Day three

... and the most disturbing thing is the fact I had to stop and think before I typed 'day three'. Nothing as cliched as not knowing what day it is, more the fact that I can't believe that is ONLY day three. I feel like we've been at this for at least a month (and some of the people I know who've emailed saying they're reading this will be commenting that it only feels like that because I'm so un-used to hard work).

Started slowly today as we had to have a move to a new location for the first scene, and that, plus a broken key in the camera dept truck, slowed us right down, and instead of getting our first shot at about half ten we didn't turn over until nearly twelve. Worse was to come when we ran the scene, it just wasn't working. This probably wasn't the right time to bring up my feelings about one of the scenes from the first day. Having watched the rushes the night before I just felt this scene was wrong. Partly it was framed wrong, he was looking in the wrong direction to match with the other shots, but the main reason was the performance, and that was my fault. I'd given the actor a note to act on and he'd taken it, and now thinking about cutting it with the other actors scene I realised it was the wrong note. So I wanted to do it again (better now than in a months time I thought).

So while I broke that news to the first AD, I tried to get todays first scene working. Take after take just didn't gel until suddenly, from apparently nowhere, it did. I have no idea what the actors got, or how they found direction from the garbbled mass of things I kept saying to them, but somehow they did and the scene worked a treat. Quick shoot reverses, get told off for too many takes and we're back on track.

Afternoon of good takes, plus the re-take from the first day I wanted, and we were on to our final scene, Stevie coming round and asking Emily out for a drink. It may have been about minus three but the two of them managed to pull of a great scene that actually looked like summer. Best of all was as Stevie ran towards her door, a train crossed over on the bridge above. That would cost a fortune to arrange, but Silverlink gave us that one for free. And a very nice woman named Heather gave us her front door for free for the scene too. She even let me use her bathroom. Maybe people in East London aren't so bad after all.

Tomorrow is down as being sun all day, but so far the weather report has never got it right. Fingers crossed as today is our one scheduled day of steadicam, something I don't think we could afford to repeat as it's too expensive. So if it pisses down we will either a) have romantic scenes in the cold and rain or b) not have any steadicam shots in the film. Who knows.

Kev has cut some scenes together and likes what he's seen. Can't wait until Friday and our day off to see them. Or I may get the eurostar, we'll see.