Last year at Sundance I was running from screening to screening of my short film FROG CROSSING. That week at Sundance was the week I was supposed to be recovering from a six-month Hollywood hell shoot in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, and Mexacali with David Fincher's 70 million dollar film, THE GAME. Six months of Script Supervising Michael Douglas' taxi adventures, Deborah Unger's hand mannerisms, and the thousands of countless details one must keep track of as a Script Supervisor. So, there I was at Sundance recovering, screening, and journaling for this very Web site.

This was a year of riding the line between independents and Hollywood. We all know the differences aren't all that obvious - Ed Burns makes commercial trash, Scorsese makes arty masterpieces and THE GAME was independently financed. But the difference, as I see it, all comes down to the budget and how many toys and worker bees are paid to be on set. I try and make money on big budget movies, learn from the crazy directors I work for, and finance my own films for festivals like Sundance.

I remember reading a Bryan Singer (USUAL SUSPECTS) interview where he advised any future directors to stay away from film crew jobs. "Work at Fed Ex and just make your own film". I've spent this past year begging for film stock, actors, props, costumes, camera equipment, and locations from every filmmaker (producers, directors, Hollywood actors, makeup artists, sound mixers) I've ever worked for. And I've found that working on studio movies -- or independent movies for that matter -- can help any potential director far more than delivering bundles from Fedex.

The following is my year riding the line between independents and studio productions:

12/95
Finish THE GAME in Mexacali.

1/96
Sundance with FROG CROSSING
Do timing(a script supervising task) for Bryan Singer's APT PUPIL in my Sundance condo to be faxed to Mike Medavoy

2/96
write script for SLEEPING BEAUTIES based on a conversation I had with David Fincher on set of THE GAME.

3/96
Rewrite Sleeping Beauties
and find Producer in NYC (a woman who A.D.ed ALL OVER ME, another film I worked on)

4/96
BEG all involved on THE GAME for equipment, film stock, props, costumes etc.
Cast Sleeping Beauties, Rewrite Sleeping Beauties
Pre-Production hell

5/96
Shoot Sleeping Beauties
write one million thank you cards
Sleep

6/96
BEG all involved on THE GAME for post-production equipment.
Start editing

7 and 8/96
Script Supervise hellish feature in Iowa. Can't take big movie -- must edit and finish SLEEPING BEAUTIES.

9/96
Have 3 months to write feature script to bring to Sundance in the chance the short gets in. FUCK.

Don't get invited to THE GAME premiere -- did I push it...? Get invited at last second when Fincher's friend stays in Europe. Fincher promises to give notes on SLEEPING BEAUTIES. His movie opens and he never calls back.

10/96
Sound design short.
Work on feature script and find writing partner.

11/96
Work on score for short.
Work with Writing Partner on HOMO REHAB(the new feature title)

12/96
Work on titles for SLEEPING BEAUTIES
Complete HOMO REHAB

1/97
Sundance with SLEEPING BEAUTIES.
Change feature title from HOMO REHAB to MY STRAIGHT SUMMER when multiple people think HOMO REHAB is a serious drama. It's a comedy.

Get 3 picture deal with Dreamworks and decide to fuck the indep. world forever.

Jamie Babbit graduated as a Centennial Scholar from Columbia University. While an undergraduate, she interned for Martin Scorsese, John Sayles, and Producer Steven Haft (DEAD POETS SOCIETY, EMMA). She has worked as a Script Supervisor for David Fincher (THE GAME), Nancy Savoca (IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK), and 1997 Sundance Directors Su Friedrich (HIDE AND SEEK), and Alex Sichel (ALL OVER ME). Jamie has directed 6 short films and is currently developing her debut feature, HOMO REHAB. Jamie's new film, SLEEPING BEAUTIES, is a 15 minute, 35mm short and is playing at the Shorts Program IV.