Our sad playback machine hanging precariously off a boom pole in the middle of a meadow.

Ilan Bachrach waits for Robert M. Johanson – early morning at Poets Walk near the Hudson River.

Yesterday was our first very early morning shoot for Episode 8 of Life and Times. Vans were packed up and ready at 4:30am, and by 8:00 in the morning we were in a dewey meadow in the midst of butterflies.  It finally happened: Nature Theater in Nature.  There were multiple warnings of ticks and poison ivy, but Rob was our only casualty.  Stung by a bee later in the afternoon while singing in the forest.

Pavol behind the camera surrounded by a halo of bugs who were drawn to our lights.

Elisabeth and Gable in the Nisan, waiting to pretend as if they are driving through Portugal for Episode 7 – the Movie.

Since the first of June, we have been in residence at Bard College (Fischer Center for the Arts) where we have been invited to work.  Last Wednesday night we were finally able to film all of the car scenes in Episode 7, which will be a feature length film.  We brought with us a rented Nisan Altima, a few lights, a projector, screen — and a lot of bugs.  And with 4 very game student interns proceeded to pretend as if we were driving down a freeway to New York, through a country road in Portugal, and down the mean streets of Flatbush.

Done with our first three weeks of shooting this movie – what has all been solving practical problems. It’s good to be back to almost an innocent time where you know how to do nothing, and therefore everything is a tool and an answer.

We wonder how to get the scene in the turkish bath (which is of course still our apartment…) to look more steamy, and for lack of any better knowledge or more professional equipment we make a steamer on wheels using my laundry hamper, an oven rack, a big pot and some dry ice.  One of us lies on the floor wheeling this contraption while another fans it with a piece of cardboard wafting puffs of smoke everywhere.  It all looks precarious and unprofessional.  The “steam machine” – held together with tape – as most of the rest, including facial hair.  (The spirit gum we ordered never arrived.)

The truth is that every day is another challenge and we think quickly on our feet to fix what we can.  We need lights to swirl around romantically while these two people dance?  I have some gaffers tape, and a string of christmas lights, and a broom handle. It’s supposed to be raining in this scene?  Quick — get the spray bottle!  We need first class airline food for a trip to Hungary?  And caviar?  I have some tapioca and a potato…

Now in the week before we go to Annendale-on-Hudson to finish our work, I’ve been reading Godard’s book Introduction to a True History of Cinema (just out in English from caboose) where he talks about filming his first film, À Bout de Souffle and find this something to hold on to: “What became my rule of thumb, which is simpler and lets you do something else, is to do what you can and not what you want.  To do what you want out of what you have and not dream of doing the impossible.  If you have fifty million francs and no lighting, you shoot with fifty million francs and no lighting.  And something else arises.”

Looking forward to it.

Last week we started shooting Life and TImes – Episode 7.  The movie.  The movie is all being shot in our home in Long Island City.  Right now there are 4 pairs of false teeth drying on my bathroom counter, 4 boxes of wigs, and makeup is everywhere.  As well as lights and video equipment.  The windows here have been blacked out with black plastic, so we can work without natural light.  It’s dark here most of the day.  Our cats Miles and Ancho should – if they were normal cats – be hiding under the bed by now.  But they are Nature Theater cats, and so are used to lots of singing and noise and lights and actors who bring nice snacks…