You Know, These Things Are Always More Taxing Than I Remember

Back in the hotel room after two days’ shooting, and at this point, I’m ready for a little nap. All told, the days have gone well — we’re getting some pretty good footage, particularly the ever-elusive B-roll. I think the main difference this time around is we’re getting shots with plenty of people in them, instead of just locations and equipment. Strange, in that this case has a substantially greater focus on technology than earlier ones. The one thing we haven’t been able to get is a decent shot of the Brooklyn Bridge — and it didn’t seem worth a trip into Manhattan and back during rush hour just to get it.

Brooklyn’s... well... about what I expected (once I got the theme from Welcome Back, Kotter out of my head). There have been high points — driving in a heavily hasidic community has been an eye-opener — and low — a particularly underwhelming dinner at New York landmark Gage & Tollner (good food, lousy service). Driving around (we opted to rent a car rather than cab it) hasn’t been any worse than what I’m used to in D.C., though some of the local idiosyncrasies have been amusing to note — the rampant double-parking, the omnipresent honking of horns for no readily apparent reason. The traffic has been alarmingly thick at times (it took us longer to get from the airport to the hotel than for the entire D.C-to-New York flying process), but Brenda’s been there to comfort us. And at the end of the day... well, it was a hoot to finally see Flatbush Avenue.

So tonight I’ve got to get cracking on a script for the next video to be shot (for which we just got word that our anticipated “special guest star” will be making an appearance) so they’ll have at least something to work with while I’m on vacation. Then one more day of shooting here and it’s back home; we may be able to catch an earlier shuttle, but given how long it took us to get from the airport, I’m not counting on it.

In any case, right now, that nap awaits...