Sunday, June 20, 2010

Everyone's a movie maker

I was told that 18 movies are being made in Detroit this summer and 2 in Hollywood. Who knew? Here on the ground we are scrambling to pull it together. I'm supplying 5 or 6 right now, looking for stuff, keeping design projects on track, running the store with my crackshot team, lots of deadlines. I tell my sister, the chef, that it's like constantly being on the line preparing Saturday night dinner. I learned from my set decorator pal Selina, you get up early to get things done. I could script a documentary about my last two weeks. Here's how my shot list might begin. 1. 6-6-10. Late night, darkened bedroom, see me throwing clothes in a bag, barking orders to rick and wyatt. I was suppose to organize props for Monday when I got the call. Not good. I gotta drop everything and head across the state. My brother-in-law, kingpin of the Heritage enterprise, is having bypass surgery on his leg. My sister Lia is exhausted and worried. The $90mil thriller breathing down my back and casual apparel's new salvage look at Saks 5th Ave will have to be managed from the road, see cel and laptop go into briefcase 2. 6-7-10 camera looking over driver's shoulder: it's me on the phone. I drive a short distance and park, race through my grocery store(shout out to www.holidaymarket.com) grabbing gourmet items. Rule #1: where there's a crisis, a Gaggino is cooking. 3. see me fill a cooler, jump back in van 3. car drives short distance to library. Rule#2: Gaggino women are either talking and laughing or they're crying. I get a Sedaris book on CD for inspiration: 3 hour surgery+ 2 hour recovery, I'll need a few hours of material to entertain Lia 4. trauma waiting room hectic with people, shot of clock 4:00pm. pan to me, Lia, her bff Reggie, her daughter Elyse, table is set, everyone's eating, talking and laughing loudly 6. dark windows, trauma care empty except one guy asleep in a chair, pan to clock: 11:30pm. It's not going well. There in a heap, the three Gagginos. see rule #2. 7. surgeon walks slowly out double doors towards us, face tired, serious. 8. shot of clock 1:00am. Crap everywhere, Gaggino's wasted. Surgeon in scrubs, walks with vigor, Lia is up. Good news! They save Rodger's leg. Lia gets her sanity. I'd be happy with 6 hours of sleep 9. Me and Lia in her bed, clock says 4:30am, still stuck on rule #2. It's the let down after the stress...a Gaggino response, I get it, pet her hair and shhsh her. 10. Daytime in trauma care room, cooler is restocked, Rodger in bed joking, we talk shop. 11. Nap time, Lia comes willingly. 12. One stop before I gotta go home. 13. Inside The Heritage Co., flagship store. I'm hauling stuff for my store out to the van. 12. cut to van clock, 7:00pm, 2 more hours until I'm home.. now that's raw footage.