Lauren was a great script supervisor. Script supervisor is the person in charge of continuity. She had a lot of things to watch, but her best work was that eagle eye she kept on Rashieda’s neck scarf which kept coming unraveled. And she had no problem stopping progress to fix that dang thing. I’m not even kidding about that. At any rate, because she was so meticulous she took a lot of photos and we now have them to use as production stills. Unfortunately we have no photos of her. The world’s loss! Here’s what she has to say for herself.
Sue: Lauren, how did we meet?
Lauren: We met when I auditioned for The Marriage Expo. I was slightly late and out of breath and used some Louis CK stand up material as audition fodder. You wore a fancy hat and a very straight face. I was certain you were profoundly unimpressed.
Sue: Ha ha! “Profoundly unimpressed.” I was impressed that you were using Louis CK for audition fodder. Most people dig the Spoon River Anthologies out or something from the latest Book of Appropriate Monologues. I was unimpressed because you seemed nervous and you clearly didn’t need to be. Or something. So while we’re on the subject of the Marriage Expo(sé), what did you think of that show and your experience in it?
Lauren: The best thing about the show was that we got to take all of that delicious writing and just run with it. You laid the foundation for us to build our characters into real people, no matter how bizarre or broken they were, and you encouraged us to really play with our creative prowess. It was a great recipe for authentic characters filled with all the strange little nuances that make people people. I loved it.
Sue: Cool. You know it is one my dreams to turn that into a Robert Altman type movie. If I do that and cast you, would you stick with the character you created, or try one of the others? And explain about your character in that play. You turned her into something more than the cartoon than I had created in the first place.
Lauren: I love testing out new things, so I’d definitely try any one of the other characters. That said, Ms. Jollery is unapologetically tenacious and almost frighteningly confident, and that’s sexy. She works hard and plays harder. I’d relish the chance to take a peek into her personal life!
Sue: I’ll do my best to make that a reality. What other work have you done?
Lauren: That would be super rad, I love working with you. Currently I’m in the midst of shooting a feature length film, playing the role of Natasha Nikitin, in Cage the Bear, by Adrian Horodecky. Super fun and ultra quirky. Other than that, I’ve done lots of stage work. I enjoy the stage immensely, but I’m starting to think my one true love is film!
Sue: They are two different things. Nothing like a live audience, but then nothing like not having to memorize an entire script and do weeks of rehearsals and, and…
What behind the scenes experience do you have? Do you see yourself expanding on those skills while you’re chasing after acting gigs?
Lauren: Working as Script Supervisor on A Perfect You really put me to the test. I enjoyed doing it, and could see myself doing that if it was a full time gig. You have to invest a lot of brain power in that position. It’s quite challenging. I also like to throw my camera around on set looking for good candids of people doing their thing.
Seeking out new knowledge has become a hobby of mine, and I’m grateful for each new acquired skill. In the realm of entertainment, I love acting, but I also love really excellent sound design, set design, lighting, music….the list goes on. People forget that there’s so much art in things like lighting and sound design, but those things can be everything!! It’s been fun to soak it all in with each new opportunity. And that’s part of why it’s so great to work with you — you’re really adept at picking up on people’s strengths and putting them to good use, even if you are having them do something they’ve never done before. I’m forever in debt to you for your confidence in me. You help me build my confidence to do these things!
Sue: It is all an art. There are rules for the crew to follow, but there are always problems that need to be solved. You can never have too much knowledge in filmmaking. So the people that get on well are those that have your attitude and are ready to discover something new. IMHO.
Let’s talk about your photography. It’s funny that you wound up script supervisor and had to take pictures because you gave me so many great still photographs. I was glad both you and Evelyn were doing that. How did you happen to start doing photography?
Lauren: My fiancé Jonathan Pretz, the creative genius behind Jon Athan’s Photography, got me into it, trial by fire style. He needed a second shooter for an upcoming wedding and basically handed me a camera and said, “Here. This button does this, this button does this, that’s what makes your bokeh, this wheel does this, this is where the battery and memory card go, oh and here are 12 different lenses to play with.” And now I just keep learning as I go along. Jon’s photography is really amazing, and I’m glad he has enough faith in me to take on such an important role in his business. I also recently had the good fortune of landing a gig doing commercial photography work for H&H Construction. I’ll be capturing images of several of their building projects in the coming months. I never had any kind of education beyond high school, so it’s really amazing to have people like you and Jon and others say, “Here, take this script, or this camera, or whatever, and go do this thing.” It’s humbling and empowering at the same time, and that’s a great feeling.
Sue: That’s the funny thing about formal education. It really isn’t necessary for most things. Learning comes from doing. Are you going to pursue a career in photography? What are your favorite subjects?
Lauren: I don’t see myself pursing photography as career per se, but I’m wide open to the possibility. Shooting for personal fulfillment is not a priority for me. That said, I’m kind of obsessed with outer space and things that look like space, like a universe of chalk dust blown on the ground, or a galaxy spun from the bubbles in my beer, and Jon and I have snapped a few pics of those types of things. I’d love to do astrophotography, as well as play with light and different mediums to create photos that look like astrophotography. Aside from that, I think capturing people in their first and last moments would be incredibly fulfilling.
Sue: Well, I love your work and will continue to find projects for you on all levels.
Lauren: Thank you, and thanks so much for letting me (and Annabelle!!) be a part of A Perfect You. Your creativity, professionalism, and diplomacy under pressure are greatly inspiring. And you’re damn sexy, too. 🙂
Sue: You’re the best! Thanks for being part of A Perfect You. See you soon!
A Perfect You film by Sue Lange 