28 January 2011

NIght time is the Right time....

I promise to 
end this relentless
reporting from my BAKW....soon.

I confess
I have seen no one who looks like they 
are an actress, or an actor....

Everyone I have laid eyes on 
has looked to be a hard-working joe,
very much like you or me......
(or course, all I do is sit by the window)


They arrived early in the morning...


They spent a lot of time setting up,
consulting with each other,
and re-arranging what the previous crew had left behind...


They wore interesting hats....


Honestly, it was pretty cold in the mornings...
so, coffee and hot drinks were common.


They brought in a crane yesterday....
that confused me a bit...
but it became clearer as the day went on..


I am glad that I didn't have to climb to the top of that ladder,
I saw the person who did, he didn't give it a thought.


All day the vans were prepared to transport...


Did I mention the hats?
This guy must be very important.
His hat was the largest, by far,
and most interesting.
It appears to be a knitted toboggan
stretched over a flouresent orange hard hat....



All day long they worked...
I could not tell if they were actually filming,
as all the "real action" was taking place 
inside.

But 
things got rather more dramatic
as the natural light faded....

I had been cooking dinner,
when I noticed that it was dark.
As I gazed out,
I saw brilliant light outside...



It is difficult to put into words,
and even harder to photograph,
(as my equipment is not for night shooting)
but the world looked dark,
with the exception of this one 
very bright spot,
suspended at least 30 feet in the air.
(that's what the crane is for..)



This went on for hours...




They had a scrim positioned in front of the 
condo's balcony to diffuse the intensity of the spot lights...


And occasionally,
they moved the light.....
on it went...
into the evening and late into the night...


I was tired,
and went to bed around 10:30, knowing they were out 
there still working....lights on, but no noise....
Gosh, I thought, they sure are quiet....
ZZZZZZZ......

Then, this morning,
I woke, came down for the coffee,
and my sweetie says
"They are almost entirely packed up and gone"
What?!
How could that be?
I wake at the drop of a hat, and I was sure 
that I would wake if they started 
"breaking down" the set.

Off to the BAKW!
and....sure enough, 
this is what I saw.....





So....

This is what I know....
they are filming a pilot for 
a Television series...

It is called
starring 
Claire Danes.
They have been filming all over town,
and several locations were mentioned in publications 
earlier in the month.
There was absolutely no mention of the filming in my 'hood.
That's cool....in fact, one of the crew told a neighbor that it 
had been pretty nice filming here, because no one had bothered them

Ooops.....
I believe they jinxed themselves...
that very night,
it is reported that late in the evening,
one  of the neighbors got a bit 
tipsy (that's what we will call it anyway)
and wandered over, 
up the front steps,
into the room where they were filming 
and started yelling at them...
(how embarrassing)
here, we were earning a reputation for being sort of 
cool, hip, calm, easy to work around....
and some yah-whoo goes and
messes that up....

Anyway,
they asked this person to leave,
she wouldn't,
the policeman on site,
told her to leave,
and she did...
jeez....

That's all Folks!
smiles.....

27 January 2011

More BAKW....people movers...

Just call me
OO2.5
not even close to a spy....
not even close to discreet...
not even close to the action....
Well, I am having fun...

So....
here is something I have learned...
(with apologies to those who haven't read my last post, check it out)
I have learned that 
a good portion of what it takes to 
film a movie/TV show 
entails....
moving people around.



These passenger vans
 seem to be everywhere in our neighborhood.
Most of them are empty.
Except for the drivers that sit, in one place,
for long stretches of time.....
They read the paper (above)....



Occasionally, the load up with one or two passengers
and move out...


Then the next one in line moves forward
to right in front of the condo
where they are shooting scenes.......


Sometimes,
they get out of the van to stretch their legs...
chit-chat with the other drivers...


Maybe get a cup of coffee from the 
"commissary truck"
(that's what I am calling it)


Then without notice,
they are off!
With someone, who maybe famous...
or not.


Sometimes,
someone from "inside"
comes to the driver to talk....
wonder what they are discussing?
Lunch, probably.


Oops!
I have been spotted...
(hope they don't ask me to stop)


Not by this guy, anyway...
he's smiling..


And so the afternoon
drones on...
ever so quietly...
really, these people know how to be quiet.
I could go outside right now,
and if I closed my eyes,
I would swear that they had disappeared...

But, no..
I can't seem to drag myself away from my 
BAKW!
Camera ready for 
Claire Danes to show up, 
turn around,
and wave to me with a great big.....
smile!





26 January 2011

The View from My BAKW....

My BAKW
has been quite a spot for entertainment for the 
last couple of days...

Here's what I have 
seen....



Yes...it is dark....
I am too much of a chicken to 
capture images in the light of day....



It is a closed set....
(at least I think that is what they might call it)


They are filming a new 
made for TV series/pilot starring
wait for it.....


Claire Danes

Cool, huh?

Right across the parking lot from my 
BAKW
(Big Ass Kitchen Window, for those who haven't heard)

No, I haven't seen her...
NO, I haven't see anyone who looks important....
NO!
I am trying to be cool and not notice...
but when the sun starts to dip below the tree tops...
I can take my Canon
over to the BAKW....
and steal a peek or two..

Wonder if she would like a 
cup o' joe?

smiles

24 January 2011

Romantic Italy......(this is a long one, so have a seat...)


Several years ago...
I went to Italy with my girlfriends
(doesn't sound romantic so far, does it?)

I had been set free from a failed
 marriage for only a year,
and I was desperate to feel something,
(anything) again.

So when a friend suggested that 
6 of us should go to 
Rome, 
Sorento,
Amalfi Coast,
Florence,
and 
Venice...
I jumped on it.


 I am not good at waiting...
but we planned well,
saved our money,
made reservations,
got discounts,
worked extra hours,
and odd jobs,
to get there.



I was on a quest...
searching for the unknown...
and
 I found 
passion....
in many forms.



I had been a Flight Attendant 
in a previous life
and missed traveling tremendously. 
I had been a professional 
photographer, but had sold my 
equipment to pay for the divorce.



Italy was good for me....
she spoke my language....
she showed me that life goes on...
she awakened a lust for life....
she was my friend....

Italy, she is my inspiration.


 I found the wanderlust,
and the passion for documenting life....
I was reborn, in a way...
I could breathe again.

The sweet young couple above,
was found walking to St Peter's Square, 
presumably to have their photographer
(in tow)
take their wedding photos....
I saw that flash of white,
and trotted after them yelling 
Scuzi!
(which in my head meant "Please stop and let this strange American woman take your photo!")
They very politely stopped and let me snap away.
Then, they were off!


Here is another story.....
it takes place in Venice.
I am on the Rialto Bridge,
and I look off to the side at the boats,
and YES! another white flash....
There she stood, sweetly, demurly, patiently,
as a half dozen men took her photograph.
They seemed to be everywhere,
with 35mm, Hasselblads, video, etc...
She was apparently very special.
But, she seemed to be modest also...interesting...


So, off I trotted again...
down to the side she was on..
and took up a position that would not interfere,
or irritate the professionals...
magic!


Now, I have reproduced this same photo several times....
changing it to B/W,
cropping a bit more each time....
to illustrate a point that I make with my brides....
Color is fabulous for conveying the 
mood of your day...


 But,
when you want to notice details....
and expressions....
B/W is the only way!
It eliminates the distraction of all the bright color,
and focuses your attention on the important
things....like a smile, a tear...a frown...
you get the picture 
(sorry)


Look at her necklace
her bracelet
her head piece...
you might not have ever noticed these details,
important ones, that she must have spent hours
deciding on...
had the photo always been in color.
Your eye would have been drawn to the flowers,
the water,
the boats,
etc...



All of which were lovely...



In the photo above, 
on the other hand,
look at the expressions!
You can almost read their minds.


So what has this guy to do with any of this....
well, he is perhaps the most romantic person 
in Rome on the day I shot these photos...
He apparently had decided that he was going to 
"Pop the question" 
with the help of his friends, 
in St Peter's Square,
in a way that she could not refuse...
So,
he planned and co-ordinated the effort...
so that at an appointed time,
they would all stand in front of the fountain,
to have their photo taken,
and they would all produce a piece of paper....



Will....U....Marry...(decided to clap, Me)...?....Courtney......(Please, maybe?).....!

Apparently, 
Courtney said YES!

So young, 
so happy,
so innocent,
ah...love.


These are not in chronological order....
but who cares?
They are so sweet!






Look at teh girl inthe pink scarf on the left!
and the girl with the question mark, tearing up..
and the guy with the sign already folded up 
and stowed under his arm....just smiling...








So, you see....
travel is good for the soul...
it makes you appreciate the comforts you have at home...
and, if you are lucky,
it will bring you a new perspective,
restore your outlook on life....
and inspire you to live again...


as a side note...
all of this photos were taken on film,
which at sometime in the past I have 
scanned into my computer.
Trouble is....I neglected to clean each and everyone of the 
hundreds of negatives that I scanned and thus there are some
squiggly white lines (lint) an dots (dust)....
I could go through them all in a fine program like 
Aperture....and fix them
but this girl has little time these days for cleaning negs....
she's been inspired!
smiles.....again