You asked for it, you got it
End of week 5 on the Austenland movie set. I can scarcely believe it. 7 weeks seemed so long. Now that I've gotten over the hump, I feel as if there is barely any time left. Some of the regular cast members only work 2 days this week and then wrap. We're that close to the end. I'll be very happy to be home with my whole family in my own house and get back into a routine. But this time has been such an unexpected gift. I feel so honored and humbled to have it. I'm looking forward to two more weeks to bask in the loveliness of wonderfully talented people working together to make something cool.
I promised some question answering! No more dithering.
From Jared Hess's mom: "Jared had a great English accent. Has it come back?" He does a flawless English accent, to my ears anyway. He can do any voice. He's magic. I love your son! Good job, Mama Hess.
From Caro: "Doesn't your butt get sore from sitting all day long? Sorry, I guess what I really mean to ask is whether or not you sit all day long, or if you get breaks specifically for walking around and not getting sore." Harder are the days when I don't get a chair. I get so sore from standing all day! At least with a chair I can take stretch breaks. We're working on an English estate, so there are 5 minute walks from unit base to the set and back again a few times each day. At first I was too embarrassed to do some yoga stretches in front of everyone, but now I just stretch away. Thank you for kind concern regarding my butt. And I thought nobody cared.
From Hydecodesigns: "I don't suppose you could drop a hint about where exactly you're filming?" I'm sorry, I can't! I have to be so careful not to reveal anything I shouldn't. I'm lucky to be here. I don't want them to regret inviting me! But even if you knew where we're filming, you couldn't come onto set, so it'd be a waste of time. I've only been able to bring my sitter of 5 weeks onto set twice, and then only for a few minutes.
From Nancy:
"1. Is there a release date for the movie yet?"
No, not yet. I don't think we'll know any of those details for a few months maybe? Honestly I'm new to this and am not sure.
"2. Do you get a "Director's Cut" (or rather "Author's Cut" version of it before all of the editing rips out scenes that you love?"
Ha! No. The writer is rarely a part of the movie making process besides writing the screenplay. I'm very lucky to be on set for the entire shoot. But I have confidence in the director that if she cuts a scene from the movie, it's for the overall best. When writing, I cut scenes I love all the time because pacing or something doesn't work. Maybe if a scene has to be cut it'll still make the DVD extras.
"3. If you do get one of these versions of the film, can others living in Utah come over and watch it?"
You are so sweet to even assume I'm important enough to get to edit my own version of a movie! I doubt any movie ever has had an "author's version." I guess the author's version would be the screenplay.
From Emma: "Hey, Shannon, any idea what the movie rating (PG, PG-13, R?) will possibly be?" I don't know, but I would guess PG or PG-13. Content level is quite comparable to the book. I'm sure it won't be R.
From Rachel: "Do you know who is going to do the score?" No, not yet.
From Summergirl:
"1. Is your baby-sitter under 18/high school graduate?" She is 17 and has been sitting for me for the past 4 years. I cannot sing her praises highly enough. Other moms out there know what I mean, when you find a golden babysitter, you do whatever it takes to keep her! And keep her happy.
"2. Do you read all the comments?" I do. I think I do. I might miss some sometimes. I usually don't see comments on older posts.
From many commenters: "Is the movie similar to the book?" It is very similar to the book. There are changes, of course. Sometime I'll do a blog post about adapting book to film. I feel great about the changes. Nothing majorly important to me in the book was cut out of the screenplay, and we added lots of bits that I'm very happy with. I hope you will be too!
From Alicia: "Are you nervous at all? So many movies are poorly made--how did you trust that these filmmakers would be true to your story, in addition to the fact that you are a screenwriter?" Co-writing the screenplay was huge for me. I was very much a partner in the entire screenwriting process. But a movie is in the director's hands, as it should be. I cannot control that part of the process. But I knew Jerusha and I knew her past works, and I felt confident in putting the story in her hands. And after the first few days of watching filming, any nervousness that might have been lurking inside me vanished.
From Celia Rangtisch: "You have mentioned bits and pieces of the costumes but only the generic -bonnets, breeches, etc. Are you allowed to mention anything more about them? Are they pretty accurate to the period?" We're doing an Austen-inspired movie. It's not a historical, so there's room to play. I love how the costumes are expressive of the characters. I'm excited for everyone to see all the details, like costumes and set design, that I've been marveling over for the past few weeks.
From Jeanna: "How long will you be shooting?" Seven weeks. Two more weeks of filming to go.
Calliope1of9: "Also I'm wondering if you're starting to see more and more parallels between your life and Becky Jack's?" HA! Oh man, the crazy ways life imitates art. I'll have to do a post on this sometime.
MelissaPete and others: "Will you do a cameo?" Check. Who knows if I'll show up in the final? But yes, I've put on a costume and pranced about the set.
I probably missed some questions, sorry. Some I can't answer. Ask more if you've got them and I'll do my best. If you have burning questions, the best thing to do would be to come hear me speak when I do book events this winter for Midnight in Austenland, and I'll sing like a canary. I do have stories to tell!