"We're at that very critical point," Joel says, where the table read begins with everyone involved. "It's a very important part of the movie." Then, a green package has been found on the set and everyone is evacuated with the bomb squad comes in to check it out. He jokes that he's being Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher. "I don't know how long we're going to stand out here," John is bummed. Joel is very concerned, because now he has no time to rehearse with the cast, because the day is lost and shooting begins, even without the role of hero.
They are still working on casting hero, and they think Mark Wahlberg will take on the role as he dug the script. "It's just so overwhelming," John says, "That you stop being nervous." He's taken home video of the set as well as the process for his own records. "It feels like it's been so long since the contest. Here I am on the set, and it's pretty exciting. It's actually taken a long time for this to actually sink in."
It's 1 A.M., and he's still not asleep. "I think we've done everything to support John's vision of Feast," Mike says, "Will he survive the first week [of shooting]? I don't know." Joel explains that many things could go wrong and the movie could bomb if all the circumstances go the way of Murphy's Law. "We could have meltdowns on several different fronts," Joel points out.
Last week, after casting arguments and other pitfalls, we found John staying up late into the night the day before his first official filming of Feast. Against the advise of all those involved, he roamed the set with his girlfriend, anticipating the next day's events and looking forward to showing his skills behind the camera to those waiting to see whether or not he can do it or not. If you'll keep in mind from last week, John hasn't had the chance to rehearse with his cast, because a bomb scare cleared the set during their only opportunity to get together.
On the first day of production, John wakes up early. "Everything's been leading to this day," he says. "I'm going to learn everything the first day. Kind of like the first day of school." He contemplates whether or not the script can be shot in twenty-five days. "All eyes turn to John Gulager," Mike explains.
It's close to 15 minutes to the first shot of the day. "I did feel the weight of how much work it's going to be," John says. Joel comes to shake John's hand. "We're up against this unreasonable schedule," Chris explains, "My fear is he isn't use to working on deadlines." Ben, the Line Producer, is the one who keeps track of what work needs to be done each day. "One of the things that is nerve-wracking for the first day is knowing you are the guy they [cast] is looking to as a leader," Joel continues.
