On the set

[Editor’s note: this is a conversation transcribed when I called Zac and asked him about his column.]

Ed.: How’s it going?

Zac: Ahh, okay. Working on a movie right in Connecticut right now. Standing in the middle of a set, an earpiece chattering in my ear. It’s pretty stressful. How are you?

Ed.: I’m fine. I was just calling to see if you were going to send your column.

Zac: Is it Tuesday?

Ed.: Yep.

Zac: Absolutely not. I’m on this movie, and I don’t know if I going to stay or leave. I was only supposed to be on this job for a week but my replacement backed out a day ago. Today is either going to be my last day, or it may go on for another month. But I’m supposed to be in New York tomorrow to get back to work on the Candy Darling documentary.

Zac (to someone else): 20 minutes for the actors. Stand by.

Zac: So it’s pretty stressful. (Laugh)

Ed.: What’s the movie about?

Zac: It’s called “After School” and it’s being directed by Antonio Campos, a friend from NYU.

Ed.: Is he famous?

Zac: I mean he won the Cannes Film Festival two years ago. He won first prize in the student category and recently directed a Shins video, which I edited.

Ed.: Are they famous?

Zac: The Shins?

Ed.: Yeah.

Zac: Ish.

Ed.: So what is the movie about?

Zac: It’s a coming of age story about a boy at a boarding school.

Zac (to someone else): Oh, oh, oh, just a sec. Thank you so much, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Zac: Where were we?

Ed.: A boarding school movie?

Zac: Yeah …

Zac: (to someone else) Thanks Jesse, appreciate it.

Zac: It is about a boy named Robert who is a regular guy, a sort of introverted character, who accidentally witnesses two girls dying and, ahh, he really doesn’t know what to do. It’s a big tragedy at the school and he’s coming to terms with it. The school doesn’t really know how to deal with it, they kind of do this “never forget to remember” sort of thing. “We need to learn from this tragedy.”

Ed.: (still typing): Hold on. Okay.

Zac: It’s impeding everyone’s process in grieving. And they institute more rules and security guards, and room searches. It’s kind of a comment on our society and the way that our society deals with tragedy-as well as being a comment on this internet generation where this boy has consistently been (pause) watching videos on the internet…

Ed.: (still typing): Hold on:

Zac: Violent videos, pornographic videos and it kind of …

Zac (to someone else): Yeah. “Go” for Zac. Stand by, yeah, yeah, I’m here, go ahead. (Silence)

Zac (to someone else): Yes, the schedule is pretty much the same. Yeah, yeah, do the travel. It might change, but that a good thing to start with.

Zac: Where were we?

Ed.: Are you talking to me?

Zac: It kind of desensitized him to these things and what happens when these girls die is that he’s accidentally filming it. So there is this irony about video and real life going on throughout the film.

Ed.: Wow! That sounds great.

Zac: Yeah, it’s an exciting thing, which is why I am having a problem with figuring out whether I am staying or leaving.

Zac: How are we on the word count?

Ed.: Hold on, hold on. (pause) We’re at 519.

Zac (to someone else): No, no, I’m trying to find a place for that in the student lounge.

Zac: Um, um. Okay cool, read it back to me. I got to go.

Ed.: Editor’s note: this is a conversation transcribed when I called Zac and asked him about his column…”

- Zachary Stuart-Pontier