DAY 19 - The Princess and the Frog

So much happened Monday but I have no time to relay it all in detail.  But I will, promise.  In the meantime, watch the Your FX video.



UPDATE:  Monday was Beyond The Trailer day, 1,000 times moreso than usual.  Whether this was mentioned or not, Spencer and I were asked to accompany Grace to the Ziegfeld Theatre to shoot reviews for Disney's new 2-D animated film, The Princess And The Frog.  These reviews make up the second portion of BTT, following the studio segments I shoot.  The appeal in this is the chance to hear what regular, average people have to say, as opposed to sifting through countless reviews by stuffy newspaper critics who seek out themes, motifs, structure, and character arcs rather than personal enjoyment.  And personally, I don't think this sort of show could exist anywhere but the Internet.

The Princess and the Frog is showing at the Ziegfeld and one other theatre in Los Angeles as part of a special two week engagement prior to its wide release on December 11.  Smart move Disney, charging $30 and $50 per ticket!  If you are going to risk going back to 2-D in an animation market busting at the seams with 3-D animation, you might as well milk it for all it could be worth!  I'm getting side-tracked...

At the studio, Grace and I shot the opens as usual, key emphasis on Grace and I, since Spencer "hit heavy traffic" and decided it wasn't worth coming in.  Running the prompter, the camera and paying attention to audio is something I had done before, but never for the entire set of opens.  Do I mind?  Not in the least!  Gives me a greater sense of accomplishment and helps me broaden my abilities.  There's something comforting in the fact that you can do one thing well enough to split the time with something completely different.  I could probably run the camera and sound mix in my sleep now so running the prompter doesn't interfere at all with those now comfortable duties.  Does that make sense?  Some of the opens seemed rushed and short, but Grace seemed fine with what the results were, given the time and circumstances.  This weekend doesn't have many huge releases, just mediocre, so she wasn't completely upset if one didn't come off as strong as it should.  Once we rapped in the studio, Grace commandeered another intern named Rachel (who I had no idea was an intern) and we taxied our way up to 54th St.  Then things got interesting...

We were shut down by Disney.  Well, not shut down, more like a delay of game than a full on rescheduling.  While setting up the camera and getting prepared for the onslaught of joyous children leaving the theatre, a man in a dark jacket with a police badge came outside and told us we couldn't shoot.  "This is private property and it's against the law." he said with a gentle force.  Grace whipped out the business cards and put on the charm as she explained her show and her intentions with it.  "We are just a review show for Next New Networks. We won't force anyone to be on camera if we don't want to..." etc, etc.  The man, whose name was Anthony, looked over the information and proposed that he would "call corporate" for clearance.  Seriously.  He seemed to be transferred from one person to another until he was put in contact with a high-up from Disney HQ in Los Angeles.  How crazy is that?  Minute after minute went by and we watched as the showing's audiences walked right past us, full of countless adorable children who would never get the chance to see themselves on YouTube.  After about ten minutes of anxious waiting, Anthony came back and told us we had the go ahead to shoot, but it had to be at the next showing in three hours and he had to be present to make sure nothing was said against the 2-D film.  I explain this all in such great detail because of the obvious: how many people can say they were "shut down" by Disney?

The next few hours were spent eating lunch at a nice nearby diner, returning to the studio by taxi, reshooting the open for Princess And The Frog (Grace thought the original open was "too snarky" and didn't want to give Disney any reason to force her to shut down the episode once it aired) and returned back to the Ziegfled for a 5:50 shoot, losing Rachel in the process.  It was Grace and I, on the forefront, ready to shoot some children.  Err, videotape some children.  One after another explained with childish sensibilities how much they loved the movie and why, spurned on by Grace's encouraging "Wow, that's cool!" attitude.  The sun long gone, the tungsten light coming from the classic overhang created a professional Hollywood mood and the background was always filled with children and parents.  These elements, though seemingly unimportant, just made everything look better!  The excitement was infectious and I sincerely thought I was a part of something big; the return of Disney 2-D!  (Did I mention I spoke to the VP of Disney in the process?  And by spoke I mean said a few nervous words.)

Now here is the fabulous part of the day.  While eating lunch, I brought up to Grace an idea that was kicking around in my head.  Next New has plenty of subjects covered except one integral one: video games.  Being a gamer myself, I understand it's excessive popularity and there is a great amount of overlap between people who watch New Next programming and who play video games (or so I hope).  Once my idea was in the open, Grace broke down exactly what I need to pitch a show, what numbers and information I have to present, who to present it to, the format, special interactive options, anything you could imagine.  Saying I was appreciative of the information is an understatement.  Planning for the show isn't at a high point, the idea is still in the fetus stages, but there is definitely potential for growth.  This could be the break that I need, the start of a career.  Stay down, hopes!  Disappointment could come in from any angle...

Fabulous Part II: Grace sent an email to Ryan explaining the length of effort I put in on Monday.  "The shoot wouldn't have happened without Brittany" were her exact words.  And, once again, she quoted Ryan saying, "Everyone is fighting over Brittany."  Could my ego get any bigger?  Could I be asking for anything more?  Fingers are crossed tight with the hope that I can extend this internship another semester.  Every day the appeal is greater and greater.  It's not Hollywood, it's not feature films but it's something and in this digital age, it's important.  There's a lot I need to start pondering over the next couple weeks...