Set Diary -- Friday, August 10

Dear Set Diary,

“Her raven hair flew by as the room fell silent.”

This is how Gloria Muzio asks me to describe her.  As she says this, she’s adjusting a scene in the Walker living room featuring Sally Field, Dave Annable, Rachel Griffiths, Ron Rifkin and Balthazar Getty. 

Gloria, erstwhile beauty of the NY theatre scene, is directing episode 202, entitled “An American Family.”   In this installment of the Walker family saga, Nora buys a local gourmet food market, Tommy and Holly sleep together, McCallister is convicted of election fraud and Saul converts to Islam.  A lot for true fans of the show to take in, but we think you can handle it.

Today is Day 8, the second to last shoot day, and we joke – well, I’m not joking, actually – that when she’s finished we’ll have to go for a martini.  “That’ll have to be Monday night,” she says.  “I start ‘Saving Grace’ on Tuesday.”

As Gloria runs back to the set to talk to Sally, I look around.  We’re in video village, and we’ve got the usual army of brilliant, talented and quirky folks percolating away in their chairs.  Don’t misunderstand – making a scene work under deadline requires incredible focus on everyone’s part.  But these are 13-hour days.  When you have downtime, you do best to let your mind regroup. 

So Rachel Griffiths sits nearby flipping hastily through Garden Magazine.  Molly Newman, who cowrote this episode (as well as six during season 1), fiddles absently with a mechanical pencil. 

Left of the director’s chair, Margery Kimbrough, our script supervisor, makes indecipherable markings on her script.  Michael Morris, producer and Englishman, listens to his iPhone and fills in the Times crossword.  Sensing me on his periphery, he turns around, visually processes the pad and pen in my hand, and asks, rather dryly, “You doing a blog?”  Off my nod, he turns back around, shaking his head.  “Bloody hell.”

Now Gloria blows back in, her extraordinary Sicilian passion infusing the air with volcanic possibility…and she strikes up a conversation with a female crewmember she’s worked with.  “You don’t remember me,” she says, “but we shot one day of CSI together.  Remember that snake?  That swallowed the girl?”  The woman nods.

It occurs to me in this moment that what I love about set, in part, is what I love about Los Angeles – namely, the peaceful and even symbiotic coexistence of the mundane and the outlandish – but before I can linger in this moment, Gloria yells “Action!” and I’m suddenly watching our marvelous actors do a take. 

In the scene, Nora is doing her best to keep Justin away from strenuous activity, and he’s getting pretty fed up.  After Gloria calls “Cut,” she and Michael have a brief discussion about a look that Dave is giving Sally. 

“See, it was a little severe there,” he says.  “We don’t want to go there yet.”  This is one of the fascinating things about set – the loving scrutiny of emotional detail.  In fact, the expression on Dave’s face could make or break your investment in this story.  Gloria agrees and heads off to tell Dave to tone down the severe. 

With her sweeping exit, an icy calm descends on video village… and I head off to craft services, leaving behind a casual discussion of how much one ought to bid for a tennis match v John McEnroe. 

Faithfully, lovingly,
Dan

Comments

[Kate]

Tommy and Holly...you're kidding right?!?

You can never really tell with spoilers.

Cause Tommy and Holly would be 50 million different levels of gross. Not including the fact that she was with his dad for like 20 years.

So really, are you kidding??

Anyway, that's for the blog, it's nice to hear about what's going on :)

[Tasha]

(In this installment of the Walker family saga, Nora buys a local gourmet food market, Tommy and Holly sleep together, McCallister is convicted of election fraud and Saul converts to Islam. A lot for true fans of the show to take in, but we think you can handle it.)

That was funny,Dan!! Tommy and Holly together is soooo wrong!

[Tasha]

The set sounds like an awesome place to work! One of my dreams is to be a cast regular on a great TV show like Brothers and Sisters, I hold out no hope of this ever happening, but it sure would be great!!! Everytime I read this blog I wish I was there on the Brothers and Sisters set. What a way to make a living, damn!
Lucky ********!!!

[will]

Dan:
Love your lush, overblown, dramatic sensibility ("...infusing the air with volcanic possibility...", "With her sweeping exit, an icy calm descends..."). Your blog kind of reminds me of that Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest.

About the B&S "online store".... I see that Nora is being given implausible accesories to wear.... Her fashion style biography makes her out to be a 1950's sitcom mother, perfectly groomed & sweeping into the living room: "...classic outfits...simple black dress....timeless elegance...Always dressed for the occasion, her style fits well with her character as a graceful warm housewife."

Yet the "online store" gives her accesories to wear such as a "Chakra Flower Chain" by "Me & Ro" which can be purchased for $2345.00....and a caption helpfully descibes this jewelry: "...has several spaced gold discs engraved with the Sahasrara Chakra: Here enlightened ones abide in unity with the self. This is where the need to understand the completeness of life and the universe is formed."

Now, I have no problem with Nora being New Age-y & going to palm readers - & buying "chakra jewelry" for that matter. But a $2345.00 price tag?? Nora would absolutely rebel at this intersection of commerce & Rodeo Drive spirituality. It kind of reminds me of the Hassidic jews in West Hollywood who walk around in $4000.00 designer silk orthodox clothing. Something seems off-kilter.

[MJJJ]

You must be kidding with the Holly and Tommy. I would not put it past Holly to nail her claw into him... but it is drama. Even Saul committing to Islam... It is a joke.

I cannot wait for Season 2. Thank you for sharing the creative process behind such an entertaining show!! Show more pictures behind the scenes...please!!!!

[Kir (London UK)]

Next time you see Dave, remind him he's gorgeous from me!

Good luck with Series Deux kids, I'm all the way over the other side of the pond so I bet I'll have to wait until 2008 to see it. Quelle dommage.

[David Barahona-Herrera]

I don't know if this is the right place to say this but...here it goes: I HAVE NEVER LOVED A SHOW THIS MUCH IN AGES!!!!! It keeps me company and I am just another one of the family. I realize how corny this sounds, yet is so true. All my love from Spain.

David

[Rania]

Ummm ... HWHAT ?? But that would be like a Reaaaal Twist ..Why Not ..Thats the New Age Drama..yes? I dare You Dan.;-)

Guys if you don't mind ..posting pics of matthew Rhys..Pleeease.

[sonia]

i love brothers and sisters!!! please put back together sarah and joe!!!

love from spain!!!!!!!