It was getting late at the Semoran Skateway (2670 Cassel Creek Blvd, Casselberry, FL). Writer, Director Tracey Jane and her intrepid film crew had one more scene to shoot in the Skate Room.
I was a bit daunted at the prospect of sketching the skate room since there were literally hundreds of pairs of skates tucked away in all the cubby holes. I asked Tracey if I would have enough time to do a sketch. My thought was that I needed at least 2 hours but they were shooting just one scene.
In this scene the protagonist, Teen Birdie (Grace Violla) was struggling to untie her skate. She was visibly upset. Later that evening when it was about 4am in the morning Tracey laughed at me saying, ” and you thought you wouldn’t have enough time to sketch.” I clearly do not have any concept of how long it takes to shoot a scene. Liv, Birdie’s best friend, (Payton Hubert) entered the scene. She had on a pair of metallic blue pants that definitely hearkened back to the flamboyant fashions of the 1980s.
Grace did an amazing job of remaining visibly upset despite the multiple takes of shots. There were other skaters behind her on the bench and they had to get out of the shot to let the drama play out between the two actresses. The boom operator was doing his job for the very first time. He had to be reminded once to raise the mic a bit higher to get it out of a shot. The lighting tech had the difficult job of keeping a white cloth diffuser raised over his head to soften the spot light. His arm must have gotten tired.
My fountain pen ran out of ink, so I switched over to colored pencil to sketch the skates. I was worried I might be visible in the shot where Liv enters the skate room doorway. She was right next to me. Tracey who was looking at the monitor assured me I was out of the shot. Then she made a piece sign and leaved forward a few inches from me and her fingers entered the shot on the monitor. I smiled and made sure to sketch while seated bold upright.
The scene didn’t play out straight through. A series of close up shots were done as Teen Birdie struggled with her skate laces. Tracey Jane stepped in when it was time to block out the action and dialogue between the actresses. She had a vision of what she wanted to happen and just needed to be sure everyone was on the same page. Clear communication on an active, fast paced film set, is critical. Besides the drama unfolding in each scene being shot, the collaborative artistic drama behind the scenes is just as exciting.
A final scene unfolded when Teen Birdie’s mom, Grace (Audra Darbyshire) entered. She knew her daughter was upset and hoped she could reach out and help, but Birdie felt too crushed and sullen. She stormed off , leaving mom confused and heart broken. My sketch was a wrap and I decided I would not attempt a second pass at sketching the skate room, so I packed up my art supplies and quietly slipped out. I had a 30 mile drive back up to Yalaha which was itself an adventure, driving through some of the thickest fog I have ever experienced. I just had to trust there was a road ahead of me. When I got back to the studio at around 5am, I imagined that the film crew was probably still hard at work at the Semoran Skateway.