Bought a Tascam DA-P1 DAT machine from B&H Photo & Video from New York for $1364.40. I've been savings up for this puppy over the past few months because I knew that I needed it. I had orginally tested an older Sony D3 DAT walkman unit. I had run some audio with this style of DAT machine when I did my film tests.

There's an issue wether a non-timecode DAT machine can be used for film work. After running two minutes of film, this machine was only off by 2 frames. Some people had said on rec.movies.sound.production that this would be unacceptable, I said that 2 frames is a cinch to fix on a non-linear editing system. You can buy a Sony D3 walkman style DAT on ebay for about $250. The problem I see with them is that they have crappy, 1/8" audio inputs, only record at 48k, the mic pre-amps are noticabley NOISEY as all hell, and have no phantom power. You COULD use one of these on a film shoot. I figured I can use a good DAT machine for my biz (tax write-off), and I'd be happy with a better quality item. (Note: "quality item" is a subjective phrase. Most pro audio guys would call the Tascam unit a piece of shit. Time code DAT machines START at around 3 grand. I ain't gonna spend 3 grand on a tape recorder.)

The Tascam DA-P1 has XLR inputs w. phantom power, records at 44.1 and 48k. There is no time-code with this unit, but that doesn't bother me. It's real easy to sync stuff up on a non-linear system, and my camera can't deal with timecode anyways. So there. :-P

November 20, 1999 - Cara Maria O'Shea from New York auditions. (First one.)

She gets the part of the Mystery Girl. I was amazed that I got a bunch of people from New York sending me headshots and wanting to audition. Cara seemed totally into it, I needed someone pretty and peppy for the ending, so bang, she's in. I figure I only need her for one day of shooting, so the New York thing didn't seem really that much of an issue. Check out her dressed as Metrogirl on her little webpage here, pretty funny.

December 3, 1999 - Deirdre Williams auditions.

Deirdre Williams auditions for the part of Tammy, the annoying computer date (with the money hair do.) Diredre is one hot shit. Just take a look at this e-mail excerpt from this time period:

 

To: Deirdre@spam.com

From: Eric Bickernicks (spam@mediaone.net)

Subject: Re: alt.looking.for.script

>Yo Home Skillet >

>I'll be working with the Emerson crowd Saturday and Sunday. If you're looking to audition people together ( which you said, I think...? )<

ROTFL! Anyone with goofy shots in their photo *AND* starting an e-mail with "Yo Home Skillet" *HAS* to be alright in my book. :-) (but see who far this will get ya with the Dreamworks crowd! heh-heh)

>Please send me the part for Tammy. I've got Class and Glamor sussed. (at the >very least I won't be giving someone a blow job. jeeziss! what a show.<

Hey wait a sec...that's a SIMULATED blowjob. Embarrassing head bobbing, that's it....you know...all in the name of art. :-)

How could anyone think that she would NOT "get it?" :)

December 15, 1999 - Placed MFO ad.

Placed basically the same ad looking for people on the Massachusetts Film Hotline page. The responses from the New England Film site started to slow down, so I decided to throw a large net and see who I could catch.

December 30, 1999 - Phil Rectra audition.

He gets the part. Phil sent me e-mail asking if I'd consider a half asian guy for the role of Tariq, verses an Indian or black guy. At this point, I wasn't getting any Indian or Black guys who lived close-by or who I thought sounded interesting. He mentioned that he has cracked people up at his office by doing an over-blown chinese waiter accent. I thought maybe that could work. My only concern was that he didn't look asian ENOUGH. (Phil is only half Philippiano) More importantly, the Phil character shouldn't have ANY accent when he normally speaks, which Phil obviously didn't. When Phil did his phony accent during the reading, we nearly pissed our pants. He was in.

January 3, 2000 - Kim Lannon & Lauren Verge auditions.

Both get parts. I tried to aviod having a pre-concieved notion of what certain characters should look like. (Beggars can't be choosers.) But I did feel that the Irene character should LOOK physically imposing, someone who can thrown their weight and looks around. It just felt that someone who was tall would seem better for the part. (I also got it into my head that someone with dark hair would be better too. Gee, does Linda Fiorentino in "The Last Seduction" or Katherin Keener in "Being John Malkovitch" come to mind?) Lauren was the one!

Take a look at a comment she sent me on Jan 6, 1999:

<<< Yea..I thought someone who would go for the role would be concerned about the "simulated sex" scenes.<<

Well, I wouldn't ask any actor to do anything that I wouldn't do...and I'm VERY heterosexual. All the "naughty" shots are from the point of view of a webcam or camcorder...on a long shot. No genitals, no nudity, no nothing...just embarrassing head bobbing which would simulate the act. I could storyboard the sequences down to the shot and clearly show what's needed.

>>Fair enough! Keep me posted,...>smirk< ... I can see it now...this "little film" becomes the next "Blair Witch" ...and I'm branded the blowjob queen of Boston. Ah well....such is life. I'll be the next Linda Fiorentino. LOL

Lauren <<

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