Updated the pre-production blog…
6 Feb 09: Fell on my butt on an icy concrete sidewalk. Nice way to start the morning.
5 Feb 09: Met our 1st Assistant Camera, Michael. He came in with a goat-tee and a Kangol hat – I like him already!!!
Quote of the day… “No fires, only solutions!” ~ Terry (1st AD)
4 Feb 09: Considering shooting the this weekends farm house day-for-night (or more precisely, evening for night). I’m proposing that we shoot the initial burn – a shot from a road to the house where the camera will be some 300 meters away during “magic hour”. I’m suggesting we build a pyre some five meters from the house on the side that faces the street with the hope that the distance will give the illusion that the fire is at the base of the house. The following images were transformed to DFN from photos I took of the location, at mid day, using the 3cP software I brought with me. I darkened the sky and ground using mattes (or power windows) and took out some color. The image on the right also has some fire and smoke I added using Motion and After Effects. Not too bad. We’ll see how it looks on the day.
↑ First pass at making a day-for-night from a location scout image.
→ Second pass after adding some fire and smoke.
03 Feb 09 / 2100 CST: This $H!7 is getting real! Yeah Boy!!
And time yet for a hundred indecisions, And for a hundred visions and revisions, Before the taking of a toast and tea.
It’s getting crazy ’round here. The office is buzzing.
Location scouting today with Art and the AD. I got my “snow story” today. We got stuck in the snow. Back and forth and push and pull and back and forth and spinning tire and stop. Repeat. Almost a half hour of this! Then a kind ol’ guy came with a shovel and helped us out. My quote of the day might have just have to go to him… “You should always carry a shove. It’s a good thing to have a round.” Amen to that.
02 Feb 09 / 2100 CST: Out right cold today! As nearest I could tell, it was about -27°C (-14°F) most of the day. The wind wasn’t blowing so it actually wasn’t that bad (granted, I only needed to walk about 100m to the production office). Who am I wearing you ask? Well, the down jacket is from Land’s End and the fleece jacket is from North Face. The jeans are from Buffalo and the silk long johns are also from Land’s End as are the waterproof boots and fleece scarf. The wool hat is from Kangol. Now if only I had a red carpet.
When I woke up, I looked around as I am wont to do and noticed, through groggy astigmatic eyes, a white puff near the doorknob on the door frame. Glasses on, I walked over and saw a metastatic growth of snow on the door frame guard. It seems to have frozen some condensation that developed on it. The room’s not cold mind you, it’s a very comfortable 20°C (68°F). There’s also a little bit of frost on a metal guard at the bottom of the door, too. Nice!
But back to why I’m here. For some scenes in the movie, we need some 8mm footage from the 50’s, 60’s, etc. We had a chance to see some of the footage of that period. It is so awesome. We have birthdays, gatherings, Christmas, and births, kids playing in the yard, or being driven on a tractor – all great stuff that works so well in our story. Film folks! This footage is roughly 58 years old and it still looks great! Where is the data from this film going to be in 50 year?! Very sad to think about. When I have kids, I’m buying an 8mm camera and it’s all being recorded on film. You heard it here first.
Sidetrack again… A couple of days ago, I bought some groceries for pillaging late at night when I’m all alone ,writing in my blog, possibly in my jammy pants as I am now. I have a diminutive fridge but no hot plate. I do, however, have a coffee maker. I have become quite the coffee pot chef. A good skill to have if you travel. For recipes, please subscribe to my newsletter. Kiddin’
Quiet day otherwise. Got my crew… mostly. Should have everything in place in the next couple of days. Just smile, roll with the punches and never did mind the little thing! That’s my motto.
01 Feb 09 / 2100 CST: Windy out today. When Corbin (Dir) and I stepped outside to plan a shot on Main Street, the wind blew right through our jackets. (Incidentally, we didn’t bundled up as much we normally would.) The cold demonstrated an important lesson. As we talked about the shot, we soon discovered that the quickness with which we made decisions is proportional to the amount of cold we felt. Needless to say our meeting outside went very quickly and if this keeps up, we’ll likely have the film shot in about three days!
Another article about the film makes it into the news: click here.
Super Bowl today. Yeah! GO ONE OF YOU GUYS… YOU! YEAH!
Alas, a moment of Zen:
Individually wrapped hotdogs! I think it’s brilliant and yet, it totally freaks me out. At first I’m thinking, “why are they using edible ink” – that was until I read the instructions to remove the wrapper. Oh, Canada. Love it. By the way… Not a bad hotdog!
31 Jan 09 / 2100 CST: Didn’t have to wake up early today, thankfully. I did however wake up this morning at 4AM discovering I fell asleep while working on my notes for the film. Cold and wondering what all the noise outside was, I went finally got under the covers and back to sleep. When I did wake up, I discovered the wind blowing and whistling like a banshee.
It’s warmer today, when the wind isn’t blowing. Comfortable to finish-out our location scout.
↑ Good morning Kipling! For anyone who lives in snowy conditions, seeing this is old hat. But for me, it’s “winter wonderland” stuff.
→ Horse at one of our locations.
↑ I actually like this photo…
→ A cemetery we’re considering. When I saw the plastic flower, it was moving but not in a sad way.
30 Jan 09 / 1150 CST: We headed out at 8AM to Regina to do crew interviews. I’ll write more later – enjoy these pics for now.
↑ Dawn in Kipling. This photo is completely untouched. That’s what the camera saw, that’s what I saw. Amazing!
↑ This way ladies and gents…
→ This will be our psychiatric institution set. How beautiful is that?!
↑ A very drinkable local beer. Hope to find some when I get back. I loved it.
→ A neighboring table bought Corbin a drink. It’s good to be king.
29 Jan 09 / 0150 CST: A beautiful dawn in Regina. There we made a quick stop at the convenience store where I was informed that there is a black-light in the men’s bathroom. Why? Well, it seems it’s harder to find “your vein” under that light. Why? Well, I guess hitting up in some convenience store is an issue. Really!?
↑ My view from the Hotel Saskatchewan.
On of the striking things about being this far north is the beautiful quality of light exists here. It’s not just some DP mumbo-jumbo. The sun hangs low in the sky and the moisture in the air gently diffuses the light. Suspended above the horizon are pastel washes of rich pink, baby blue and pale lavender.
↑ The old town church, build around 1905, sits next to other history town buildings.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “It leaks, but it works.” Chris, our producer, jokingly replies to a question about our system of filmmaking.
28 Jan 09 / 0150 CST: Travel went very well, all things considered. After kissing the wife and puppy good-bye at LAX, I payed a visit to US Customs. There with my 4455, in triplicate, and a detailed inventory list of equipment I was taking with me, I got my official stamp. By the by, both US and Canadian Customs officer mentioned ATA Carnet – a merchandise passport service that apparently speeds the process and insure you won’t stuck with a surprise duty fee or penalty. Good to know for next time.
Once in Canada, I had to get a work visa. There I got my first stamp on my new passport and my first “a-boot” when asked what the movie was “about”. I think the immigration officer was testing me to see what I would do! Frankly, it took all my strength not to break out into a South Park Terrence and Philip impersonation. With solemnity intact, it seems I had an easier time getting through immigration then the folks who preceded me. With my charta visa now stamped, paid and stapled with the official documents that allows me to work in the majestic province of Saskatchewan, I was off to my final destination of the night. From Calgary to Regina, the flight seemed shorter than the time it took to get my bags. Can’t complain much – at least they all arrived. A shared taxi ride to the Hotel Saskatchewan paid by my riding partner Kim who is here on business. Canadian hospitality is alive and well.
It’s two hours later than in Los Angeles. It’s time to call it a night and go to sleep on a wonderfully relaxing Sleep Comfort bed… I’m a 65 by-the-by. Tomorrow I scout locations in Kipling.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “It’s easier to struggle than to watch someone struggle.” – Told to me by one of the Hotel Sask staff members when she tried offering me help with my bags.
23 Jan 09 / 0040 PST: With an eleventh hour application submission, my passport went through just in the nick-of-time. Looks like I’ll now be able to head north to Canada to shoot another film with actor/director Corbin Bersen.
The project is called “Rust”. It’s about a man-of-the-cloth who’s lost his faith and, in delving into a mystery in his small hometown, he discovers his faith again. I know it sounds like a Scooby-Doo episode, but it’s a good script with memorable lines, a chance to work with Corbin again, and a wonderful opportunity for me to shoot some gorgeous vistas in a little corner of the world in the land of our neighbors to the North. We’re shooting in Kipling, SK Canada.
Here’s a link to the following article which has more about the film’s story and the film itself.
Canadian town pools its funds for low-budget film
By Borys Kit Borys Kit – Thu Jan 22, 1:11 am ET
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – It’s almost like something out a of movie: A struggling, rural town decides to make a movie in order to turn around its fortunes.
But that’s exactly what Kipling, Saskatchewan, population 1,100, is doing. The Canadian town’s residents have banded together to form a company that will produce and finance an independent, faith-based film written by and starring Corbin Bernsen, the former “L.A. Law” star who now co-stars on USA Network’s “Psych.”
Things have been tough for prairie towns like Kipling, which is about two hours from the province’s capital city of Regina. The economy is rough, opportunities are few, and anyone with means heads to the nearest big city.
Kipling hit the news once before: In 2006, a blogger spent a year bartering a red paper clip for a series of items of increasing value; in the end, he exchanged a movie role for a farmhouse in the town. The person who offered up the role was Bernsen, who trekked to the town — which had collectively won the part — to hold auditions.
Bernsen couldn’t help but notice two things about Kipling: First, for a town that loved movies and wanted to be a part of the filmmaking process, it didn’t have a movie theater. Second, it had six churches, a lot for a town of just more than 1,000 residents. Bernsen quickly realized that his movie — the first word in the script was “c—sucker” — probably wasn’t suitable for the Canadian Bible Belt town, so he said he’d come back with another, more appropriate project.
COLLECTIVE EFFORT
At first, the town’s residents were skeptical, but when it became evident that Bernsen was serious, the mayor met with him in the town’s only motel and said Kipling wanted to finance the prospective film. Bernsen accepted the offer, even if he didn’t necessarily believe it would amount to much.
“I thought it was very cute,” he recalls. “But within months, we had over $237,000.”
Kipling’s more prominent members set up a 20-member board and created a company, Kipling Film Prods., in which friends, family and business associates could invest. It then set about raising money, using the local paper, going door to door, holding drives and writing newsletters. A group of elder women put their Social Security checks together to invest. Bernsen visited the town four or five times to give pep speeches and serve as a reminder to folks that, yes, there really was a Hollywood movie within their grasp.
Pat Beaujot, a farm machine maker and member of the board, takes the accomplishment in stride, saying it represents small-town values in action.
“If we want to fix the rink, people contribute money and time and they do it,” he says. “Things get done with volunteer labor and people donating money. This isn’t an unusual thing. It’s unusual in the sense that it’s a movie and not a facility, but this is normal for towns this size. Towns like ours really have to gather their abilities and financing and do it themselves when they want to accomplish something.”
He adds: “(People) thought it was like a donation for the town, to bring more activity to the town. That was part of the driving force behind it. And of course, everyone hopes we make money out of it.”
The movie, “Rust,” is set to begin shooting in early February, with Bernsen starring. The production will use a crew from Regina, working with actors who are members of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, and take advantage of certain film incentives, including a rural tax rebate (for shooting outside of Regina). Bernsen brought in other investors to help bump up the final budget total, which is in the $260,000 range.
The plot, partially inspired by the 2007 death of Bernsen’s father, centers on a priest who undergoes a midlife crisis of faith and comes home to heal.
Bernsen, who says location scouting took all of one day, now is thinking ahead.
“These people want to start a cottage industry, and we’re already talking about the next movie,” he says, noting that he has found a farmhouse on a hill that rivals the “Psycho” house and would be good for a faith-based horror movie.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
We’re shooting two weeks in February and then again in the summer. I’ll check in as often as I can with updates of the project. (I hope they have the interweb there!? HA! What’s that a-boot, eh?)
What are we shooting this project on you ask? The Red One, I say. I’ll post more in the next couple of days. It should be fun even if it’s minus thirty degrees Celsius. Ouch! I’m putting together a set of notes for handling the camera in sub-freezing conditions.
I’m also taking up my copy of 3cP to color grade shots at the end of the day or on our day off. It’ll be a great way to work out the look, make improvements, and document my notes for when we return in the summer after the snow thaws.
See you all when I get back, eh! And don’t pick-up any stray loonies (or toonies or moonies… whatever).
1 Jan 09: Hey everybody! I’ll be in Canada from the 28th until the end of February. Please note that I’ll be unavailable most of the time. My mobile won’t have incoming service (outgoing costs 50¢ a minute), I may not be able to get text messages (although AT&T says I can), and my access to the internet will likely be spotty at best (small town hotel). Regardless, email will still be the best way to reach me to but keep in mind that I often won’t be able to reply until the end of the day or not until the next day. If I find a better way to reach me, I’ll post it here and on Facebook. I’ll also update my blog entry for “Rust” as often as I can for those of you interested on how the show is progressing, but it may only be bullet points.
If all else fails, let us please synchronize our watch to a designated time and I’ll send up smoke signals.
UPDATE: So wi-fi works in my room. Email is the best way to reach me until further notice.
