Production Day Two

Monday, Nov 15

Our first day at our main location in Belvedere, generously provided by my friends Betsy and John. We started out upstairs, dressing the kitchen, dining room and living room. Part of that included taking down the prominent painting (which we don’t have rights to) in the dining room, and when I saw that big blank wall I realize how much better it would be to have something there. Had a sudden long-shot idea and called my friend Tony Grant, who manages the work of his father, the late San Francisco abstract painter and sculptor James Grant. Tony was completely enthusiastic and generous, and we dispatched Ben in a wild last-minute trip down to S.F. – he was back with just minutes to spare, in time for us to put a James Grant painting up for the shot where we needed it, the second setup of the morning.

Cathy, Don, and James Grant’s “Untitled”

Today was deliberately planned as a simple day with just two actors (Don and Cathy) and very little dialogue, but many of the scenes turned out to be surprisingly affecting due to the actors bringing marvelous, unexpected depth and subtleties. On top of that, many of Lincoln’s shots have a surprising emotional punch of their own, visually. The crew continues to grow together and everyone is in great spirits.

Finished just slightly over time again. Completely wired in the evening; spent time working on Photoshopping Cathy and Don photos together to create the “young Tom and Mary” pictures we’ll see in the opening scene.