Spent two days as an extra for the upcoming Showtime series, HAPPYish.
Sunny frozen day, in Woodstock, NY, everyone in their positions, poised to move--and all action stopped.
For ten minutes or more, the whole cast and crew were gathered together, as a key cameraperson offered the most beautiful and personal memorial for Sarah Jones, who was killed during the shooting of Midnight Rider, one year ago today.
A bright, young camera assistant--she had a natural exuberance, passion for her work--and a delightful presence on the set. She was struck by a train in Georgia, while filming. The tragedy influenced increased awareness of on-set safety throughout the world. It turns out that while we were silenced in pray and unity, production crews throughout the world today, also took a moment of silence for Sarah, as part of a memorial campaign launched by the International Cinematographers Guild (Local 600) and Local 479 (Studio Mechanics).
On the set in Woodstock, the HAPPYIsh cameraperson paid a true homage--evoking Sarah's personality, making her presence quite vivid, and many wiped tears when he spoke of the devastation of her family, who asked --(in this video request)--only that people be made aware of safety issues, so others would not lose lives. He called for all to be aware of each other, caring for each other--and to never be afraid to speak up if they witness any safety issues or unsafe behaviors, anything that might jeopardize a cast or crew member, in the spirit of supporting precious human life above all other concerns.
When one community stands up for its members and calls, not just in lip-service, but in heartfelt prayer, for unity and kinship--this paves the way for others to operate with more humanity, and awareness of
the well-being of others. The film industry, for all its sheen and wheeling-dealing, is often in the forefront
of human rights advocacy, using the power of the few to call for the freedom and the rights of the many.
This was the spirit of our Woodstock community decades--and even 100 years ago,
when artists, famous musicians, single moms and all of us basically ate together, worked together, lived together, played together and and the real heroes watched each other's back.
You could feel this unity of hearts and minds on the set, and witness it in the care of the crew and the thoughtfulness, in dealing respectfully and successfully with so many humans, all with different needs and agendas--in the long days and nights of shooting, in the activities ranging from the mundane to the main shots. It is easy to be aware, on set, how it is all a series of small events and choices, and complete interdependence of the elements, which leads up to the seemingly effortless whole.
Production also halted once more when a random fire alarm went off and legions of flashing rescue vehicles arrived into the middle of a scene. No one was hurt. Order quickly restored. Back on track. No tragedy this time, of this day, just a few moments delay.
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| HAPPYish was originally set with Philip Seymour Hoffman as lead. |
HAPPYish was originally set with Philip Seymour Hoffman as lead. His death, just one year and a few weeks ago, was a tragedy of a different type, but one wonders if the same spirit of safety, unity and awareness of others in the same industry, might not have helped to save a life--every action matters, and every person matters, whether their death is like an arterial gash to the arts, like Hoffman's or whether a young woman whose smile and presence is the sole reason Christmas makes sense. When they don't come home again, there is a missing spot that can not be replaced.
The future of the HAPPYish project was uncertain after Hoffman's death. The comedy was re-cast, re-piloted and re-ordered with Steve Coogan in the lead role.
plays a middle-aged man in a chronically meh state. His on-screen love is quirky/beautiful and there are cute kids involved, and I wish I could watch it tonight. Because Woodstock in winter can make anyone chronically MEh .
It is not a bad thing at all to have your little programs to watch--in moderation and the occasional marathon. Even the monks up at the Tibetan Buddhist monastery, on the top of the highest Woodstock mountain have their favorite programs. We all watch something now and then, and someone's making it for us.
For any production, the behind-the-scenes care put into every shot usually remains invisible to the audience; it's a treat, and an awakening to witness firsthand the hours of labor, preparation, timing--the patience required by all, the amount of cold and tedium tolerated--all so one perfect piece of magic might be captured, so someone in the future-as invisible to us as the crew will be to them--might click on a screen and be taken away somewhere--to forget the hard parts of life for a moment, and be lifted up fast, like on a ride--
It might not seem like it was all about love --but it is.
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