Yesterday I kidnapped my lead actress, Lizet Benrey, and we headed down (or is it up?) to Los Angeles to meet with our other lead actor, Jose Yenque, and our costume designer, Anthony Sartino. I have to say, I came home exhausted, got my 8 hours of sleep, and I still feel like I'm walking on a cloud. What a fantastic trip we had!
First off, we had a rehearsal with Jose. He and Lizet play the magician and magician's assistant (also husband and wife). Jose has had a wealth of film experience (we'll be posting his impressive bio very soon), and Lizet's training has been extensive. I have to say, it gave me goosebumps to watch them become their characters. I know I've said that before, but this was without props, without scripts, without costumes, without anything. They just started with a few lines from the script, then went off into improvisations that made me believe I was watching a magic couple having a conversation, laughing, arguing, cajoling, and all the other things that happen when couples talk. We also snapped a few pictures of them together, and I have to say, if I didn't know better, I would think they were a young couple in love. Now that's acting!
First off, we had a rehearsal with Jose. He and Lizet play the magician and magician's assistant (also husband and wife). Jose has had a wealth of film experience (we'll be posting his impressive bio very soon), and Lizet's training has been extensive. I have to say, it gave me goosebumps to watch them become their characters. I know I've said that before, but this was without props, without scripts, without costumes, without anything. They just started with a few lines from the script, then went off into improvisations that made me believe I was watching a magic couple having a conversation, laughing, arguing, cajoling, and all the other things that happen when couples talk. We also snapped a few pictures of them together, and I have to say, if I didn't know better, I would think they were a young couple in love. Now that's acting!
After the rehearsal, Anthony Sartino (our GENIUS costume designer, whose bio is also coming soon) met up with us to show us some costumes he'd found at the most amazing place I've ever seen. Now, I'm a girl, and I love clothes, and this place was like nothing I'd ever even imagined. Rows and rows of clothes, shoes, hats, jewelry, and what not, up stairs, around corners, in every color and size and style you could imagine. Seriously, if you don't have a sherpa to guide you through the place, you should bring some breadcrumbs and leave a trail. It is literally a labyrinth of clothing.
Anyway, Anthony pulled out several pieces, and to be honest, any of them would have been perfect for my movie. We picked some spectacular pieces, and I can't wait to see them on my actors. These are the kind of costumes that really bring a film to life. Then he took us to his closet of pieces he had designed or collected himself, and I swear it was like a magic closet that didn't contain a single ugly piece of clothing. I wish I had a closet like that. Seriously. He pulled out a beautiful leather coat, a velvet tie, another tie I don't even know how to describe, a pair of pants, another pair of pants, another coat, another coat, and I thought I was going to faint. By the time he was finished, I was threatening to steal it and never come back! He also brought out scarves and swatches of fabric, twisted them around his torso and made them look like a million bucks. Then he would casually say, "Add some bracelets and something around the ankle, maybe a brooch, and there you go." It was like magic.
My takeaway from the day: I wish I could take Anthony everywhere with me so I'll always look fabulous.
But instead, he's making my film look fabulous. I'll take that, too. Thanks, Anthony!
Anyway, Anthony pulled out several pieces, and to be honest, any of them would have been perfect for my movie. We picked some spectacular pieces, and I can't wait to see them on my actors. These are the kind of costumes that really bring a film to life. Then he took us to his closet of pieces he had designed or collected himself, and I swear it was like a magic closet that didn't contain a single ugly piece of clothing. I wish I had a closet like that. Seriously. He pulled out a beautiful leather coat, a velvet tie, another tie I don't even know how to describe, a pair of pants, another pair of pants, another coat, another coat, and I thought I was going to faint. By the time he was finished, I was threatening to steal it and never come back! He also brought out scarves and swatches of fabric, twisted them around his torso and made them look like a million bucks. Then he would casually say, "Add some bracelets and something around the ankle, maybe a brooch, and there you go." It was like magic.
My takeaway from the day: I wish I could take Anthony everywhere with me so I'll always look fabulous.
But instead, he's making my film look fabulous. I'll take that, too. Thanks, Anthony!
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