Penn & Teller: Off the Deep End

I would like to take this time to promote "Penn & Teller: Off the Deep End." This is the elusive Bahamas project that I worked on last summer. Today it is released on DVD. Buy for or five copies - we need to make SOME money on this thing!

The project was amazing and a monstrosity all at the same time. Like all projects, the shooting schedule was hell, the budget was small, and we faced all sorts of production problems. But we finished it, the editors were able to put it all together, and in the end, I think that it is a fun little show.

The show was significant for me in many ways. It was my first time out of the country. It was my first chance to work on a scripted show. It was my first time in the position that I ended up taking. I was a nervous wreck, truthfully. I knew almost no one on the crew, I had no idea how to do the job I was assigned to do, and I was homesick. I got seasick during the first week of shooting. The weather was unbearable. It was 100 degrees with 100% humidity. There were freak thunderstorms that would force us to halt shooting for up to an hour at a time.

But ultimately it was a great experience. I gained a lot of independence on that trip - maybe too much. I gained an immeasurable amount of confidence in my professional skills. I gained great new friends. I liked hanging out with the Penn & Teller crew because they are not partiers, so I didn't have to pretend to care about going clubbing. One of my favorite anecdotes has me doing a little bit of ballet with Penn - running through barre positions at 4am, trying to stay awake. He has good turnout.

The shoot was tough, and I was miserable during many times. But I learned so much, and - pardon me for being cheesy for a moment - I grew so much as a person, that I cannot remember those awful moments. I forget the gut wrenching homesickness, the terror at not knowing what I was doing, the confusion as I spent 45 minutes getting lost trying to get to set, the nervousness as I tried to fit in socially. All of that is gone now. For the better, no doubt.