Daviel Shy

Day one of CHICAGO SHOOT

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 18:29:00 +0000

What a great time.

Yes, the creepiest bar in the USA was a great place to begin our Chicago shoot!

Thanks a bunch to Kenny and Katie B at The L&L Tavern! Thanks to Tess (Voted Chicago Reader's BEST DJ in CHICAGO) for DJing, and to all the PARTY PEOPLE for shaking it hard even at 11am!

a very important package

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 03:32:00 +0000

Sending this out to the wonderful lab where we buy the stock, develop and transfer: Pro8mm. I call and get one of the owners, Rhonda. She is great and excited to hear about the project. SO I pack up the 27 rolls with a few pages of notes and specifications and bubble wrap, then tape it into a boot box and wrap the whole thing in pretty brown paper...

Only to find out that FedEx can't ship anything wrapped in paper. The lady apologizing, "You'll have to buy the box" when I look up and notice her name tag.

Well I tell her how happy I am that she is named Colette and what is IN the box.
"That's really cool. Sidonie Colette? I was named for her."
***
It would appear the signs are on our side.
**
Fingers crossed til it returns!
*

Reflect and Continue

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Sun, 22 Mar 2015 20:35:00 +0000

It was a whirlwind, but home we all are. and little by little, this otherlife, dreamlife of what was just lived becomes a piece of reality.

wailing words at the Seine

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Sun, 15 Mar 2015 19:46:00 +0000

The funeral scene and Paris doing her best december impersonation.

mad hatter kindnesses

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 21:55:00 +0000

Brenna, who plays Mina and I discuss the kindness of Parisians. different than nice, better. working so much, a conversation with a good friend is like gold. Gold, also, was the toilet room at the shoot location today. full metallic gold with a silver toilet. Today was tea. Tea like my favorite music video by tom petty at his creepy finest. Voilà.

total realness and extreme emotions

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 00:53:00 +0000

i began this director's notebook so that I could really chronicle this process of something I've never done before. no thing in life has prepared me for this level of exhaustion mixed with this level of gratitude. i am where i want to be, everyone is beyond extraordinary.

so, here it is. what it looks like some times. plus, i miss my love.

/in the thick\

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 11:04:00 +0000

wow oh wow.
feet are swelled and so is spirit.

Djuna Barnes walked in Paris yesterday. you may have seen her hurrying around through parks, streets and alleys. Everyone was incredible. Dolly and Natalie arrived and Shoot day two starts tonight!
I've moved to my new rooms, from one generous host to the next. Thank you already and thank you so far, my wonderful second city.

Shooting begins today

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 07:20:00 +0000

I ran out at 6:30 to catch sunrise with full moon from the top of the parc de belleville. Last night at berkeley books of paris, the film recieved its thourogh blessing from an incredible group of people and especially the bookseller, Phyllis who grew up in Logan Square. Today for the scene in Shakespeare & Co. we have one of the 500 printed self-published MATISSE PICASSO AND GERTRUDE STEIN from 1932. There's Phyllis with the book.

We've decided to use passages from Sappho via Anne Carson as the recorded vocal warmup for each member of the cast.

Good morning and here goes.

PARIS, again and at last

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 23:05:00 +0000

Having been too tired and too on the go for the first day and a half, I will catch up as best I can. 7:00pm Tuesday, leave home base in Chicago. We fly. 11:00pm Wednesday, We land.
1:00am Thursday: the four crew members unite in France and pass out. 9:30am Thursday: We try to wake up, eat, plan and get going on the first roll of of film----establishing exteriors!

still from a skype costume consultation last week

Friday early AM: On hold with Air France, waiting to add baggage to Josefin who plays Djuna's ticket. She is bringing more than half of the costumes from her collection of vintage clothes that lives in Sweden. She gets in tomorrow night, just ahead of our first shoot Sunday.

Friday Later AM: The wonderful Nicolas brings us to his office garden, where owner Cristoph will let us shoot the courtyard scene next weekend! We plan.


crew band shots

Friday PM: Scout confirm and lay out more scenes then return to one of our favorite spots, Le Barbouquin where Yohanna greets us warmly and points to the postcard we left with her in September! (you can see it to her left on the wall)

My Grandma's Attic Boutique

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 15:56:00 +0000

THIS WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS ON DIVERSEY AT WHIPPLE is everything you want in a vintage store: reasonably priced, new merchandise every week, great pieces, friendly owner. Wanda started the shop, her life's dream, in 1993. This is her with her favorite black hat, her sister, and friend in the original MGAB.

Then she got busy with raising her amazing kids and gave it up for a while, but My Grandma's Attic is now BACK, re-opened this year on Diversey near the Logan Square blue line, and it is a goddessend! She is almost always there in the back, so call the number on the front door and she will open right up for you!

Wanda is one of our generous partners on THE LADIES ALMANACK, she is donating and lending beautiful costumes to our film. We love MGAB, and you will too!!!

3022 W Diversey

Chicago, Illinois

(773) 899-5576

Like MGAB on FB

double studio day

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 19:19:00 +0000

THE PROPS ARE COMING ALONG!
First hand casting with Antoinette, I got to feel the alginate solidify around my hand and suction to my skin then wriggle out...

Then we poured in the plaster to cast my hands for the inside of the "glove" that will be the prosthetic. Great hand on hand on hand action.

The fingers can be glued back on.

Tomorrow, she will cast the hand model, Matthew Goulish for the outside of the prosthetic, using dragonskin and a vaccum chamber! The final hands will then be painted and worn like gloves moveable and functional! Thanks for the education, Antoinette!

THEN Vicky and I checked up on the Ladies Almanack version of the Romaine Brooks portrait of Una Troubridge in the studio of ROBBIE HOTCHKISS THOMPSON!

Je présente, Jean Cocteau! (sans les mains)

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Sat, 14 Feb 2015 21:03:00 +0000

Eddie Murphy's Harlem Nights really gave me the inspiration to complete Jean's look.

My requisite director's cameo, minus the prosthetic hands.

Antionette will be fashioning a set of these beauts in the weeks to come.

what to wear?

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 20:56:00 +0000

It has been a few days of costuming costuming costuming!

Visited cast members closets, former GoBang! vintage partner Hope Esser's closet, thrift stores all over town and am working on a possible deal with "My Grandma's Attic!"

bell hop on the brain

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 23:57:00 +0000

France sent her finest/ Chicago showing off

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Mon, 02 Feb 2015 16:32:00 +0000

Alexia has arrived! photo by Raphael Espinoza.

Every town has its ups and downs

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 05:46:00 +0000

I'd like to say two things about disney's robin hood:
1. one of the best soundtracks of any film, ever.
2. film funding can feel like the church in nottingham. kindness, sharing, saving but also rain, despair and that old taxman taking taking taking...
*sigh*
To report on the ups, Dennis is near-finished with the robe and it is exhuberant!!!

I actually will say more about Robin Hood. I've been thinking about this for a while now. I grew up watching disney movies almost EVERY DAY. I'm not kidding. So many, over and over and over incessantly and now, revisiting this particular one, I realize, i think i got my film sensibility from old disney films, but only in one area: PACING.

I shied away from dialogue for a long time, for some reason feeling it was scarier to write than other aspects of the film. When i used to draw comics my characters hardly ever spoke to each other. So it wasn't until the last few films that i noticed that when I hear my writing, especially in dialogue- heavy scenes, I recognize the pace as classic disney.

Costuming the Queen

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 00:59:00 +0000

or perhaps the dame, we should say. Dame Evangeline Musset aka Natalie Clifford Barney aka Brie Roland. Costume specialist Aubree Miller was indispensable today. Here's some of the bounty in the rumble seat of her fine carriage...

Aubree also provided wonderful inspiration through glimpses of her home and studio.

Here

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 00:08:00 +0000

"Here, grievances are freely expressed. You don't have to whisper them to creatures who behave as if you've invented them. Here, on the contrary, you're ready to thwart the mechanism and escape from the trap. You have fists for all those women from the other circles of Hell who have none and you're ready to use them."

-Monique Wittig, from Across the Acheron, 1987.

Zodiac complete

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 17:58:00 +0000

weeks of work and a sore hand later, completely worth it.

Home again

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 21:43:00 +0000

Setting up shop in the cold dirty dark basement, still super lucky to have our wonderful landlord Sandra, who gives us use of this space for no extra charge.

Fell asleep at 5am after embroidering all night. Did capricorn, libra, scorpio and half of Saggitarus before sleep caught me. Dennis, who has offered his sewing expertise for the robe, needs these panels by yesterday. Five and a half more to go...

sector: day eighteen

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Sat, 10 Jan 2015 00:56:00 +0000

My last day here. Little Grey the cat is staring out at the snow. I caught a glimpse of the sunrise from that same window this morning. This time has been truly a gift. Soon I will transfer the workspace to my basement. If you are in Chicago in the next few weeks, come by and I'll put you to work.

notes

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Sat, 10 Jan 2015 00:56:00 +0000

Berthe notes

Liane, trio in hotel

Djuna studies

Sector: day seventeen

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 07:04:00 +0000

lessons of the cancer moon:

Ive lost a day or two on here but in real life quite the opposite. I've had some incredibly productive and inspiring meetings. Vicky, as if she was not doing enough, took on the research for historically accurate props, like a train ticket or how were manscripts bound in 1928?

Lin came for tea and saw everything, diving in with the most pointed and affirming questions. We talked about Wittig's writing, equally poetic political and formal, and today on the train I began the essay she wrote while translating Barnes!

much progress. humble joy. fear and growth.

Josefin and I talked over skype at some ungoddessly hour in Sweden. We went over script notes and changes in characters dress, mannerisms, way. She suggests Romaine wear brown contacts, an idea so disturbing to my senses it may be perfect. She has some leads for the missing locations that I am crossing my fingers for.

Getting ready to lay out the entire sound scheme with Rory and looking forward to Stephanie's arrival, my two days with our Natalie to do individual notes, and then Alexia's month here.

Sector: day fourteen

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 05:33:00 +0000

almost to tired for eyes to be open but much has happened in the directors chambers. meetings, brainstorms, embroidery, maps, lists, wigs planned and wigs postponed. the realness becoming realer just as the air gets too cold thought of embroidering in the bath but it hasn't gotten that far yet.

sector: day thirteen

noreply@blogger.com (Daviel Shy) — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:21:00 +0000