Gotta love NYC – SPEAK DVD commentary taping

Yesterday was just what the doctor ordered – a day in New York City.

I don’t think I could ever live there, but I do love visiting it. I love the crush of people, the hundreds of languages, the thousands of combinations of faces, clothes, walks, eyes, the little dogs, the business – all of it. Energizing. I took the train from Trenton to Penn Station. No, I was not afraid to take the train. To be afraid is to let the bad guys win. They won’t win anything with me.

Why did I take a day out of the craziness that is life right now and head for Manhattan? To do one of the coolest things ever!


You know how some DVD’s come with commentary? After you watch the movie, you can watch it again, only this time you hear a voice (usually the director) that gives you the story behind the story of the film. Yesterday, I met with Jessica Sharzer, the director of the SPEAK movie, and the two of us recorded the commentary for the DVD! It was a blast.

Image hosted by TinyPic.com There was a massive mixing board and a nice guy named Mark (whose daughter plays on a guy’s ice hockey team) who took care of it.

Image hosted by TinyPic.com Jessica Sharzer is a wonderful person! She gave a lot of fascinating information about how they make things happen in the movie – making it look like winter in the middle of August, filming inside a bathroom stall, etc., as well as tidbits about the actors. I talked about the differences between the book and the movie, and some of the whys behind the story structure itself.

Image hosted by TinyPic.com I snuck a picture of the movie – here is Kristen Stewart who plays Melinda, on the bus to school.

Image hosted by TinyPic.com Jessica and I slogged through the rain (it poured yesterday) and had lunch. Here is the view from my table. We talked all about story structure and narrative flow, which is dull to most people, but I like it a lot.

In other news, the back porch kitties have returned. I think their moms are teaching them to venture out into the real world (the woods behind my apartment) so they are only here part-time.

I have to clean the apartment today and pack more boxes and write and go to the grocery store because the cupboard is bare. (I’ll give details about my move as it gets closer.) This is one of those days that makes me feel like a boring adult.

Oh – for the record because people keep emailing me about it: the film version of SPEAK will be on Showtime and Lifetime on Monday, September 5th. I have more details, but can’t share them until the official announcement (I think that will be on July 16th). It’s killing me to keep some of this stuff secret!!!

75 Replies to “Gotta love NYC – SPEAK DVD commentary taping”

  1. Oooh, can’t wait for the DVD. I still have my ticket stub from Sundance. Is that something you’d like to have? (Seriously – I’d be happy to send it to you.)

  2. Oooh, can’t wait for the DVD. I still have my ticket stub from Sundance. Is that something you’d like to have? (Seriously – I’d be happy to send it to you.)

  3. Oooh, can’t wait for the DVD. I still have my ticket stub from Sundance. Is that something you’d like to have? (Seriously – I’d be happy to send it to you.)

  4. I have more details, but can’t share them until the official announcement (I think that will be on July 16th)

    As if that day doesn’t have enough excitement packed into it already…

  5. I have more details, but can’t share them until the official announcement (I think that will be on July 16th)

    As if that day doesn’t have enough excitement packed into it already…

  6. I have more details, but can’t share them until the official announcement (I think that will be on July 16th)

    As if that day doesn’t have enough excitement packed into it already…

  7. That is so sweet of you!

    Can you hang on to it for another month or so while I move? If not, I understand. If you don’t mind, remind me again mid-August (by which time I hope everything will be unpacked) and I’ll tell you where to send it. Thanks!

  8. That is so sweet of you!

    Can you hang on to it for another month or so while I move? If not, I understand. If you don’t mind, remind me again mid-August (by which time I hope everything will be unpacked) and I’ll tell you where to send it. Thanks!

  9. That is so sweet of you!

    Can you hang on to it for another month or so while I move? If not, I understand. If you don’t mind, remind me again mid-August (by which time I hope everything will be unpacked) and I’ll tell you where to send it. Thanks!

  10. speak

    hey! i can’t wait for the movie:-)! i wish you could give more info though. oh well. will it be out on dvd after it comes on tv? i’ll definitely check your LJ on july 16th. are you going to get the new harry potter on that day? i don’t know. i think i’ll wait till another day. glad you had fun in nyc. i’m not going there for my birthday after all but i am going to king of prussia. should be fun:-). well ttyl (talk to you later). -ashley 🙂

  11. speak

    hey! i can’t wait for the movie:-)! i wish you could give more info though. oh well. will it be out on dvd after it comes on tv? i’ll definitely check your LJ on july 16th. are you going to get the new harry potter on that day? i don’t know. i think i’ll wait till another day. glad you had fun in nyc. i’m not going there for my birthday after all but i am going to king of prussia. should be fun:-). well ttyl (talk to you later). -ashley 🙂

  12. speak

    hey! i can’t wait for the movie:-)! i wish you could give more info though. oh well. will it be out on dvd after it comes on tv? i’ll definitely check your LJ on july 16th. are you going to get the new harry potter on that day? i don’t know. i think i’ll wait till another day. glad you had fun in nyc. i’m not going there for my birthday after all but i am going to king of prussia. should be fun:-). well ttyl (talk to you later). -ashley 🙂

  13. I’m so excited that SPEAK has been made into a movie, and even more excited that I actually get Showtime and Lifetime. I’ve already programmed it into the event calendar on my cell phone.

    It sounds cheesy, but SPEAK really spoke to me when I read it and still when I re-read it, and as you can see by my username, I’m a total film-geek. So this makes me really excited.

  14. I’m so excited that SPEAK has been made into a movie, and even more excited that I actually get Showtime and Lifetime. I’ve already programmed it into the event calendar on my cell phone.

    It sounds cheesy, but SPEAK really spoke to me when I read it and still when I re-read it, and as you can see by my username, I’m a total film-geek. So this makes me really excited.

  15. I’m so excited that SPEAK has been made into a movie, and even more excited that I actually get Showtime and Lifetime. I’ve already programmed it into the event calendar on my cell phone.

    It sounds cheesy, but SPEAK really spoke to me when I read it and still when I re-read it, and as you can see by my username, I’m a total film-geek. So this makes me really excited.

  16. Ohhhh!

    I thought the movie was already out, but now I understand why I couldn’t get it at Netflix. I got some kind of weird error message…they’ll be getting it, right?

  17. Ohhhh!

    I thought the movie was already out, but now I understand why I couldn’t get it at Netflix. I got some kind of weird error message…they’ll be getting it, right?

  18. Ohhhh!

    I thought the movie was already out, but now I understand why I couldn’t get it at Netflix. I got some kind of weird error message…they’ll be getting it, right?

  19. Two Questions

    I have two questions:

    1. Do you read the Harry Potter books?

    2. Will these details on July 16th involve something coming up right after that, because I will be in Victoria buying Harry Potter 6 and I don’t want to miss anything because I’m cut off from the internet?

  20. Two Questions

    I have two questions:

    1. Do you read the Harry Potter books?

    2. Will these details on July 16th involve something coming up right after that, because I will be in Victoria buying Harry Potter 6 and I don’t want to miss anything because I’m cut off from the internet?

  21. Two Questions

    I have two questions:

    1. Do you read the Harry Potter books?

    2. Will these details on July 16th involve something coming up right after that, because I will be in Victoria buying Harry Potter 6 and I don’t want to miss anything because I’m cut off from the internet?

  22. One More Question

    On the Lifetime premier, will anything be edited. I know that there probably isn’t anything that bad in the movie, but like, the rape scene and everything, will that still be there?

  23. One More Question

    On the Lifetime premier, will anything be edited. I know that there probably isn’t anything that bad in the movie, but like, the rape scene and everything, will that still be there?

  24. One More Question

    On the Lifetime premier, will anything be edited. I know that there probably isn’t anything that bad in the movie, but like, the rape scene and everything, will that still be there?

  25. Re: One More Question

    As far as I know the exact same film will be shown on both channels.

    The rape scene is not graphic, but it is devastating.

  26. Re: One More Question

    As far as I know the exact same film will be shown on both channels.

    The rape scene is not graphic, but it is devastating.

  27. Re: One More Question

    As far as I know the exact same film will be shown on both channels.

    The rape scene is not graphic, but it is devastating.

  28. there are so many release parties on the 15th going on until midnight for HBP i can’t wait oh and i would definately be a griffindor

  29. there are so many release parties on the 15th going on until midnight for HBP i can’t wait oh and i would definately be a griffindor

  30. there are so many release parties on the 15th going on until midnight for HBP i can’t wait oh and i would definately be a griffindor

  31. More and more I have been feeling for Hufflepuff. When discussions of houses come up, none of the kids ever want to be in this house. It never wins any contests in the books, never does anything remarkable. None of the main characters seem to come from there. Maybe it is the house of the normal kids (as normal as wizards can be anyways). While I like to think I could fit into Ravenclaw, house of the quick-witted, or Gryffindor, house of the brave…I’m beginning to think that being just and loyal, true and unafraid of toil isn’t so bad either.

  32. More and more I have been feeling for Hufflepuff. When discussions of houses come up, none of the kids ever want to be in this house. It never wins any contests in the books, never does anything remarkable. None of the main characters seem to come from there. Maybe it is the house of the normal kids (as normal as wizards can be anyways). While I like to think I could fit into Ravenclaw, house of the quick-witted, or Gryffindor, house of the brave…I’m beginning to think that being just and loyal, true and unafraid of toil isn’t so bad either.

  33. More and more I have been feeling for Hufflepuff. When discussions of houses come up, none of the kids ever want to be in this house. It never wins any contests in the books, never does anything remarkable. None of the main characters seem to come from there. Maybe it is the house of the normal kids (as normal as wizards can be anyways). While I like to think I could fit into Ravenclaw, house of the quick-witted, or Gryffindor, house of the brave…I’m beginning to think that being just and loyal, true and unafraid of toil isn’t so bad either.

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