OK, that may be a stretch, but I have inside knowledge into the facts. You see, I was fortunate enough to have worked on the film. As I read the reviews here, especially the last one, which I am sure was written by our amazing Director/Actor/Producer/Writer, I felt I had to respond. Having the dubious honor of saying I worked on this film, has also brought with it the responsibility of telling the truth about what happened on set. Apparently Tommy had a lot of money sitting around and decided he needed to make a film. Not being able to decide what to shoot, film or video, we shot both. Side by side. Both cameras on the same head, being operated by one camera operator. We shot almost the whole thing in the parking lot and back storage shed (read- sound stage) of a camera rental house in Hollywood. I got the call to work on the show after they had already tried to start with another crew that ended up all being dismissed. I believe that we ended up being crew 2 of 4. The show never had much organization to it from the start. We were told it would be a 3 week shoot. At the end of 3 weeks we were exactly 1/2 way done. Crew calls were usually 8 a.m. tommy would show up around 10:30 or 11. Because he would take the HD video camera home with him every night, we had no choice but to wait for him. Since we were only in one room or outside the door in the parking lot, we did not have anything to do but sit around and wait every day. When Tommy arrived we would have to see if he was in actor mode or director mode. If he was in actor mode, you were not allowed to talk to him so he could "stay in character." Since he was in almost every scene, he was always in his "actor" mode. This also meant that he could not direct. Noting the huge delays every day and the fact that we were never seeming to get anything done, our wonderful script supervisor stepped up and became the director...at least he tried. One day he had to go off and do another show and asked if anyone else wanted to step up and direct and keep some script notes. When nobody volunteered, I stepped up. I loved it. It was my directorial genius that had tommy bump into Lisa as they were taking the bad guy off the roof! I will also take credit for the now famous line "You are tearing me apart, Lisa!" In the first 10 takes, tommy kept saying "You are TAKING me apart!" As the crew tried to keep it together, I felt I should right the situation and corrected the line. The crew was also instrumental in keeping the chicken line in. "CHEEEEEPPPPPPP, CHEEP, CHEEP, CHEEP, CHEEP!" We begged our scripty/director to keep him doing it take after take. Though the crew ultimately followed the original DP out the door and quit, we are all proud to have taken part in the making of this film. Amongst the film crew realms, we are minor celebrities. "Dude, you worked on that thing?" is a phrase that is often heard when The Room is mentioned.
I have the pleasure of driving through Hollywood every day and still seei ng the billboard for the film up and Tommy glaring at me as if to say, "I telled you I could make movie." For those looking for a photo op, it's on Highland, a few blocks south of Sunset. I know that tommy took out an ad in the trade papers asking "For Your Consideration", I only wished that I could see him on stage accepting an Academy Award. It would be well earned. Rumor has it that he has a vampire film in the works... let's hope so... I only hope I get the opportunity to work on it. I can only hope that The Room becomes a cult classic with midnight showings. I'll put my tux on and bring a football. Perhaps I'll stand up for a Q&A afterward and tell the stories I have so fondly tried to burn from my memory. My other dream is for the DVD. There are 100's of hours of behind the scenes footage out there. The camera for the behind the scenes material was always recording. ALWAYS! It will be awesome to see what took place on our set. I hope he puts it out there. I know I would buy several copies for all my friends and family.
Any questions?
I have the pleasure of driving through Hollywood every day and still seei ng the billboard for the film up and Tommy glaring at me as if to say, "I telled you I could make movie." For those looking for a photo op, it's on Highland, a few blocks south of Sunset. I know that tommy took out an ad in the trade papers asking "For Your Consideration", I only wished that I could see him on stage accepting an Academy Award. It would be well earned. Rumor has it that he has a vampire film in the works... let's hope so... I only hope I get the opportunity to work on it. I can only hope that The Room becomes a cult classic with midnight showings. I'll put my tux on and bring a football. Perhaps I'll stand up for a Q&A afterward and tell the stories I have so fondly tried to burn from my memory. My other dream is for the DVD. There are 100's of hours of behind the scenes footage out there. The camera for the behind the scenes material was always recording. ALWAYS! It will be awesome to see what took place on our set. I hope he puts it out there. I know I would buy several copies for all my friends and family.
Any questions?
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