A Delicate Balance? Episode 1 & more

           Last week we filmed three scenes from our pilot episode and it was a wild night to say the least. I began my day at 3 PM blowing up props and making sure the crew was eating dinner before we began. I walked in the door to my house 10 minutes before 2 AM. I felt the shoot went great overall. I was lucky enough to sneak a few behind the scenes photos which have been posted (with permission! That’s important guys) on my Instagram account (@princessmarcelline) and the twitter I’ve created for the series (@MtAiryMercer.)

            So, how was my first night of shooting as producer on a web series? I’ll be brutally honest because I know no one is here for the sugar-coated after school special version. It was exciting, challenging, stressful, frustrating, mesmerizing and downright fun. Truly a wild ride from start to finish. There was an argument about pizza, a serious discussion about whether or not the beta fish would survive the night (he did,) a few crew members who didn’t make it through the entire shoot and a migraine that forced me to take a break during our final setup. I think that even if a break for me was built into our schedule I wouldn’t have been able to take it anyway. I was torn between assisting the actors and the crew (we had a two-camera set up last night, meaning two separate crews in two locations for most of the shoot.) On top of that, as producer I am responsible for making sure everyone stays on schedule, safe, and productive. Long story short, I was running around like a crazy person all night! I’m impressed at the work the cinematography team did and it’s a privilege to work with such a talented team. I learned more in one night than I have learned in the last three semesters, no offense to my TV & film professor who I know is reading this, but also showed us all how to operate a crane over a body of water like a boss, so I’m sure he’ll understand what I mean.

            As grateful I am to be experiencing all of this it doesn’t come without real life challenges. My mother used to tell me that nothing worth having will ever come easy and this career change for me is proving that to be vehemently correct. For anyone reading this who is a wife or a mother or has someone to take care of waiting for them at home, you know exactly what I mean. I’ve cried a few times during the late nights and the early mornings as I see myself losing my balance between the two worlds. Truthfully, I enjoy this and I know I can do this job for the rest of my life on a professional level and perhaps that is the hardest part of the balancing act.  I know married people and parents reading this can relate to the guilt you feel from not being present for everything at home because of your career. The truth is that there is some satisfaction in doing a good job that you just can’t get at home. Many people close to me have asked why I chose to go back to school and picked a career that would require so much of me, most of them noting that “I didn’t have to.” When there isn’t a clear financial need, people get skeptical of why a woman wants to work long hours outside of her home which I think is archaic and ridiculous. I hate working, I have always hated working. The only jobs I have ever found success with have been with jobs that I enjoy doing and bring me more than a monetary gain.

            Working as producer on Mount Airy has been a lot of fun so far and I almost can’t wait to do it professionally. I say almost because I know graduating and working for money instead of school credits will be a different monster I can’t predict. For now, I’ll concentrate on finding the balance between my personal and professional life again over Thanksgiving break before we finish up the pilot and begin episode two in a week and a half. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday! Stay tuned to see what our professor does for the holidays…