Typical Day
It’s 11am and Cad Doodler pulls up in his vintage, hunter green Jaguar at the home of his good buddy and famous film director, Biggie Bucks. They’ve planned a Sunday brunch to discuss their next movie, a futuristic space musical, set on a frozen planet where no one can hear you scream or sing.
Cad and Biggie have been friends since their time at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, where Cad was getting his graduate degree in production design and Biggie was a snotty undergrad with a bad goatee and a fabulous comic book collection. They’ve been inseparable ever since.
The two men spend the entire afternoon discussing what exactly a group of doomed, singing astronauts would look like on a spaceship hurtling through space. Also of concern, what do asteroids look like once they enter black holes? Now, that they think of it, what does a black hole even look like? And what about the songs? Would it be weird if the astronauts all sang “Single Ladies?”
Cad and Biggie argue about the physics of sound waves and their visual effects on planets in space. They grapple with issues like the twin paradox, how ice might look on another planet (like toffee, perhaps?), and if water would look different on Mars.
At one point, Biggie calls in one of the most notable scientists on the planet, hoping he can shed some light on Einstein’s theory of, well, light, and how that could affect a critical scene in which a major character has to sing while being sucked out of a wormhole. The scientist is happy to help and doesn’t mind taking time out of his busy day, as his role as a consultant will net him a cash bonus that will pay for a new swimming pool and a new air conditioner for his home laboratory.
Throughout the meeting, Cad takes notes on his laptop and sketches on his tablet. The men speak fast, and it’s tough to keep pace as all the ideas spill out of them. It’s important that Cad doesn’t miss a beat, as he has to make sure that the visuals not only work for the film, but are as accurate as possible so that the science community won’t make fun of him too much when the movie comes out.
Cad spends the afternoon drawing up blueprints and plans. He loves his work and feels so lucky that he gets to spend his days collaborating with such smart people.
At around 5pm, Cad, Biggie, and the scientist call it a day...and a productive day it’s been. They’ve come up with ideas for two great scenes in the movie, as well as some overlying concepts to use throughout the production design. The only problem is that there’s two more hours of film left to worry about.
Cad gets into his car and immediately calls Guy Saidso. Guy is Cad’s favorite art director and he’s just signed on to work with him again. The two make a great team, and best of all, Guy doesn’t mind working late. Cad tells Guy to meet him at his home office, where they can go over everything he learned today.
Once home, Cad feeds his cat, orders a pizza, and goes online to pull up reference material and images to prepare for that night’s meeting.
When Guy arrives, Cad is knee-deep in research material and the two get right to it. They’re up until 1am, brainstorming ideas as to how they’re going to make all of this happen, how much it will cost, who they should hire to make the props, who should design the sets, and who they should hire for the CGI. Figuring out who to work with is a snap, as they usually hire the same people they’ve worked with on past projects.
Cad’s in charge, but Guy is the one who will actually have to give instructions to the crew and work with them, so it’s important that both men approve of the team. The whole process is very collaborative and it's critical for everyone to be on the same page (and, you know, get along).
At 1am, the two men have made a ton of progress, but are exhausted. (Hey, it’s 1am, cut them some slack.) They finish off the rest of the (now cold) pizza and make plans to get together the next afternoon, once Guy has had a chance to make some calls and meet with the producers about the budget. This little break is much needed, as Cad will need the time to work on the other scenes in the script.
The scope of the project on day one seems enormous, but Cad isn’t worried. He loves his job, which is a good thing because when he’s working on a film there’s no time for anything or anyone else. He can’t imagine how anyone with a spouse or a family could put up with the kind of hours expected of him.....it’s a good thing his cat doesn’t mind.