2009 June 29 « 12 Films. 12 Weeks. There are worse ways to spend a summer.

Inside 12in12: Sumi Lee

June 29, 2009 at 7:00 pm | Posted in Mike Lavoie | 3 Comments
Tags: indentured servitude, summer fun, thankless labor

Sumi Lee entered my life the afternoon of May 23rd, 2009, via email, the portal through which most people enter my life these days. Sumi went to the same high school as James, Keith, and Robb (Keith told her to email me; I am our “Staffing Department”) and she later attended my alma mater, Georgetown, where she was a friend of a friend of our very own Art “the Jogger” Chan.

She wrote me, “I have no real filmmaking or on-set experience really, but I do write poetry on the side and am fascinated by the art of storytelling.” And by golly, that is more than enough. We exchanged five emails and a few days later she showed up at 378 Bond St at 8AM ready to work. She became our go-to “Second Assistant Camera,” or “slate person.”

Sumi Week One: Ready to Take Command

Sumi has taken only on break during all shoots and this was it

Sumi Week Two: She took only one break in the past 5 weeks and this was it

After Week Two, Sumi asked if she could help out more. So Keith, James and I invited her to sit in on a production meeting. Little did we know it would be an uncharacteristically volatile production meeting, full of four-letter words, accusations, raised voices and even some slamming of fists on our dining room table (that would be me). Sumi sat placidly through this entire affair and when a moment of silence finally came she sighed, “You boys are ridiculous.” She calmly and diplomatically pointed out what each side was feeling, and saying, and why. We quietly moved on after she had said her piece, and looking back on that moment, she may have saved the entire project.

Sumi Week Three: Sumi and Art the Jogger: A Perfect Match!

Even when she was unable to help out all day, as for Week Three’s Sublet, she still showed up in the morning to represent and even swung by later in the day to drop off cookies and brownies. Sumi, like Tom, does not get a glamorous title or screen time or much more of a reward than coffee, a bagel, and a big hug at the end of the day, but without her we would be lost.