***

Next semester's 546 film will be 12 mins long - much better than the 508's she's working 
on this semester, which are limited to 5 mins, much too short to develop a meaningful 
storyline. 

Wendy heard from TAs & other students that the biggest negative to making a 546 is 
that profs get too involved, and can ruin the movie. Tania & Wendy want to go into 
the film with a well-developed plan, giving profs minimal opportunity to get involved.

Wendy feels a sense of serendipity with Tania. The whole thing came together so easily 
and naturally. 

Tania took Wendy to the athlete's cafeteria (on campus) for lunch last week. Wendy 
has been at USC for 3 years, but didn't know about the cafeteria, which has better
and healthier food than the other places on/near campus. It surprised her that she 
hadn't heard about the athlete's cafeteria before. Wendy says it's the best kept 
secret on campus. 

She told me, if her dad & brother were still alive, she take them both there for lunch, 
cuz they're both huge USC footballs fans. They'd both love it. She wonders if her dad 
(USC alumni, dentist) knew about it, or ever ate there .. if he ever sat in the chair she 
sat in.

                                                                ***

Lisa's film is ~3/4ths done. They've shot 11 rolls. Only 2 remain. They might actually 
be done shooting this weekend. If not this weekend, then Tuesday at the latest. 
Next weekend is the official pick-up weekend, but Lisa will be out of town. Wendy 
has edited all the footage developed so far.

This is a crunch weekend for Wendy. In addition to shooting Lisa's film (Fri/Sat/Sun), 
she also has to complete her part of the 546 pitch (by Monday). The pitch is expected 
to last 20 minutes. 

Wendy also has a 12-page script due Monday, that she hasn't started yet. (She'll 
start today.) The prof for this class sent students little love notes (emails), saying, 
"You've used all your excuses. I don't want to hear how you were on the set all 
weekend. If your papers are late, they'll be graded a full letter lower." Wendy is 
stressing.

Speaking of stress, two days ago, while she was backing out of the driveway, I 
noticed her right-front tired was half flat. On closer inspection, I found a a nail. 
She was in a hurry cuz she had to get to school by 5PM, to pick up the film for 
a scheduled shoot, before the store closed. She was already running late. I 
wouldn't let her take the car. She got mad, like it was my fault. 

She wanted to put air in it at the gas station down the street, & fix it later. I said, 
"There's no way you're driving that car to LA." Long story short, we had to take 
everything out of her car (camera/lighting equipment) & put it in mine. She complained 
the whole time. I could've saved her life, but she gave me nothing but grief. The next 
day, I had four new tires put on her car.

                                                                ***

During the long, weekend shoots, she's been staying at George's place, in Venice. 
George, a friend of her brothers, and long time friend of the family, lives less than 
2 blocks from Lisa's (v. convenient after shooting all night long). 

She's gonna give George's girlfriend a massage this weekend (in addition to all the 
other things she has to do), to reciprocate for George being so hospitable.

Wendy just called to say she just shot her first split-screen. That's were they block 
off the left side of the camera lens (with small piece of black cardboard), and shoot 
a certain scene. Then, rewind the film, & block off the top half, and re-shoot a diff-
erent scene. 

If it works right, you get two different scenes - on left and right of the screen - 
that somehow relate-to/contrast/play-off each other. You can also do a top/bottom 
split screen. She won't know if it worked until the film comes back from the developer.