DAY 10

THE MOTHER OF ALL SCENES

Everyone’s back at 10AM with an open ended release time and nine pages of up to twelve characters to shoot. Another crack at last night’s completely changed on the spot scene would be nice. Can all this get done? Can any of it get done?

First off, blocking. The mother of all scenes is split into two parts. The General starts doing his thing with the actors... it’s not working. WAY too stagey. Time to pow wow. What’s the right ‘feel’? Looking around, the actors and crew have all formed little ‘clicks’, talking amongst themselves. That’s it! That’s the feel. 

LETS BLOCK

The Set General creates a shot list in his head and away we go. The mother of all scenes is actually something like a bit of a Mozart opera, kind of. Four characters become eight, eight becomes ten, ten becomes eleven, eleven becomes twelve. The first part ends with eleven, so LOTS of coverage needs to be shot. It happens... well, some of it does.

Team Deal brings pizza. Most all of the cast is already there, so a pic with all of them is taken. Then with the crew too.

BACK TO WORK

Part one of the mother of all scenes gets finished, time to block part two. The characters have pretty much settled into their spots so there’s not quite as much blocking, but still need LOTS of coverage.

Gotta get through the first part of the second half of the mother of all scenes first. It’s lack luster, everyone’s fried. But this is the climax! It’s gotta be great. The difference between a pretty good flick and an amazing one. Where’s the energy gonna come from? WHERE?

The ROCK ‘N ROLL MISSILE? Who’s been waiting ALL DAY for his big moment. 

The Missile, along with the eye of the missile’s energy starts bringing everyone’s energy back. But it’s STILL not enough, not enough UNTIL:

Danger has a giggle fit. DANGER, the actor who NEVER shows any emotion, he’s usually just hanging in his car, texting chicks with kickin’ bodies. Danger’s giggle fit becomes contagious and soon EVERYONE is laughing. Energy picks back up again(it’s also like, one in the morning), we get the power to push through and finally finish the mother of all scenes.

Another pow wow, will we be able to go back and reshoot the scene from last night? It’s about two in the morning and STILL have another short scene to shoot outside. The Set General has to get up early the next day, we’re already about 17 hours in. 

The Real Deal asks if everyone can help load out as we shoot the scene outside. It’s all we can do. EVERYONE helps tear down. After a long day and night... the mother of all scenes is in the can.

photos by Suzan Jones

DAY 9

EVERYONE shows up at 6AM, including our new best friend Tom FINALLY A CONTINUITY PERSON. Well, everyone BUT:

An actor, who’s stuck on the road with a flat tire. Another actor is sent to go find him, right as the lost actors PHONE GOES DEAD. What a way to start the day :(

Another actor is missing too. Actually, he’s just been sitting in his car, but has forgot a VERY important part of his wardrobe. Wasn’t this problem supposed to be solved after the last wardrobe mishap? Not with a tiny crew, who all has at least ten different jobs to keep track of. Dude now has to drive back to his pad in rush hour traffic. MEANWHILE:

The actor who went out to find the other actor CAN’T FIND HIM ANYWHERE! So much for an early start.

What to do?? Shoot some new inserts of the flyer we shot with an actress that was replaced with another one. We do that, walk out on the street to think, and then:

The actor with the flat tire rushes up all out of breath. HE WALKED ALL THE WAY TO THE SET. The actor still looking for him is called back. Meanwhile the actor with the forgotten wardrobe is STILL stuck in traffic. What now?

Reshoot part of another scene at this location that didn’t quite work the first time. 

The actor who forgot his wardrobe arrives. Time to get down to business. Shooting a long scene, involving six characters. The Set General works out all the blocking, but three different colors of maker tape continues to confuse the actors. The scene is broken down into four parts and we shoot, doing the first part of the scene last. A free style band jam that exhausts all the actors, after take after take of jumping around, riffing like crazy.

YAK SHOWS UP WITH POLLO LOCO

We move into the other part of the set, which TEAM DEAL has been dressing all day, it’s a site to behold.

But as per usual we are WAY behind... one scene is knocked out before moving outside to shoot dusk for dawn. Tom’s still there cuing actors. A short scene with only two set ups, then it’s back inside.

We’ve got a hard out, so gotta move. Another scene is shot before going on to the last one of the day.

We rehearse/block the scene, realizing we got a BIG PROBLEM. The scene just ISN’T WORKING. A pow wow ensues as the clock continues ticking. We try one thing/then another. It’s still not feeling right, but gotta shoot. A few more tweaks, it’s feeling a bit better. But gotta go. The hard out is about half hour away and we still got about five set ups to shoot of a scene that’s just been re-written on the spot. Is what it is, so away we go.

We’re still shooting as the next group of people using this location begin filing in:

Right as we’re shooting THE LAP DANCE SEQUENCE. Yep, to all these fine folks it looks like we’re MAKING A PORN!

Team Deal continues putting ‘hot set’ signs all over our section of the location, right as we finish at the last possible second and split.

Tomorrow. THE MOTHER OF ALL SCENES

photos by Suzan Jones

DAY 8

The Set General is feeling much better today. Thank God! We load in, and THEN: 

Everyone parked on the street in front of the location gets marked by the parking patrol as per the two hour parking limit. There’s ten hour metered parking across the street, so one of the actors goes to the local laundromat and gets a bunch of quarters.

Superwoman Suzan Jones sets up her computer and starts working of photos, a kitchen is prepped for the first scene, a bedroom starts getting blacked out, the backyard becomes a staging area.

The Real Deal checks everything off and so begins the first set up of the first scene. OR IS IT? The hum of the refrigerator is screwing up the sound and unplugging it becomes a real pain in the ass. Done. We continue blocking, blocking, blocking till the scene feels right. We shoot. We move:

On to the blacked out bedroom, where our seven year old first AD is controlling the lights and wrangling talent. It’s a small space, but the Set General as per usual figures out all the set ups and away we shoot.

THAI FOOD, except for those who still can’t eat it cuz of a BAD case of food poisoning.

Then..... disaster strikes :(

A text comes in - one of the actresses set to work the day after tomorrow has to bail on the movie. SHIT!!! NO time to recast.... OR IS THERE? Looks like superwoman Suzan Jones, who’s already doing about ten jobs, gets another one ACTING. Suzan, you are cast on the spot.

Back to the bedroom another issue rears it’s perplexing head. Do we shoot the last segment like it is in the script? Being in two locations, or just combine everything in the bedroom where we already are? A friendly debate ensues between the Real Deal and the Set General. Deal wants the production value of another set. The location we’re in looks great and doesn’t require much dressing. But the Set General points out how it’s only two lines, will take some time to light, everyone is tired, and we have a 6AM call time tomorrow.... Score one for RD, we decide to shoot in two rooms. THEN:

Disaster AGAIN.

One of the actors can’t make the 6AM call time.

More discussion and just a bit of panicking... well, more panicking for some than others. The General stoically remains concerned with lighting, we’ll solve that problem later... which we finally do as per the General’s suggestion of deciding to shoot dusk for dawn.

The last shot gets wrapped, and it’s time to tear down, load up, get very little sleep, and begin all this all over again.... and then, something wonderful:

Like an angel from heaven Cousin Nick appears out of thin air to help tear down and load up. Nick’s all business. We get out faster than expected, living to fight another day.

photos by Suzan Jones

DAY 7

Another day of shooting is upon us, and the question on everyone’s mind is “how’s our hero the Real Deal feeling”. The answer? Well, as if he’s made of some kind of indestructible steel the Deal is fully healed and ready to go. 

The Set General still feels like he’s gonna puke.

The plan is to shoot four different locations at D$ abode. Deal likes keepin’ it simple like that, so away we go. Staging areas are set up in the kitchen and front deck, the living room starts becoming completely transformed, a big bag of medieval fighting armor is hauled deep up into the mountainous backyard. WHERE:

Up on said hill Yak must figure out how to put on all said medieval fighting armor. The angles up here are weird, the helmut keeps rolling down the hill, but the Set General as per usual figures it all out(even though he still wants to puke)

Next, a scene tweaked so we can take advantage of D$ AMAZING back porch. Can’t buy production value like THIS kids. RD points out a wood carved heart. The General pans up. We shoot the scene. And move on to:

The kitchen, where we shoot our next scene uncomfortably right next to what has become the cast staging area. MEANWHILE Team Deal continues transforming the living room into a game room, complete with a real asteroids machine.

IN AND OUT BURGER

We’re fighting light AGAIN and have to JAM through the last day scene. Blast through night after night scene with our seven and eleven year old boom operators(they have permits). The Set General STILL wants to puke, but luckily finds the herbal cold shot he thought he lost. The transformed living room gets rapped and we move on up to:

The lair of D$ himself, a ‘lair’ that doesn’t need ANY prepping. This is D$’s world, dude just rolls that way. Karbo does a character based on someone the $ed one is VERY familiar with. D$ in stitches.

We make another day. Tear down and go on home.

photos by Suzan Jones

DAY 6

Today starts with team ‘Deal’ completely transforming super trooper Gina’s abode, inclusive of landscaping the front yard. The real one is under the weather, but continues doing his eighteen plus jobs. Wardrobe is hanging, craft service tent is up, large fake axes are being hung. Almost ready to go.

BUT ARE WE? The person who was supposed to bring the monitor FORGOT. So the Set General unhooks and pulls Gina’s TV, no worries Gina you will get your cable and Xbox back again(we hope)... color’s a bit off, but the General fully knows what the hell he’s doing.

For the first scene an actor steps in to do continuity, specifically for Donny Paradise’s ever changing jaunty hat. The last set up for this particular bit ‘o magic wraps and no one can seem to remember if Donny was wearing glasses way back in the first set up(a long master). The Set General checks. Donny was. So much for continuity. No worries we’ll cut into coverage before we ever see his specks.

At this juncture a large part of the cast has already arrived and people are EVERYWHERE. Suzan Jones is taking funny pictures, Gint is showing Yak how to wield a sword, a smoking area has formed over by the big truck. We’re fighting daylight so have to kick some major ass to finish the last day scene.

GINA BRINGS FOOD!!!!!!

Now, a scene with a cat. Oh boy, over an hour is spent with Gina bribing said kitty with tuna, trying to get him to do what we want, which he finally does... sort of.

Time is no longer on our side(like it’s ever) so the next scene, WITH FIVE PEOPLE, is blocked so it can be done all in one shot. No coverage.

The Set General feels like he’s going to puke :(

Our gang then pushes through night scene after night scene, till:

The martini... with... Wait for it: 

ANOTHER CAT AND A KID!!!!! This time it’s Katia’s sweet docile kitty we’re using along with blond wonder Santino. Gotta figure a way to shoot this one sos this particular said kitty doesn’t run away and the Set General still feels like he’s gonna puke. Santino knows his lines cold and with a little direction from the general nails it. 

It be a little slow at the junction, but some how manage to load out.

photos by Suzan Jones

"Night of the Alien" looking "Out of this World"

In the beginning the question was asked, "How do we make a kick ass movie on no budget?" Well folks, it thrills me to inform you that we may have figured it out. 'Night of the Alien' rocks! I have seen most of the footage up to this point, and I can safely say that we have ourselves a kick ass movie. Of course, I am getting ahead of myself just a little. Everything has to be put down on a timeline and watched from beginning to end, but from what I can tell so far, we have something really special here. It looks great visually, as in big budget great. The actors are a bunch of scene stealers. Everything is cutting together well. Its total symmetry how this thing has come together. A miracle in the making, which I am very happy to be part of :)

Thank you Almighty Universe! (Now lets finish the f---ker ;)

ROUND TWO

About to embark on another 10 days of fury.... can we actually shoot an entire feature in just 15 days? J. De La Cruz might be the only one who truly knows...