The first day of shooting in Pennsylvania went better than expected. I had feared that our caravan of massive vehicles wouldn't be able to negotiate the narrow rural roads where we were working, but the professionals in our crew had dealt with this sort of problem before and were unfazed.
We started the day with the yard sale scene, which went off very well: Danny Decker, the family friend whom my mother had cast as the yard sale man without my having seen him, turned out to be a natural in front of the camera. I didn't have a clue how that scene was going to come out, and I feel immensely relieved.
Edith had to cry on camera today. It was difficult for her, and the only really good take was marred by the reflection of my head in a passing car, but I was still excited by the results. Somehow I feel terribly involved with my characters this time around, more than on my last film. When Edith and Dylan had their first kiss last Tuesday, I was so hypnotized that I could barely yell "Cut." And Edith's tears today almost made me cry. I think I'm turning into a softie in my old age.
An intense social scene evolved here within hours after we arrived. The cast and crew sit by the lakeside from the end of shooting to late in the night, drinking, laughing, and listening to music. Everyone will look back on this as a special time. It's a good thing, I suppose. I don't feel a part of it. Unlike everyone else, I start slipping into a coma as soon as the shooting day is over. I guess I really don't mind being on the outside--it's not my time to be carefree.
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