'Franny, get out of the shot!'

That was Gina, director, barking instructions to her sister this afternoon as they were setting up to film a scene of "Stella" in the historic Pioneer Square district of Seattle. As Franny pointed out, the camera wasn't even turned on and there was no danger of Fran winding up in the scene, since she was there only to operate the camera for Gina and her friend Katy, the film's star. Me, I was the roadie and the chaperone, happy to stay out of camera range and watch the next chapter in Queen's filmmaking career unfold.

When we left off, before Michelle and I departed on Pie in the Sky II, the girls and their friends were in the middle of their big "Sweeney Todd" remake. But that production didn't make it to completion. Details are hazy, but something about artistic differences and a flaking co-star.

Anyway, after a day or two of sulking about that, Gina got back to work, writing the original screenplay "Stella," about a girl who has suffered some traumatic brain injury and may now be insane, but whose life is slowly revealed in metaphoric flashback. I've read the synopsis, though not the full script, and I'm impressed by the imaginative writing and the story's clever construction.

Most of the same crew working on "Sweeney" are back for this one. If anything it's more elaborate, and the planning and cooperation are, so far, a wonder to behold.

Here are a couple of pics I took this afternoon, followed by screen shots from last week's shoot.

I don't need the woods ...

...I have a nice wood desk."

That's the conclusion Steve Carell comes to on the latest episode of The Office, in which Steve decides to find him self by going into the wild. Pretty good.

Flashback: Kid photos

Weekend challenge: send us photos of you as a kid -- we'll post 'em! Here's ours:

Me and my sister Renee in 1965. I was one.


Five years later. Mark and family in San Francisco. He was 10.



Mark in college, at his college paper. What a cute young pup!

PS: what we're watching: Mel Gibson's The Patriot. Sappy and heavy-handed.