W
hen I set out to write my previous serial, Learning Curve, which was set in a child development center, I felt pretty confident that I knew my subject matter. After all, I’ve spent over a decade and a half working as a speech therapist, much of that time in clinics similar to the one that Aviva, Suri, and Yael ran — though without their legal troubles! (And for those of you who are counting, yes, I was extremely precocious and got my master’s degree at age 12.)
But when the editors suggested this new serial be centered around a film production, I didn’t feel quite as confident. Actually, I think my exact reaction was, “Um… but I know absolutely nothing about making a movie!” The closest I’d ever come to the entertainment industry was a handful of acting roles in school and camp plays.
(I can just see Gabriella rolling her eyes at me right now. “What in the world do school plays have to do with filmmaking??”)
I began to research, speaking to people in the industry and reading lots and lots of online material on the topic. (Starting with googling “how to make a film,” just like Rina did.) I learned a new vocabulary (DP, grip, gaffer) and gained a new appreciation for what goes into every minute on screen. I also discovered that a second cousin of mine used to work as a film editor in L.A. — how convenient! Information was definitely out there, but I had to figure out what was applicable to a frum, low-budget film. (Yes, even with Rina’s interior redecorating and yacht, by industry standards this was quite low-budget.)
