Last Sunday afternoon, after two intensive fifteen-hour nights of shooting, I wrapped principal photography for Dissolution of Bodies. The short film features two Asian American actors, Kenneth Lee and Leon Le, in roles that require them to be naked in all sense of the word. We shot the film on super-16mm, which marks the first time I have shot on film, as all my previous works were shot on digital video.

The film nearly fell apart the Wednesday prior to our filming. We were having trouble securing liability insurance from Columbia University. Without insurance, the rental houses would have cancelled our reservations. No equipment, no film. In addition, I was having a hard time pulling a crew together who could work on the film for free. To make matters worse, my A.D. and P.A. called in sick. I wish I could have called in sick too.

There were many good reasons to postpone the shoot, but in the end, none trumped the reasons why I had to make the film right away. Most important was the fact that the Columbia dorm room I wanted to shoot the film in was only available for a limited amount of time, on the weekend of the 19th. This might sound like a silly reason to go forward with a potential train wreck, but I’m stubborn that way, and I don’t quit easily. For me anyway, the authenticity this dorm room provided was worth the gamble.

In the end, everything did come through. I got my insurance, my equipment, my crew (a small but fantastic one). My friend Seth came to P.A. for me on Friday night, then Eugene, a classmate, came to U.P.M. on Saturday. Two supermen I couldn’t do without: Blake Martin, my co-producer, and Manfred Reiff, my cinematographer. I will be working with Manfred again on The Years Flow Like Water, so our first outing together as a team on this film proved not only successful but a great creative bonding experience.

The film is now “in the can,” so to speak. I haven’t had time to bring the twelve exposed cans of film to the lab yet. The Monday after the shoot, Eugene, Darren (whose dorm room we were using), and I brought the equipment back to the rental houses. We then moved Darren’s belongings to his new apartment in Union Square. I’ll get the film processed next week. I can’t wait to see the footage. I can’t wait.