this was an episode he was also going to direct. So I figured I get to see how he progressed as a director, because I had seen him work before he’d actually done anything. But I also had a couple of my own reasons. This also happened to be the time we were supposed to start shooting our next little indie feature, “One Hand Clapping.” And that got put on hold a few weeks ago. So yes, I was feeling a little bummed out about that, and this was just the therapy I needed.
I have probably said this before, but there is nothing like being on set. You could take the screenwriting and cutting the film from me, and I’d be perfectly happy working on set. It feels so normal being there and working there. I know there is a lot of hurry up and wait, but the energy of everyone being in the moment to get that shot, is in a world by itself. I would be perfectly happy just going from shot to shot, location to location, project to project, without all the aforementioned work.
So how did Alec do, you might ask. Well, huh, that is not for me to judge, but I can tell you, he seems like he’s on top of it. So no worries for him. And he has a great cast and crew to work with, and that accounts for a lot. I think he mentioned to me that this was the 38th episode he has directed now. Wow. Well, good for him. Ha, but I have to tell you as a spectator director, I found myself second-guessing him and wanting to jump in and direct a scene. Another day perhaps …
Right now, I am getting excited putting together the little documentary we are working on. It’s going to be a companion piece to “Dreams Awake,” and hopefully will explain, highlight, and reveal some of the obscurely esoteric metaphysics of that film. If everything goes as planned “The Inner Sonic Key” should be out by the end of the year.
JAD
Go here if you’d like to see my pix from the CSI set
https://www.facebook.com/jerryaldendeal/media_set?set=a.10201898715851121.1073741831.1280570125
Author: Jerry Alden Deal
Writer – Director – Producer of Way To Go Media, LLC.
Over the past thirty years Jerry has been hired numerous times to develop and write screenplays for other production companies. During that same period several of his spec scripts were also optioned. ‘Dreams Awake’ was Jerry’s feature directorial debut. He has several other projects in various stages of development. One of which, the feature documentary ‘The Inner Sonic Key’ is currently in post-production.