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 An Advocate.com exclusive posted October 22, 2002

ONE MONTH TILL SHOOT
2:38 p.m.—I’m ecstatic! Got a grant from POWER UP, an excellent woman-in-film networking organization, to produce my short film D.E.B.S., based on a comic book I drew a couple of years ago. It’s basically a lezzie Charlie’s Angels. I am about to realize a long-standing dream. 

4:34 p.m.—I’m in a panic. It occurs to me that I have written a 15-minute short with a gunfight, a brawl, a sex scene, and a day of green screen. I have a total of four days to shoot. Yikes. 

SHOOT DAY ONE: “THE HOLOGRAM” 
10:32 a.m.—First-day jitters. Mr. Tibbs (Darryl Theirse) forgot the shirt for his costume. We literally pull the shirt off the back of Alexis, our production supervisor. 

12:01 p.m.—Somebody asks me why the D.E.B.S. are wearing Catholic schoolgirl uniforms. My answer—why not? Who doesn’t like a Catholic schoolgirl uniform? 

2:10 p.m.—The scene involves a hologram, so the actors act with air. The four D.E.B.S. (Tammy Lynn Michaels, Alex Breckenridge, Jill Ritchie, and Shanti Lowry) are hysterical. I’m happy. One down. 

SHOOT DAY TWO: “HELL DAY”
6:36 a.m.—I was up all night. Could not fall asleep. I arrive on set, keyed up on caffeine and mini powdered donuts from craft service. Today is Gun and Stunt Day. Chicks with firearms. Go, team. 

8:49 a.m.—The girls learn how to shoot. Shooting blanks is scarier than anticipated (the expended cartridges fly back, hitting some of the girls in the face—not good). 

9:35 a.m.—First take up. The scene: a Mexican standoff, the D.E.B.S. versus Lucy’s henchmen. Everybody shoots. The sound is deafening. But it looks cool. Feeling good. 

2:30 p.m.—Falling behind. Everybody says I have to cut shots. I’m depressed and have a migraine from the gunfire. 

9:22 p.m.—The day is a blur. Jamie Babbit, my script supervisor, tells me we got 40 setups. Damn. 

SHOOT DAY THREE: “THE SEX SCENE”
8:23 a.m.—Extensive underwear discussions: What to take off, when, and under what circumstances. The general consensus is that sex on a table is sexier than sex on the floor. Breath mints all around. 

9:49—We try a couple of takes. Extensive discussions of more vs. less tongue. 

3:21 p.m.—Nothing sexy about shooting a sex scene. It’s more like an endless game of Twister with only two players under hot lights. The actors are troupers, but their lips hurt. 

SHOOT DAY FOUR: “THE GREEN SCREEN”
4:50 p.m.—I’ll be creating a titles sequence in After Effects, so I’m shooting a montage sequence of the D.E.B.S. in high gear (flying a jet, riding a motorcycle) shot against green screen so I can add the backgrounds later. 

I have three hours to get 25 shots. 

8:12 p.m.—Frank Helmer (costumes) and Rosemary Lawrence and her crew (makeup) outdo themselves. The girls mug as astronauts, commandos, and cat burglers. It’s more like a fashion show than a film shoot. 

11:30 p.m.—We wrap. I’m thrilled. I collapse. 

THE DAY AFTER: “HANGOVER”
4:30 a.m.—I wake in a cold sweat, screaming, “We’re losing light!” Then I realize it’s all over, I got everything I needed, the crew was wonderful, the cast was fantastic. I drift back to sleep, happy and satisfied, sending a shout-out to POWER UP for making it all possible. 

D.E.B.S. will premiere at POWER UP’s Power Premiere fund-raiser in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 3. The black-tie event honors Melissa Etheridge and Showtime’s Jerry Offsay. For more information and tickets visit www.power-up.net.

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