AD Department Musings with Stryker
1st Assistant Director, Matt Stryker, talks about his experience on the set of Erzulie -- the trials and tribulations and takeaways. erzuliefilm.com
Transcript
Adam Rani 00:31
Okay, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of the Get Reelisms podcast. I am Adam Chase Rani.
Christine Chen 00:42
And I am Christine Chen and to introduce our special guest.
Adam Rani 00:48
Our special guest in mind, you just trampled all over. Now we got to do it all from the top. Now we go from the top. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of the get roses podcast. I am Adam Chase Rani
Christine Chen 01:05
I'm Christine Chen.
Adam Rani 01:07
All right, ladies and gentlemen. It is episode 51. And we got one of the most special boys that I know.
Matt Stryker 01:23
I'm so confused about where I'm supposed to.
Adam Rani 01:25
introduce yourself. Go ahead.
Matt Stryker 01:27
I'm Matt Striker. Hi. Hi Kelly, Matt Striker filmmaker in Austin and I was the first assistant director on Erzulie.
Christine Chen 01:40
Yay.
Adam Rani 01:41
yay, perfectly segue it into the first thing I want to talk about Christine, we did the reshoots. And now that that's done with, We're close, you're close to the to the finish line. We're almost there Close.
Christine Chen 01:55
Close. I'm actually I'm, I have to shoot something tonight. So that's so almost.
Adam Rani 02:03
Even closer.
Christine Chen 02:05
Getting closer. The best part is it all fits in. That's what makes me happy. It actually cuts in and we had a film person who wasn't part of our team actually go and look was he just was popping you when I was editing. He was like, oh, that looks great. He had no clue that that was shot in with friend’s pool. So that's good.
Matt Stryker 02:30
Cinema lies.
Adam Rani 02:33
That is great. And you worked really hard, though, that, uh, that day was a lot of fun, as well. There's, there's so many things that we learned on that on that show. The first thing I learned on the reshoot, especially, and then we're gonna get into, we're gonna get into Matt and he's gonna be taken the rest of the podcast. But I wanted to say this one thing, ladies and gentlemen. Christine has a subtlety of a beach ball underwater. Shoot, the buoyancy in her is phenomenal. It is absolutely amazing. I never seen someone who's so small, who yet can be very nimble and can pass you around underwater so easily. I never seen that. And man did boy did I learn something new on that fucking day.
Christine Chen 03:27
I learned a lot of new things, too. I was like, wow, I didn't know I could float it that much. And that I could actually hold my breath under the water a lot longer than I thought I would.
Adam Rani 03:40
You can hold your breath for a long ass fucking time. You are a natural born swimmer.
Christine Chen 03:46
I never thought I could. Uh, I'm actually really afraid of the water. So, this was all this was actually very surprising to me. Because I'm usually when I'm in the water. I'm the one that's panicking. And trying to well, just thinking that I'm going to drown. Hence, not being able to hold my breath for very long.
Adam Rani 04:07
Honestly, I didn't even know that but yeah, it's well, yeah, no, that's true. But you also had like five other friends who are there?
Christine Chen 04:16
Yes. I guess my anxiety becomes less when there's other people around know that they'll say anything happens.
Adam Rani 04:23
Right? Yeah. Well, Matt, so you, uh, where are you going, man? All right. He just took off ladies ang gentlemen
04:35
I'm trying to slightly help this echo situation, but I think I am fine.
Adam Rani 04:41
Oh, it's okay. Oh, are you going? I couldn't even hear the echo.
Matt Stryker 04:44
So, I can't turn the volume off altogether on the Instagram.
Adam Rani 04:47
No, but you can turn it all the way down.
Christine Chen 04:50
Yeah, you just turn it turn it down in the put it.
Adam Rani 04:54
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, okay. No, it's good. Here we.
Matt Stryker 04:59
Look at us figuring it out. Good radio.
Adam Rani 05:04
This is great radio. Uh, and we're live ladies and gentlemen. So, the mistakes are gonna happen. And if you guys are like, can these guys get it together? We are getting it together. Relax. This is live. We're just trying shit out. It's fun. And we figured a lot of shit out actually after 51 episodes. I mean, look at that sweet fucking microphone. Christine's packing?
Christine Chen 05:27
Yes. Courtesy of Adam.
Adam Rani 05:30
What? Me? Know. Being a good guy. That's who I am. And speaking of good guys, Matt Striker, you were our first AD on originally. Please. Anything any? What it Was there any takeaways that you left Erzulie with that you that will apply to your future sets? Anything that you learned on that set that you're just like, oh, noted. That's me from now on?
Matt Stryker 06:13
Well, yes, I would say like the complimentary is like, the early team was an embarrassment of riches in terms of just like, the difficulties which and I've listened to a few years episode. So, I know, it's been at least expressed how it was a difficult shoot. But yes, it was absolutely a testament to the teams that it functioned as well as it did, so I think in general, I was witness to just a professionalism and skill level that certainly like every production, I steal documents from, I still call sheets, I steal like little, little things and like, pristine built. Basically, a treasure trove of documents I'm stealing. Also, in terms of, I would say a like, a big thing I noticed is like, there's Erzulie is an ensemble film, like, you know, it's a main cast of four girls. And I really, and I actually like this wasn't like new to me, because I've been on productions that had like big ensembles before. But it is just like a reminder, especially when you're in crunch time, that like scenes of just four people talking just like shooting that is involves quite a bit of coverage that I will always appreciate when I'm writing stuff moving forward. It's just like, never forget dynamics, like covering a scene like and it went well. But I it was a case of like; we had many things to get every day.
Adam Rani 08:03
More characters equal more coverage.
Christine Chen 08:07
So what Matt is actually trying to say is he learned to not write an ensemble film.
Matt Stryker 08:19
I love a good ensemble. But just appreciating the production elements of that is certainly was certainly a takeaway, and also to just never upset the gods of nature just the weather gods always going to be laughing at you and your intentions. Don't know I had a great a great experience with Erzulie, like genuinely like i have already like I've hung out with this crew outside of this shoot so much like everybody's talented badass is like, my real answer is that I'm taking away from Erzulie it's just like the people. Yeah, like a real a deep a deep roster of professionals that I'm excited to like to call on again for the next thing.
Adam Rani 09:28
It's unbelievable. The amount of talented people Yeah, exactly. And Christina exactly who she goes ahead Christine. I'm sorry. I just trampled all.
Christine Chen 09:39
Yeah, you're exactly right. I'm in the business of collecting people.
Adam Rani 09:43
Yeah, it's not to say it's a business sounds really strange but it does feel like we are like, just like a strange family. Like a like a like a like a tight little knit family. that we, we all work together so well and so fast to that. We just We just know to just go for it, and we just know to keep working our asses off. So, yeah, no, that's um, I completely agree with your statement, Matt because it's a, it's the amount of talent, it just the amount of like patients you got to have in terms of like, going through the I mean, we already rehash this, so if you guys want to listen back to old episodes, please do. There's definitely like, you know, lots of just not only just changes, but just things just, you know, just coming out of nowhere then, of course, Mother Nature too, just basically fucking mocking us, it's like the environment was walking back at us, you know, it. It was, it was it was definitely, it was definitely a strange experience, but it was an experience, nonetheless. And also, to be very weary of where to shoot in, you know, in holding Louisiana.
Christine Chen 11:17
As, um, I mean, I think the biggest thing is just is that this is not what we did it is not possible without the kind of team that we had, like, it's just not possible, yeah, it's, it's only possible because, like the people, our team are very good at what they do. And they prep. And they're all leaders and, like, I've been on so many sets, and Carly will test currently the second ad, so Production Coordinator tested this, where you'll have department heads, but it's almost like, you're the department head because you have to remind them so much about the job that they're doing. Um, and this did not happen at all on our set. In fact, department heads are catching each other's departments things too. And like we were all it was a checks and balance, and we're all holding each other accountable. And, because not because it was because we cared, we all collectively cared about the project and collectively wanted to succeed, and, or just help each other out. You know, like the sound ladies, I remember Brian and Lisa were like, this was the nicest, like, sound like camera crew that would help move stuff. Usually, sound would get in trouble. Like, it'll sound always in the way or whatever and, and nobody wants to help them. But in this in this one, you know, the moment rain or something would happen. Everybody was collectively trying to see which department needed help, you know, and that's under, I don't do find that a lot. A lot of sets. Granted, there is weird, there's a stigma and I understand why it's there. Like you're not supposed to touch other people, departments stuff, but there's to an extent where, um, I don't appreciate when it's like, clearly you have hands and somebody else needs help. And you're not stepping in because it's not your department, you know, like, I don't I never believe that.
Adam Rani 13:33
So right, because it was like that. Yeah, I mean, nothing is like beneath us. It's as strange as it is. Like, I was a PA I still am a PA kind of you know, I did nothing. I if I know to jump in on something, I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna jump in you it doesn't matter. I understand. Like, there's certain departments that got to do their thing and but for the most part, yeah, like we all jump in and help regardless even like Genie to you know, being so short on hands. They needed help striking down they needed help, you know, getting stuff out and in and whatnot. You know, it, it all it. It requires a tribe. Ladies and gentlemen, it requires a tribe.
Matt Stryker 14:25
In the words of Dominic Toretto Familia.
Adam Rani 14:30
Familia
Matt Stryker 14:37
I how many episodes have you done at this point touching on Erzulie specifically.
Adam Rani 14:43
oh god. Ah, wow, that's a good question. Let's check it out.
Christine Chen 14:47
We started off 49, right.
Adam Rani 14:52
48 No, no, like, no episode. 40 was our Next season.
Christine Chen 15:00
Okay we started okay.
Adam Rani 15:02
we've done 11 episodes so far.
Christine Chen 15:06
Really?
Adam Rani 15:06
Yeah.
Christine Chen 15:07
Oh wow.
Matt Stryker 15:09
Are there any aspects about production at this point that you feel like you haven't gotten an opportunity to sort of speak on?
Christine Chen 15:20
We haven't talked at about the AD part. That's why you're here. For the most part, in my it's been my kind of download on how hard it.
Adam Rani 15:32
Especially coming from somebody who can't stop being a first lady. Christine.
Christine Chen 15:36
Yeah.
Adam Rani 15:37
Yeah. Well, Matt strikers trying to be a first ad.
Matt Stryker 15:43
But in the name of, you know, this thing having to go like Christine was very often the person that knew the most of what was going on at any given time. I'm not what like a, I told her this, like, at the, like the first phone call that we had with each other, like, I'm not precious, necessarily about the position on a level of like, maintaining some power stance on production. I'm totally in game in the name of just, you know, what carries us forward, in the best way is the way to go. And Christine, I've been wanting to, I think I've told you this, Christine, but I've been wanting to hit you up. Just on my own before Erzulie started, because I'd heard so much about you. I know you'd wear you've worked with Charlie Pearson I think just some friends that like have like, shout your praises in the past. And it's like, you know, in, I have Aded in tons. I mean, my first feature was like in 2015. But like in terms of ADing, I personally have not done much more than independent features. I've had a couple I've had like, small commercial run, but like, even those like i, where i personally thrive, or I'm most interested is indies. Yeah, indie shorts and like, friends’ projects. Like I think that's partially because for me, I'm on a personal level, still kind of finding what the balance is of this as a profession versus like, this is you know, being drawn to the work and the art of it. But uh, yeah, it's because, you know, I've been asked, and I'm getting asked more regularly, like, I very much feel in the last year and change that, like, people are looking for me to define a little more specifically, like what I do, not to say that people can't wear multiple hats, but like, I've, you know, I've Aded, I edit I've produced and like, my goal is ultimately to also direct stuff too. And it's very hard to I'm, I'm a little indecisive on like, what to, but isn't.
Christine Chen 18:22
Absolutely necessary to be decisive. I guess that's, I mean, I understand. Yeah, like, making sure you excel at something, because if you're a jack of all trades, you're always excel at everything, which is because there is a certain amount of training that does right spirits, into making yourself good at something. But like, I've I have talked about this on podcasts. And I'm a strong supporter of perspective. Like, I feel like somebody knows how to, I mean, we talked about this in the poll yesterday. Grace is an editor as well as a DP and sometimes a director. I feel that perspective makes can add and make you better at all your jobs collectively, or one particular job or whatever, you know, like, I can't tell you how many times I feel like editing should be a requirement for good directors, you know, so, to say that, like you have to define who you are. I don't know if I entirely agree with that. But maybe what you mean is, you're just trying to obviously, we only have so much time in a day. So prior knowing what your priorities are so that you can develop them deeper than what they are.
Matt Stryker 19:50
Yeah, that I don't believe anyone has to be one thing but yes, it gets harder to market yourself. I guess When you yourself are kind of hedging on what you want to put forward.
Christine Chen 20:06
Yeah, I can see that.
Matt Stryker 20:08
And, you know, that's, that's my path to navigate. Certainly.
Adam Rani 20:14
I mean, there's some sort of sophisticated as to right when it comes to it. Because if you just had like, one specific job, like I had one specific job for, like 11 years, and I, I hated it. And for me to be in this, yeah, it's hard to really define, like, exactly what I do, because shit just changes, and it varies between set to set. Sometimes I'm doing art department, sometimes just PA, I've even done location PA, you know, just random jobs like that, you know? So, it's hard for me.
Christine Chen 20:49
I have at different locations.
Adam Rani 20:51
Well, that's the thing. It's just like, why it's so hard. Why I mean, I just say I work in the industry, to people who are outside of the industry, you know, and it's just easier to just say that, but unless you are in the industry, and you know, you're talking to somebody who is also in it, and, you know, the what do you do, it's just like so, you know, it's, but also, I wouldn't want to just have one thing that I'm just tethered to that it's just like, that's, that's who I am. And I've been doing this for however long. I also think like the ADHD side of me just wants to move on to a different thing instead of just be so just latched on to one specific fuckin job, I want to do all sorts of shit. You know? It's strange, because I don't I because it feels like I should, I should understand and stick to one thing. But that also in of itself doesn't make sense. Especially if, you know, like, my lifelong term goal is to write and direct at some point, you know, it doesn't make sense for me to just hang out and just only be one specific department then at least understand, if I can't, I know, I can't be a hair and makeup artists. But if I can understand it more and more each set, I work on, that makes me be able to communicate to more departments than I can ever done. You know, I mean, like I can, I can say shit without sounding like a fucking idiot, even though 95% of the time I do on this podcast anyways. But that's neither here nor there. I truly think that, you know, you got to have to have like, some sort of experience with everything, especially if the long term goal is to make your own thing, you know, because if that's impossible to communicate, if you have zero fucking clue what the camera department really does, or zero clue what Genie do or art department does, you sort of have to, like, have some sort of understanding of it. You know, especially, you talked about yesterday, Christine, and you, you made such a great point editing, like people just kind of put postproduction by the wayside. Excuse me, especially for directors and stuff like that. So, if you have no editing experience, it makes production that much harder for you. And when you said that I was like, oh, that makes that makes a lot of fucking sense.
Christine Chen 23:33
Yeah, it's like, for example, set dressing. Right, experienced, our director will often start to put things in once they see a frame is up, and they know that, hey, we're not going to see this side of the world or whatever we're editing. It's okay over reusing same lamp because we have the same process a 3d of the same lamps or whatever it is, I feel like without knowledge of the editing aspect, in how it all pieces together, you maybe not know that we might expect the entire place to be completely, you know, set dressed or, or whatever, or, you know, don't try and think.
Adam Rani 24:19
I do I do because you can't just expect them to pick up what you're trying to lay down just so naturally and universally, because you can't universally talk to every single person in every single department the same way you know, so yeah, I get what you're saying like yeah, set dressing. You have to and it's not just that either, too. It's an amalgamation of different other departments that sort of still need to understand what's, what's being played at and what's also in frame and what to dress and frame and stuff like that. So, what's the lighting frame? Everything? Yeah.
Christine Chen 24:59
All right. I have a question for Stryker, I want to know what you’re what you thought of working with another ad as but flipped as a I I've been curious because I had a very similar experience Ading someone who was also an AD and for me it was hard but I think a lot of it was because I'm so used to knowing best and knowing better than the director and so for me to be so challenged that the director themselves knew more than I did, maDE me very insecure about what I actually knew. And I mean it was a both a love and hate I hated it because I felt like I was always performing at 60% of my 100% Um, like for me a perfect day is like I know exactly where everything's going I know where crews going I know where the bathrooms are I know where crappy is gonna be set up I know four shots down wherever he's gonna go. And like I know what three days later is going to be like and but on this set where I was aiming AD, I kept I was always felt like a few steps behind a few steps behind and it was a big mindfuck for me, so I but it pushed me that much harder to be better and I definitely came out of the experience a much stronger AD because of it. But it was definitely a love hate relationship.
Matt Stryker 26:54
Well, I did it was not a love hate relationship in working with you just I really, I it was pure hate no it was, I did I learned so much from you i will be honest in saying that. I definitely feel you in you know because you I was one of the last tires I believe for the production correct because you have such experience with AD being that you are already tackling so many aspects of the role before I came on like you had the schedule built out and everything you knew the property better than anyone you knew the scripts and I mean obviously there's Camille but like, you just you had you're so prepared. Before I even came on that there was certainly a degree of always feeling like I was catching up to a place you were already at. And that you know that on top of personal stuff that like completely unrelated to Erzulie like, you know, just general mental health. I was kind of in a not in the best place when I first came on. It was honestly exciting when Erzulie kind of got presented to me because I was just looking to, I was kind of in a funk and I hadn't been on something in a while. I mean it was it was my first production since full production. I did do say a week of pickups for a feature that I worked on in between, currently on the festival circuit. Shout out Yeah, always be branding.
Adam Rani 28:39
ABB
Matt Stryker 28:43
Baldwin did it better. But I was I was looking for a challenge. And Erzulie you know you made it very clear what kind of production it was when you know like, oh, this is a 90 so page movie 11 days all on a single on location river stunts, prosthetics makeup mermaid action. I remember when I first read the script, and like, you know, the finale is like six and a half pages of action. And it's like and we have a day to do it is like and but, you know, your confidence made me confident to take that on and I really wanted to put myself in a sort of sink or swim kind of situation. Because obviously we're here so we swim. We swam the river. We pulled it off. I've seen the movie. It's gone. It's looking great like you did the damn thing. So, but yeah, the feeling 60% rings true to me just because I wish that I had a firmer grasp on answers. And I think sometimes because of the, because of your knowledge on the production as well as the speed, we had to be going, there were times where it felt like we were mutually doing the job. And I kind of like it was both a necessity. And sometimes, like, I wish that I could have offloaded more for you. But I also think it was a place of necessity, sometimes things needed to push in a way where we have to go.
Adam Rani 30:44
And you provided that balance, Matt, you know.
Matt Stryker 30:46
I did and, you know, like, you know, I'm not gonna, I don't want to paint myself purely.
Christine Chen 30:55
For pushing back and I was like, fine. Yeah. Now it's, you did. So, you did your job. I, you made sur no more than 13 hours If I could.
Matt Stryker 31:06
Yeah. And I do appreciate it. And I think that in some ways, maybe that is where I felt most useful in just being like, a second voice to, you know.
Adam Rani 31:19
The voice of reason.
Matt Stryker 31:21
I don't know. Well, that's to suggest to Christine's not isn't that.
Adam Rani 31:25
Christine is unreasonable.
Matt Stryker 31:27
No, I'm not. I'm not saying that. That's, that's your cohost. But we do need to be I think I think that we need to be challenged in our drives sometimes. I think that the ad position is ultimately about getting the entire crew safely through production while serving the directors interests. And I. I think that.
Adam Rani 32:02
That is a good one, fuckin hats off to you, Matt hats off.
Matt Stryker 32:15
Sorry, I'm trying to find the words a bit, which isn't good radio.
Adam Rani 32:20
We're just going on ADHD. I'm sorry.
Matt Stryker 32:23
But you know, I've heard you speak to this too, on the podcast, Christine. But the way that just the way that like an AD has to listen to all departments, all people, your kind of like, you're taking everybody you're trying to collectively get Yeah, you're collecting everybody's emotional place. And you're trying to navigate a sort of steadiness that gets everyone there. Because, you know, morale is a real fickle fucking thing. And people can and you know, especially on a tough production, it takes a lot to make people get to the next day. And that's kind of that's something I feel ultimately, is my motto as an AD is I just want to help people get to tomorrow, that might be just a life philosophy is like, I want to help people get to tomorrow, even if today is difficult, and for Erzulie, many days were like, there, there wasn't a single day, where we didn't have something that was just stressing us out, or some circumstance changing, whether it be like, a location based thing, or just like we're running out of time, or like something not working. But you know, I don't mean to keep going back to like, crew family terminology, but if we pulled through the way we did, because you did a great job of finding people that made that alchemy, even when it was tough, people at the end of every day pretty much for share drinks and like you know, frustrations never went into full on bad blood as far as I saw, which I do think is something as AD, you are just witness to you are witness to all the departments where they're at. You hear all these things, and you like, it's like an It's not the right word, but you just try it you try make people feel heard and help where you can and kind of trying to help understand where you can't.
Christine Chen 34:30
Yeah, I think you nailed him on the head where it's just trying to make sure people can get through to the next day and then the next day. And I think what was special about our team is that I hope that even in the difficult conversations that you have to have people still felt safe to have those conversations. able to feel safe to have those conversations is what saves production. Because you're able to process you're able to air out your issues, and then get past them. And I've been on planes, that's where that wasn't the case wasn't. It's not it's, it's, and it's in there, and it causes other problems that are subconscious or, you know, become cadet at each other. Because we get into stress being becomes, and stuff like that, like, sometimes you just need to air it out, get it off your chest, and then figure out how to deal with it or not, or say that this is something that just, you know, is what it is, and move on from it. But not having the space to do that. I think this is literally what's the biggest problem on toxic sets. And I think by virtue of having handpicked everybody, having worked pretty well with everyone, I mean, it wasn't all like everything is great. Like I had some difficult conversations, people telling me about certain, people's morale is going down or like being upset or like being super tired, or the food sucks or whatever, like, and like it sucks to hear that stuff. No, but it was great to know that people felt comfortable and safe to tell me so that I could do something about it.
Matt Stryker 36:38
Yeah. And you had you have people stressed and that's one of the qualities. I'm curious, like to flip it back on you being someone that primarily what is it? Is it primarily Ading? Would you say that's like your first position you get?
Christine Chen 36:58
Yes.
Matt Stryker 36:59
I mean, what's it like? Swapping the role? And like, because I think it was one of the first Ads you've, you've had, right? You typically kind of/
Christine Chen 37:11
I had an ad once, but you know, for the most part, this was for a central model for long periods of time. I've never really mostly shorts have done I Aded, old stuff like that, mainly because I really have the resources to be able to bring an extra person for a role that I already knew how to do basically. So, it was hard shut it off. Yeah. I think it lasted like two minutes.
Matt Stryker 37:45
There was apparently a bit where like how people were basically saying, how long is it going to be? So, Christine gets a walkie because she was not supposed to have one.
Christine Chen 37:55
Like this say the last day I gave away my walkie, the last day I was like, I recognize my limitations. And I was like there's no effing way. I can listen to the walkie and try to get through the 40 some plus setups we're about to do.
Adam Rani 38:17
Unless you want a hole in the head, that's just.
Christine Chen 38:20
Unless I wanted to have a mental breakdown. Yeah, so I was very much like I need to just focus because I have the biggest finale with every single character and never imagine that I could pull off with the budget I had. Um, and I was I was like, here is my walkie take that take my phone take I gave away all communication. Basically, it was stressful for the first like 10 minutes because I was like what's going what's going on? Like I would subconsciously go to my you know and radio for something and realize the habit all the time I could be like, ah shit.
Adam Rani 39:09
Wipe her mouth what's happening.
Matt Stryker 39:18
Where, where did it become useful for you? Like, where are the places where you felt the use of bringing in someone to take those aspects of that roll off? Like where it became easier on Erzulie.
Christine Chen 39:33
It was the parts where you could help to keep track like of people and their to do lists made me be able to take that off my plate. I'm just a little bit like that was very helpful. The fact that I knew you were making sure that these things that we knew that we needed to work in the morning during the day that you had already asked to double check When people when I realized that you weren't good at that, that was a whole stress that I was like, Alright, I know, Stryker probably contact told Isaiah and called him and gave him a list like, we're good. I know that he checked on these two broken things that we know is broken. So that's why I started to give you lists, because I can make that your list. So yeah, it was that that, for me was the most helpful was not having. I mean, I still had that list, but like, it was now low on my priority, versus like, at the top of my head plaguing me. So, I remember feeling very grateful when I could walk off the set to sit and just think, you know that.
Matt Stryker 40:51
You needed. Plenty of times, there were lots of moments where like, you needed to take all the current circumstance like, okay, I need to go right in my head.
Christine Chen 41:02
Yeah, like, I was like just everybody just shut the fuck up.
Adam Rani 41:07
And that's not a Christine thing, by the way, like, Christine always just like jumps in and just like, moves on to the next thing. It just keeps working, no matter what. So, for you to just like, take a beat, and just like, take a walk. I was like, oh, Christine's like on Maximum Overdrive.
Christine Chen 41:25
But look, I think what it was is the ensemble.
Adam Rani 41:31
Right.
Christine Chen 41:32
Instead of having two people who are in your head constantly, you have six people that your head and all six of them have multiple different combos of opinions for how the scene should go. Yeah. And so especially when there's somebody extremely technically difficult, like stunts, you know, and so, I might try to relock a whole scene because our beaches gone, you know, and everybody's trying to be helpful, which I appreciate. But then you'd have like, eight people trying to be helpful, plus the crew trying to be helpful. Plus, like, it was just like, let me sort through this cobweb of crap that's in my head of all these helpful opinions that I literally can't think and process.
Matt Stryker 42:26
So, eight helpful opinions simultaneously are still just noise.
Adam Rani 42:34
Just get through them.
Christine Chen 42:36
Yeah, it was a lot of noise. the day when the beat the big finale was one of them, and they were helpful knowing that you guys were getting the pickup shot at the visitor center that I needed that is in the film. So that I could be on the beach, figuring out what we were going to shoot, you know, like, that was a luxury I haven't really had. And that was quite nice. So it was, I mean, that was cool to be able to utilize it. So that I had as much time as I could for the actors so that they felt for it and even then, that's the best how nuts are settlers, even then with trying to give every single actor at the time it's still never not like somebody is still going to feel like they didn't get enough attention in it. Like it's just like having 10 kids there.
Matt Stryker 43:43
It is like having 30 kids.
Christine Chen 43:47
You just get one person just a little bit more and the other person is like I don't understand like, was I doing things wrong? Like No mommy daddy mommy. Yeah,
Matt Stryker 43:59
If you share, Dave, you have you like shared the story of like that last day like the like with the river and everything like I don't know how much y'all.
Adam Rani 44:11
We touched barely, but we can talk about it.
Matt Stryker 44:14
Yeah, talk about it certainly is least story of like.
Christine Chen 44:18
Yeah, well I would love to hear it from Stryker.
Matt Stryker 44:24
Stryker point of view is that I learned a lot about waterflow over that last month, because so we had like some torrential downpours. And so much of the plot of earthly is built around this river that earthly is summoned or like attacks and like it's basically your beginning, middle and end all take place at the river, but the river kept shifting it like when we had a hole We had a whole week of just preparation, where like, you know, you brought the actors and we did like run throughs and stunts. And we did run throughs. Like we had a whole day of just walking through that epic finale of like, we've had so many action beats like without spoiling things, it's like, okay, well, actually, I'm not going to say what the beats are because oh, maybe there's lots of actually, there was lots of action beats and like, Christine was just trying to, like figure out the blocking of 100 things simultaneously with an iteration of the riverbank that never existed again after that. Because when it's like, okay, this is how we will do it then God came and washed away. He brought the river about Joel, our DP had a joke of like, in our first week, he had this thing called Camera Island, where like, because the camera there's like a little patch that the river had risen up to where the camera team was, like, basically situated. And then that was underwater within two days. And personally, has maybe five different levels of like, river set, but all the same location. Because yeah, it's constantly shifting and then what you were speaking to that day, where, you know, I we split off, you had to block a gift for again, like from the top your entire finale, The day we were shooting it, because we didn't know what the hell the set was. Yeah. And, you know, there's a there's an evil hilarity to, to that.
Adam Rani 46:48
Fucked up hilarity. But yeah,
Christine Chen 46:51
it's like how I like it, it I've got lovely friends of you practice. It's like, when you create a schedule for an ad, and then one actor’s availability just plus the time and you just spent three days schedule that you're like, well, I don't even know I lost these few days of my life. None of its gonna be used. And it completely is. Why did I even work ahead? Why can I do my own work? That's how it feels like. Alright, it all is prepping. Start, let's just start over
Matt Stryker 47:34
Mulligan
Adam Rani 47:37
Scratch that let's go.
Christine Chen 47:38
Yeah.
Matt Stryker 47:41
One of my favorites like, quote, I like I like having like lines in my back pocket just for little set isms. But Fincher has a really solid line of just like, you don't know what directing is until the sun is going to like you're watching the sunset, and it's going to be gone in 30 minutes, you need to get three shots and you have time for to like, or you need five shots you need. Right? It's a good quote. It exists somewhere in actual words, but that sentiment of like, directing is.
Adam Rani 48:15
Time working against you.
Matt Stryker 48:17
Yeah, time going against you and finding out in the moment. What is actually crucial to you. Yeah, and that was I feel like that was Erzulie in a nutshell is just like.
Adam Rani 48:29
Yeah.
Christine Chen 48:31
And having to work with what's available. It is so hard to do that, especially for someone who plans the way that I do. Right. I plan so much. I plan and it drives me nuts. I'm the kind of person that drives me nuts, but it's like, let's just let's just work on the fly. Let's just like, let's just let's play a bite here. Like that. Mentally.
Adam Rani 49:09
Yeah, because the only other person is this. Joker from Dark Knight. Yeah.
Christine Chen 49:15
I had a I mean; I had a shot list. Like, the moment I knew we were gonna shoot. I like a like a three-page plan in order of efficiency. Like that shot was probably went out the door pretty fast.
Matt Stryker 49:30
Yes. Yeah. That just became like a Yatzy thing. I was like, Look, here you go. Yeah.
Christine Chen 49:36
Yeah. So, it's. I just remember being like, All right. This is what I have to work with. And know what I do.
Matt Stryker 49:50
You know, something that a circumstance Erzulie had me encountered that I hadn't had before because I have done night shoots obviously, but I haven't. I don't think I've had to do the number of night shoots that originally had for production this long before.
Adam Rani 50:05
it was Intense.
Matt Stryker 50:06
I mean, like we started running into the problem of well, the sun's coming back Oh no. And that I remember that one of the memories that like that night with the train Do you remember? Do you remember the where like?
Christine Chen 50:29
it wouldn't end.
Matt Stryker 50:30
It was comically long it was like a 10 minute like Midnight Express like some magical train in the swamp, right instead of you but like made sound useless for a scene that had like very important lines and we're all just sitting there waiting and like the sun's gonna be back in an hour and then we literally were like well we should shoot something and I think we picked like an in like some inserts we were going to get to because we could fake finger we could do it MLS and then of course like the second we make that decision. Yeah, it's off the tripod already. Joel's framing up and like its comic, and evil comedy is just.
Adam Rani 51:21
Like I said it was the environment just mocking us back like it was just like Nicki makes a joke that the swamp had all of us and it really did.
Christine Chen 51:33
It wanted a human sacrifice.
Adam Rani 51:36
Took an entire crew sacrifice.
Matt Stryker 51:41
And we've hung out since I think and everyone's just.
Christine Chen 51:48
I have night shoots, but not to the extent of like we worried that the sun is coming back. that cut at least an hour like upset. Like shoot, you know. I was like, pretty much at 5:30 am, twice.
Matt Stryker 52:14
And it comes in fast. surprisingly fast, like faster than even sunset. Like, I feel like the sun comes back faster than it goes away
Christine Chen 52:26
But I think that works for us because I was forced to have full of our days. We could it literally could not work past. Like, we will start at 6pm but we have to we had to end up by essentially, right now.
Adam Rani 52:48
Yeah, we're just gonna see nothing but light in 20 minutes.
Matt Stryker 52:54
And then it's just a whole bunch of likes, I don't know people groggily walking to the cafeteria for breakfast dinner.
Adam Rani 53:03
I mean, it felt I mean, I wish I can like vividly to remember everything you know? And it just like there's it just comes and goes.
Matt Stryker 53:16
Do you, like when you're on productions, especially like ones that are like, significant for you? Like, did you keep a journal? Or actually I think Adam, you told me you've journaled about it, you'll do anything to kind of add.
Christine Chen 53:31
This podcast is kind of like my journal.
Matt Stryker 53:33
That makes sense.
Christine Chen 53:37
I have taken time to watch and listen to your old ones to laugh about and stuff like that. But like this, this for me has been the closest to a journal that I can get like in terms of having the ability to download and talk through and the emotions I have experienced. I think that's why they do it so much because I literally go back and listen to stuff Holy shit, we started living we know we're doing it listening. Oh my god, this is what happened and at this point, I was like so stressed out in this Yeah, it's uh yeah, this is like a journal. This is my because I don't really, I did for a little bit here and there try to like got it on my phone. I tried to write I did the artists way which is about downloading. Have you done the artists way?
Matt Stryker 54:35
No. Someone was telling me recently that I should get on that because I'm trying to get.
Christine Chen 54:42
Basically, is that we wake up your subconscious or mind or something is, is full. So, it's like your filter needs to be emptied. Right, we will function at maximum capacity, and so if you wake up in the morning, they suggest the morning, and just literally open to just start writing. And you force yourself to write three pages of something any, any literally can be any, it can be like, yesterday, soft, because like my toe got stuck, like you can literally be anything. But because you have that emotional whatever download it leaves space to create it. Yeah. And I, I feel like it kind of work a little bit I did it with blogs, if I if I if I can't get myself to work, I'll just pick up and just start blogging about something. And I think the action of I'm doing something that's kind of productive makes me be in that mindset. And also, that downloading aspect of cleaning your brain ends up were what I was stuck on working on. I can ease back. So yeah, that's I guess, journaling. This is kind of in my blogging is kind of like a journal. But I don't I don't have a blog daily. Yeah, I would like to I been, I get into these phases of like, I try to meditate. I'll do it here and there. And then I get busy. Forget about it. But I always come back. It's like the learning the guitar during undergrad. I'm so good at learn the guitar and I get really good for like a week and they're like things get busy. And three weeks later, like what what's cheap, you know? So that's how I guess it is when it comes to meditating.
Adam Rani 56:58
Journaling is great.
Christine Chen 56:59
You guys journal daily, that is cool.
Matt Stryker 57:03
I don't I wish I did. But Adam was telling me about it.
Adam Rani 57:06
It because I make it, I make it apparent to myself that every, especially on set to after set, I still kept journaling every single day. But set was the thing that sort of was like going back through it after the shoot, just reading my sheer panic. Realize. And it wasn't just that it was it was lots of amazing. Like, there was memories that I forgot about, like great moments that I completely forgot about. And I wrote it down in my journal and I read it and I was like, oh my god, that was such a hilarious moment. I can't believe I almost forgot about that. Stuff like that, that sort of like comes back at you. They're just like, it just kind of warms you up. And you're just like, oh, that's why I do this shit. Oh, that's why I do the thing that I love doing because of this shit. You know.
Christine Chen 58:04
That is why I keep working with.
Adam Rani 58:08
Christina does not kill. Now I'm saying like, this was the like journaling for me in a copious amount of marijuana helps you, but I think that journaling is one of those things that is like so even if you're not an artist, or a writer or whatever, it doesn't matter. Journaling is probably one of the most therapeutic things that I know. Even growing up I did, and I just didn't think about it was it sort of helped me understand. Even if I'm like, like, when I read it down on paper, then it's real. Then when I read it down, and I read it again, I'm just like, oh, I was in a different place that time. Like, I didn't quite realize I was that angry or I didn't quite really those that sad or happy or whatever. You know, even the ones that I was happy, I still have to write that down. Because for a long time, all I did was less like Oh, I'm just gonna journal Whenever I'm sad or depressed or lonely and shit like that, then is just like a really sad fucking journal. So, when you get into the habit of writing every single day, you realize you can appreciate the smallest things a little more. In retrospect, I hope that makes sense.
Christine Chen 59:29
Yeah. Being grateful Yeah.
Adam Rani 59:31
Being grateful.
Christine Chen 59:32
Being grateful that's a I think that's one of the journaling exercises is like writing down three things that you're grateful for first.
Adam Rani 59:40
I don't do that shit. I just talked shit.
Christine Chen 59:45
I know that's an exercise because I've definitely done that. Started turning your appreciation or gratefulness and stuff. Put that just by simply doing that.
Matt Stryker 59:56
That is why I took set photos. That's why I always bring the film my I've started bringing my film camera. It's like any, any feature I'm on. I want to take some photos because that's like I'm very I'm just very visual based like I want to journal. But I have a hard time I drift quite a bit like on the page, like, I'll start and then I'll be like, oh, and then I'm gone. But photo I love I love taking photos on set. Good or bad, especially on film. I get romantic about the celluloid of it all but it's um.
Christine Chen 1:00:42
You take lovely photos, sir.
Adam Rani 1:00:44
I was gonna say I love your pics you because like every picture whether or not it's me looking like I just want to die. You capture that moment. And it's preserved for the for the rest of time. And I love that.
Matt Stryker 1:00:59
At least on my Google Drive.
Adam Rani 1:01:01
At least your Google Drive is gonna live there. And I love that shit. And you took you took rad fucking photos and stuff and
Matt Stryker 1:01:10
I appreciate it. Shout out to Roxy and Kelly. Roxy Kelly. And Adam was definitely like, a late-night hang crew just like getting drunk and fucking like, oh, at the end of every day, so shout out to that, that team. But yeah, I also love that photo of just Kelly. I think I got all of the art department and it sounds like it's not everyone to focus like you're unfortunately from the from behind, but just like Roxy and Kelly smiling really big. I don't know. Lots of joy. Lots of it's good to capture the joyous moments on top of.
Adam Rani 1:02:11
Or just a hilarious moment. Even if they are stressful. It could still be funny.
Matt Stryker 1:02:15
Yeah, so I think you look very cool in that photo I got of you, Adam. So, I.
Adam Rani 1:02:20
I just I look like I was over it. Like I just I look like I just want to just fuck leave.
Matt Stryker 1:02:25
You look like you had an 11-day shoot and you're surveying the land. And it's like.
Adam Rani 1:02:31
That's sure. And it's so funny because like I had so before the shoe I had, like, I basically had this kind of hair like I just cut it. But after leaving Louisiana, I just looked so fucking Shaggy. Like I had a mustache on my beard just came full and shit like that. I was I was a changed man. The Swamp had me like Nicky said.
Christine Chen 1:02:57
The swamp had all of us. And I went in mentally prepared because I actually been to that location.
Adam Rani 1:03:06
I think we all did, Christine.
Christine Chen 1:03:08
Well, I tried to mentally prepare you guys. It's like camping. Like it's not comfortable. Like I tried to make this the worst location. So that you are prepared for it mentally that you were warned that it was going to be hard.
Adam Rani 1:03:27
In that case, you're a hero.
Matt Stryker 1:03:28
Three features in a row there, Christine. Like I can’t believe you did three features. It was you Carly Francis, was Nikki there.
Christine Chen 1:03:39
Nikki was not but it was yeah, it's how I met Francis. But it was a me Carly and Francis. And they were equally difficult number of days as well. It was like 12 day it was supposed to be 10 David came 12 One of them was like a third 14 days 15 But it was, and we would have like one day in sometimes not even one day between each set to rest and we will be on the next one. And there was at a point where we were even officially wrapped on like the first film, we were doing pickups for the first two films plus wrapping our third film on the same day.
Matt Stryker 1:04:30
Christine and you also shot a short film, which is madness. But that's like I saw that BTS video you did for that and it's like it's the most Christine thing I've ever she finished short film shoot in the.
Adam Rani 1:04:52
And every time she does that shit. I always walk away feeling like why I am just sitting on my ass doing nothing even though I feel like I'm working hard. I truly am. When I see Christine I'm just like, fuck. How do I be on her level? This is insane. She's operating on all cylinders. Maximum Overdrive. Insane. I never seen the human being work truly as hard and as fast as you do, Christine that's hats off to you but man, dude, I just hope you're not burning the candle at both ends. I want to see Christine
Christine Chen 1:05:27
Thrive in chaos. This is true.
Adam Rani 1:05:30
Christina thrives in chaos. That's right.
Christine Chen 1:05:33
I just perform better when there's a fire literally last Yeah.
Matt Stryker 1:05:39
It's admirable, but it is from the outside it's certainly like.
Adam Rani 1:05:45
Yeah, but I was gonna say even without a deadline or without a anything going on you would just make shit for you to then get stressed over.
Christine Chen 1:06:00
Like I set two deadlines for myself for screenings for doing progress screenings for the second end of Erzulie. I'm like, why did I do this myself? I'm forced it I have those two deadlines. So now unfortunately, the second draft done and like a day or two?
Adam Rani 1:06:17
No, it's admirable. It's admirable Christine. I wish I truly wish I can operate on that level. But you are just my gosh, dude, you are your Swiss Army woman. If anything, you just you just go. And you don't stop.
Christine Chen 1:06:34
Yeah, I get it stresses me out when I'm not doing stuff. Actually,
Adam Rani 1:06:40
Sometimes though, when you take a break, and you just breathe in, just nothing floats into your subconscious or whatever. It feels great. It just feels great to just it feels fantastic. That's what meditation is all about. Now, you know, you just like you sort of have to push out the noise. You know?
Christine Chen 1:07:05
This is why I'm very bad at meditating.
Adam Rani 1:07:07
Yeah, I am, too. To be honest. I'm not. I'm not great at it either. But I do love my loneliness and silence. I do love that. I do. I do cherish those moments a lot. Yes. You should, too. Christine.
Matt Stryker 1:07:28
Have you ever tried those float tanks?
Christine Chen 1:07:31
No, I've heard stuff about it, you think I should.
Matt Stryker 1:07:34
Um, it was very helpful for me. Because I am in a very similar place of like, my mind's just racing constantly. It's very hard to give myself that calm. But like, at least in a float tank, you are literally putting yourself in a space that like no matter how restless you may be. You can't leave it kind of forces you to just sit in it. And that's it. I mean, it's a space dedicated to literally floating sitting in it and like even when my mind is racing for maybe 15 minutes, it does eventually have to go still. And like it's a dedicated hour for that and I I've never done it and not felt like it's usually something I give myself like on my birthday or something but just like a real check in centering. At its best, it genuinely feels kind of like you're drifting through some great thoughts and ideas and they're kind of genuinely kind of transcending a little bit. And added you know, even when that doesn't come which, you know, is rare. It's still a very relaxing kind of check in. I like it.
Adam Rani 1:08:53
I never tried it, but that sounds fucking ad. I never even heard of it.
Christine Chen 1:08:57
Sounds rad.
Matt Stryker 1:09:00
Maybe when, uh, when you finish a cut, or something like that.
Christine Chen 1:09:10
All right, that sounds cool. There are so many things. I'm like, after the movie. Yeah, I'll do that after the movie. My whole life just after is after the movie.
Matt Stryker 1:09:19
Yeah, absolutely. We exist in between movies.
Christine Chen 1:09:24
That's very well said we exist in between movies. I like that a lot.
Adam Rani 1:09:31
Once Yeah, once we're on set it we're not even people anymore.
Christine Chen 1:09:39
How romantic. Have a quote that is, Matt. I quite like it.
Matt Stryker 1:09:44
I mean, unfortunately. But we're very lucky to do what we do even when it probably is killing us at a rapid speed.
Adam Rani 1:09:59
Yes.
Matt Stryker 1:10:02
it's a more interesting life than most yet. But yeah, it's cool. I do have to start wrapping out to meet up with somebody/
Adam Rani 1:10:18
We're almost two hours or basically two hours. S
Matt Stryker 1:10:23
I do want to shout out though really quick just because this was technically an AD thing. I want to shout out the AD team that helped me so much, Karly, Francis, and Nikki who was like, key PA, but like, very much like a part of that trip. Like, like, from my end those three absolutely made my life easier with their fucking such professionals, people in general would be lucky to work with them. But yeah.
Adam Rani 1:10:57
Anybody lucky to work with those guys. Those ladies are absolute fucking killers. They're, they're amazing. So, shout out to them. Thank you, Matt, for joining us. We love you. And please, for God's sakes, come back and tag along this podcast again. And if Christine is not here, and you got to fill in a cohost spot, let's fucking get this.
Christine Chen 1:11:23
let’s do it, take over.
Matt Stryker 1:11:26
No, no.
Adam Rani 1:11:28
it wouldn't be, no because Christina is more talented than me and Matt, but I'm kidding.
Matt Stryker 1:11:37
She's very talented.
Adam Rani 1:11:42
Alright guys. Well, that has been the Christine Are you ready to do to end this shit or you guys.
Christine Chen 1:11:53
Yes, let’s do it, bring it to a landing.
Adam Rani 1:11:53
Ladies and gentlemen, which has been the Get Reelisms podcast, tune in next week go on Erzuliefilm.com a podcast episode are there right?
Christine Chen 1:12:03
Yes.
Adam Rani 1:12:04
Okay. Check it out Erzulie.com. GetReelisms.com Pick up your book. Pick up your book. Everybody stop being square. Be like Matt fucking Stryker and get a goddamn book and some stickers.