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Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Tuesday 22 May 2007-05-22
Well, one delayed visa and passport, one missed flight, and I'm finally sitting in Business class, 3 glasses of wine and a vodka and tonic down the line on my way to Vancouver trying to put all the dramas of the last week behind me. My last minute booking wasn't processed correctly so I earnt a last minute/half hearted upgrade from Globespan - the easy jet of long haul. This included a massive reclining seat - fantastic, but the exclusion of the gourmet Business class meals, apparently there wasn't the cutlery! So while my fellow passengers ate a deli counter platter, scone and fine wine at tea time I had a cheese torpedo and a mars bar. The disparaty between our meals made it all the more depressing. I never usually drink on flights but the stream of complimentary beverages is certainly helping the flight go quicker, if not better written or better catered.
I'm off to the states for a week of shooting for the pilot of Goth Cruise, pausing briefly in Vancouver for a wee stop off with my brother. The passport delays - omg, six hours waiting in the US Embassy for an interview, then incomplete paperwork meant that I've spent the last week haranguing the poor staff at Broadway - has my visa arrived, has my passport got here? Then on Friday the inevitable happened – it was nowhere to be seen - the courier company blamed the embassy and vice veca, I missed my Sunday flight and I went into crisis talks with my DOP Mark about whether he could conduct interviews on my behalf. For a controlled (freak) director such as myself the idea of directing by email was stressful beyond belief. This is no 'War Tapes' (where the director sent instructions via email) I want to be there to help frame up the shots and get to meet the people I have been talking to on the phone in person for so many months.
So, all that is behind me now, I am officially a 'journalist' and will be meeting and filming people going on the Goth Cruise in October in a cross country sprint encompassing 7 flights and 3 cities - Portland Oregon, Tampa bay, Florida and Charlotte, North Carolina.
This will be the second half of the Goth Cruise shoot; the first was attending Whitby Goth Weekend about a month ago. I think that shoot was the most fun I have had as a filmmaker - we met fantastic people, everyone, bar one 'gothier than thou' media-shy paranoid woman everyone else was amazing. Generous, interesting and most importantly for a documentary willing and enthusiastic about talking on camera and being filmed.
Whitby is one of my favourite places in the UK anyway and the sight of the town overrun by Edwardian and Victorian suited and booted peacocks and elegant dandies made me feel like I was watching a party I really wanted to attend. I know some of the hardcore Goths will disagree and say that Whitby is turning into a fancy dress festival but I really loved the dressing up and sheer exhibitionism.
First USA stop off is Portland for the annual Convergence festival. Misery Tree has arranged press laminates for us so I am looking forward to getting that all important night time filming action, let's hope the pag lights hold out. I'm hoping that (apparently media shy) Goth royalty Skinny Puppy will allow us to film their performance. I will find out when we get there. I'm crossing everything, as I really want that 'Gimme Shelter' shot from behind the stage, through the band of the crowd. Here's hoping.
posted by Jeanie Wednesday, May 23, 2007
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