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 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

DAY 5

It’s 6AM, everyone’s up and ready to go... EVERYONE. Better, cuz there’s a loooong scene to shoot before the Set General flies away to the deep south. Luckily, the set’s still pretty much set from the night before. So away we go, right into:

A strange little interlude where a mentally challenged man/child wakes up, only to discover he can now speak like Richard Burton, emoting woes of his condition, while taking a girl prisoner at gun point. Yes. There’s more sets up than usual, along with a long soliloquy complete with dolly push. The little crew catches fire as do the actors, and we reach our goal of finishing the complicated(for this shoot) scene before the Set General jets away.

Kelly Jones of Kelly and Suzan Jones a love story tags in as DP and Suzan Jones of Kelly and Suzan Jones a love story tags in on boom AND sound. They’re two boys Zeke and Deklin(sp?) tag in too, fanning fog, listening for trains, and holding big white cards. Next up, a scene with Yak, who just flew in himself, to act and do just about every other job on the set. 

We begin outside, only to discover there’s a nosy neighbor hanging around, watching us, GETTING IN THE DAMN SHOT. The Real Deal makes his approach, and somehow gets that guy the hell away from us. Thank you Real Deal. But wait, if he wasn’t real deal enough, dude then spends the next half hour following the actors as they walk and talk with one of those big white cards.

Our peppy little production team goes inside, where the camera gets set WAY up on top of a ladder, looking like it’s gonna fall any moment and ruin the whole shoot. But wait. This is Kelly Jones, master rigger, camera ain’t going NOwhere. Block, light, and shoot.

PIZZA

Time to switch sets, of course there isn’t nearly enough lights. So AS USUAL, make due with what we got. Like a tidal wave of gripness all decks on hand start dressing and lighting. The master contains six characters with lots going on. We block, figure out the shot list.... oh shit, guitars and amps need greeking. Back to the scene, or scenes cuz we’re doing several. We blow through, one, two, three scenes. Ultra handy Cousin Nick mans the dolly, Kelly operates, Suzan is booming, the actors are, ah, acting. This last shot requires perfect timing. Seventeen takes later: 

Cast and crew all gather round the monitor to watch the magic. There’s laughter and high fives all around. A GREAT WAY TO END ROUND ONE OF SHOOTING!!!

photos by Suzan Jones

DAY 4

Everyone arrives at the set bright and early, including said actor who got his times mixed up yesterday. We start getting ready to go. Only now, can’t find said actors wardrobe. EVERYONE begins frantically looking all over the set for a shirt, pants, and hat. They’re no where. Said actor thinks he might have forgotten them, so wakes his roommate. Not there. WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY?! Everyone keep frantically looking. Nothing. The actor decides to drive back home, where he’s at least got some pants he can wear, and hopefully find the rest of his threads. There’s been no wardrobe person thus far on this shoot. But will be now, ANOTHER job for someone to be saddled with. The actor leaves. Another actor finally finds said actors shirt buried under the pillows in one of the couches. But no hat or pants. 

THEN, the Set General approaches with a little problem. Actually, a BIG problem for this little production. Our super pro, amazing, much in demand Set General has been called in for another gig, and is HOPPING ON A PLANE TO ALABAMA TOMORROW! Dude’s gotta take it, gig pays huge. Our General has a little girl to feed and big house to pay off. 

Four hours in. Nothing’s been shot, are waiting for an actor to show with his wardrobe, losing our Set General, and don’t know if we can get the mother of all locations back for any more shooting. 

Decisions must be made, and made fast. The Real Deal will call the folks who run the location and see if we can change our call time tomorrow from 10:30AM to 6AM, the Set General will work right up to the time of going the airport, half of Kelly and Suzan Jones a love story will take over as DP(Kelly is one, so cool there), and punt on our last day of shooting at the mother of all locations, where we would have been shooting the mother of all scenes. Everyone involved is completely dedicated to finishing this movie. So that’s just how it’s gotta be. We will return!

Said actor arrives(dude is TOTALLY worth it) with hat and pair of pants, and away we go, more focused than ever.

Drude brings Lunch.

Then it’s back to work, where the actors continue getting stronger, we keep bravely fighting sound issues, and work like mad to make up for lost time.

photos by Suzan Jones

DAY 3

First day of a four day stint at the mother of all locations, where one third of the entire movie is being shot. It’s 6AM, there is mucho to do, with lots to be loaded in, and two locations to be dressed. Once again we’re understaffed, so everyone is moving like mad to get everything ready.

Then some bad news. One of the actors, who’s in just about EVERY scene at this location, thought his call time was 8PM not 8AM! Dude is down in Orange county wrapping another shoot, but says he can get to down town LA at around noon. Do we re-cast him with one of the crew? Nah, just shoot around the guy and hope to god he actually does get here by noon.

First up, an exterior scene. But before we can start several of the crew have to move their rides because some guy who works in the building next door says we’re breaking the law by parking in front of his place. We aren’t, but it’s the first day, and don’t want to piss anyone off. It also becomes clear that shooting right by the railroad tracks, off a busy street, and under a flight path is going to be HELL on sound. Luckily everything else is pretty perfect.

First scene goes rather slowly. Everyone is still finding their way and the noise problem fully sucks, but just gotta live with it. The actor we’ve been waiting for finally shows(more than making up for lost time with his talent), we scout the area behind the building for our next locations, and once again get bogged down. This time, because there just wasn’t enough time to rehearse, so needed to flush some stuff out. 

Drude uses his amazing logistical skills and finds a great place to get lunch. KICK ASS MEXICAN FOOD!

We move inside, where everyone’s working fast and furious to keep this crazy ship afloat. Each crew member doing the job of at least three. Everything gets lit, dressed, and on we go. The Set General does most of the blocking cuz he’s now running and gunning all the coverage in his head. All we have time for is the absolute minim of set ups to stay on schedule, we’re already way behind, with a hard out. 

That hard out comes, and we live to fight another day.

photos by Suzan Jones 

DAY 2

Our next day of shooting actually began the night before, driving home in the pouring rain, realizing there was no one to let us into the office where we were shooting the next day. A call goes into Donny Paradise. Done.

Up and ready to go the next morning, the Real Deal and Katia start dressing the first of the three rooms being used for three scenes. Of course each one needs to be totally changed. We also have to track down the Hipster extra, who luckily works at the office we’re shooting at.

First up, our first scene with the Alien, so there’s gonna be some make up. Unfortunately we’re once again way under staffed with Suzan Jones our set photographer and make up person also doing sound with Abby on boom. Good thing there’s only one set up for this scene, so it goes by pretty quick, complete with the Real Deal plugging and unplugging Christmas lights.

The Hipster extra arrives, desks have been moved around, fake gold CDs, logos, signs, and cleared posters have been put up. We’re ready for the next scene. Or are we? The Set General comes up with yet another cool idea, resulting in an unorthodox shot you’ll just have to wait for the movie to see.

Our courageous crew moves into the conference room. One of the walls is all glass, so there’s reflection issues galore, especially of the boom. A few flags, cards, and lots of tweaking later, problem solved. Only two set ups here so this goes by pretty quick too, including a little movement with a skateboard dolly.

Gina brings food!!!!!

We then move into the garage where the question of the day is, is there enough available lighting to do some green screen shots with a car? The Set General has borrowed some kenos, the crew holds up some fans, Danger rocks the car(which he owns by the way). It works. 

Jupiter James gets his hard out, the actors leave, the crew packs up and clears out.

photos by Suzan Jones