i woke up at 10 min. to 8am with butterflies in my stomach today. and then had diarrhea. sorry if that's t.m.i. but, it's real. it took me back to college, where i used to always get it before a theatre performance... no matter what... didn't matter how well i knew my lines, how confident i was... i'd always have to completely clear my gut before getting on stage. bizarre... so today was a flash from the past. maybe it's because i haven't acted for a while... i guess it's been about a year, my last efforts being my cameo in The Seed, the film i shot in Ethiopia... coming soon. (still working on the soundtrack.) So, the day started with some anxiety. I was at Adia's crib last night until 2:30am shooting her and ase dance company sewing their Oshun dresses and talking about the fate of the company for the ongoing Ase Dance Theatre Collective documentary, or for posterity... we'll see what happens. I rolled out and picked up my brotha Jonny Sheehan, one of my oldest friends, since we were 17, n shit... He agreed to work the camera while i'm in front of it. We picked up Aicha Cisse, my lead, and headed to Grand Army Plaza Water Fountain, at prospect park in Brooklyn. Aicha was wearing a yellow dress, which was a concern if the Oshun dancers came too yellow, but it all worked out. We ran through the lines, and i felt reassured that i had cast the first time actress, because she has a real natural feel for the role. Adia Whitaker and her crew showed up right as we felt confident we had the scene blocked and ready. The sun was in the wrong place... right over head, but folks had other commitments, so we had to make due. it was the first time i've used these new 32gig P2 cards, and there was a little anxiety there too. the footage is lush... can't wait to see how it projects. the pacing went well. we fought with traffic and fountain noises a little at first, but got through. it helps that Jonny worked as a sound man for years, since we had no sound recordist... i'm telling you, this is my no budget film that couldn't wait. Aicha is studying at Colombia U, and is overwhelmed during the school year, and some of my actors are about to turn SAG, so this was my last chance to shoot a no budget, non SAG film with this group of folks. Once we shot the scene where my character meets Aicha's character for the first time on a salty note... i picked up the camera as Jonny had to go take his son to a birthday party. I shot the Oshun Dancers dancing beside the fountain, as tourists took photos with their camera phones and digital cameras and the crescendo was when Adia broke out the honey and got really Ye Ye O with honey pouring all over them while they danced and carried on. As we ended the scene, Adia put some honey on my cheeks that i latter would accidentally smear on women's cheeks as i kissed them hello.
"Let's Stay Together" has begun. Now it's about getting Al Green... He plays Carnegie Hall on Friday, and i'm on a mission to get him on camera...
