to get a smooth tracking shot of poles in the parking lot. After filming for 10 minutes,
Marcel stopped the car.
Without breaking focus or lifting my eye from the viewfinder, I made quick circles with my
index for him to resume.
"Come on, let's move!"
I felt the transmission change gears to PARK.
Finally, I raised my head to see what was wrong when I realized there was a tall police officer
standing next to the car and staring me down with a very serious look.
"Hello Officer."
"Do you know why I stopped you?" He asked.
"Hmm... I'm... not sure." I said trying to gather my thoughts. I could have thought of a lot of reasons. Trespassing. Filming without permit...
"You're not wearing your seat-belt," he said.
A cop with a sense of humor!
I let out a relieved chuckle but I knew I was still not out of the wood. I explained to him with quite a lot of enthusiasm what an incredible shot I had in mind.
"Officer! Imagine this... the camera past past the parking meters in the deserted lot.
That would be so amazing and visually... so... POETIC! Don't you think?"
Gulp*
He looked at me with his lips forming a subtle smile. My passionate plea must have worked
because he let us off the hook without a ticket.
"I don't want you to do this again. Next time, I'm giving you and your driver a ticket."
"Yes Officer. Thank you. Thank you very much."
Before leaving, he even suggested some very creative ways to build a wooden shelf on the passenger side window to elevate the camera and keep it steady and create a great dolly shot.
Whether he was a cinephile or a weekend filmmaker, I'll never know. But one thing's for sure,
he was a good guy with a good sense of humor.
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