All in a day's work

Well, halfway there. Sean and Curtis are now holed up with about 45 minutes' worth of video, trying to whittle it down to five or six minutes. That should take them late into the night, and they'll probably be working up until the last minute tomorrow -- they always seem to have problems sending these short films from the computer to the DVD printer. My job was to provide lunch for 19 people, so my work here is pretty much done.

The genre Biscuits & Gravy drew is silent film. The required character is Chris (or Christine) Murray, a captain. The required prop is a rope. The required line of dialogue is, "Let's just say: Mission accomplished." The idea we came up with last night is this: an armed forces "hygiene" film for American enlisted men in France, 1919. Basically, "We've liberated the French! Here are some handy tips for enjoying your debauched leave safely." Sean and Curtis are planning to use title cards and to sepia tint the whole film; they'll probably go with ragtime music throughout.

Here are a few pictures I took on the set today:

Tricia, semi-made up as a French whore, prepares to touch up Jonny's makeup while Curtis, the director, looks on.

Tricia gets started while Robin and Steve toast American superiority.

John, playing the omnipresent villain, offers me a harmless sip of absinthe. C'mon, how's one little drink gonna hurt me? (Later, Jonny actually chugs from this prop bottle, which contains corn syrup and green food coloring.)

I've been up since 3:30 in the a.m., so truly, my work here is done. Tune in tomorrow or Monday to see if we can honestly state, "Let's just say: Mission accomplished."