Producer's Log: Production - Day 5

10:00am - Today's schedule is weird. We've shot 3/4 of the film. Now we just have the Al/Johnny scene outside the Brackney Inn, as well as all the Brackney Exteriors. So basically, we don't start until late afternoon.

12:30pm - There is a bike race outside of my apartment. They've shut down the street and bicyclists are cruising by, again-and-again. Very surreal. I'm partially delirious, anxious for tonight's shoot, sitting on the porch of my apartment, watching bicycles pass again, and again, and again.

4:30pm - I drive to the Brackney Inn. Start taping off the area of the parking lot where we want to shoot. Nat & Jeff arrive. We start unloading the van and set up dolly track.


5:30pm - Pop off a quick scene between Al & the bouncer. Props to Ted Nappi for coming in on short notice to play the bouncer. Last night, we weren't able to get in touch with the actor originally slated for the role. Panic mode, but Ted bailed us out. Thanks Ted.


7:30pm - Chuck Kaiser arrives with his shiny red car. It's a thing of beauty. Unfortunately, we're not ready for the shot yet; still setting up lighting.

8:30pm - Still setting up lighting. Chuck's getting a little anxious. It's largely my fault; I didn't prep him on the amount of time it takes to set up. I think he had expectations that he'd be in-and-out in less than a hour. Yikes! The crew is working as fast as they can.


9:30pm - Got the dolly shot with Al walking to the red car. Looks good. That's a wrap on the red car and Chuck. Thanks Chuck! The red car is a huge symbol in the film. Very important.
We drive in the shitty car and repeat the same shot; Al walking out of the Brackney to his car. The shots mirror each other.

10:00pm - We start shooting the Johnny/Al scene. The Brackney's refrigerator and air conditioner make a ton of noise. We've arranged to have them both shut off. The bar crowd isn't too big, but we're concerned that allure of the film production may attract the drunkards. Let's cross our fingers.

12:00am - Still going strong. Grinding through the shot list.

1:45am - There are apartments over the Brackney. Somebody's blaring music. I walk up and knock on their door, not really sure what to expect. They don't answer but turn down the music. Thanks buddy, whoever you are.

2:30am - Shouts from the other side of the Brackney. A fight? The yelling is definitely being captured by the mics. Nat walks over to talk to them. It's two guys, friends, who are drunken wrestling/fighting. Nat smooths things over. They give him a group hug. Ah, drunk people.

3:15am - The two dudes who were fighting have gathered their friends and are on the apartment balconies. They're watching us film. One of the dudes keeps asking questions and commenting on the performances. His friends try to shush him, but its not really working. Largely, most of the performance material has been shot. now its just inserts and cutaways, where sound really isn't absolutely critical. Still, I feel bad for Rob, who's trying to concentrate amid all the catcalls.
Thanks Rob for being such a trooper.

3:30am - The generator dies. Out of gas. We have just a little left in a container. One of the Brackney employees has some. He volunteers it to us. I give him $10. He doesn't take it. He's just happy to help out. He sticks around and watches us shoot. He loves movies and is fascinated by the process. Thanks man. Sorry I've forgotten your name.

4:00am - Finish the final shot of the film. Everyone is dead tired. We pack up. Everyone has major stuff to do today. I have work. Nat has his first day of teaching. Zach has first day of school. It's going to be a rough one. But the shoot is done.

That's a wrap!

Producer's Log: Production - Day 4

9:00am - Quarry day. It's the most ambitious scene of the script. A gunfight in a quarry. The quarry is 3/4 mile up this small mountain. No electricity. No running water. And the road is so uneven, it takes about 15 minutes to get up or down by car. The location will look great on film, but its a logistical nightmare.


As I start driving to the location, I get a phone call. It's Nat. He's at the Quarry location and we're screwed! Either because of a mis-communication or just bad luck, the entire Quarry crew is at work today. Buzz saws going. Compressed air/water. It's a disaster. We can't shoot at the planned location. I floor the gas and speed to the location.

10:30am - Things have seemed to work themselves out. Luckily, there is a third quarry location farther up the mountain. Nat thinks the new location can work, and I breath a sigh of relief. The show must go on!

11:00am - Cast and crew has arrived and gotten set. Things are moving slowly, but that's to be expected. It's hot. The location is remote. And we were shooting late last night.

1:00pm - It is SO HOT and SO SUNNY, I practically delusional. Hopefully these pictures will help communicate. Nat's family had the foresight to bring tons of water and hats for everyone. It's difficult to keep the energy up. But we push on.


3:30pm - We've had some equipment malfunctions due to the heat. We need to cool it down. I turn on Al's prop car and blast the A/C. The video monitor sits on the passenger's side.

5:00pm - Sun is setting. Losing light. The temperature is getting more bearable. We've finished the main shootout/conversation. I think we've gotten everything we need. Now onto Al's big performance. This is a huge moment in the film; Al sings a song to reveal his soul and save his life. And we're asking Al to do this after a full day out in the sun. Yikes!
We setup the dolly and get into position.


6:00pm - Even though I'm dead tired, I can feel a bit of magic in the air. I think the crew feels it too. The setting sun provides a lovely orange glow. Everyone is quiet. The environment is quiet. Al's singing fills the quarry. It's the perfect way to end the day's shoot.


6:30pm - Whoops. Not done yet. We still need to pick up a shot of Al arriving at the quarry. This involves him driving up the hill in his shitty car. Al goes to start the car. Wrrr.... wrrr.... wrrr....... you're kidding me......... Nope....... the car won't start. Shit!
We drive over one of the trucks. Jump the car. It starts, but the engine is sputtering. Al puts the car in drive, hits the gas. It stalls. Won't start. We jump the car again. Al tries again. No luck. Again we try. Then again. The sun is setting. Shit, shit!
Nat leads the charge and rallies the crew. Four guys get behind the shitty car. "Roll Camera!" They start pushing the car up the gravel hill..... Okay, now I have to repeat this fact. We've been on top of a mountain in record setting 102 degree weather all day, and now the director and crew are pushing a car UP a hill to the quarry base. I-N-S-A-N-E.
But we get the shot.

8:00pm - We're packed up and heading slowly down the mountain. It's been a hell of day.

Producer's Log: Production - Day 3

12:30pm - The unfortunate truth is that I'm not a full-time producer. Gotta work the 9-5 to pay the bills. Nat and company are down at the OTB on State Street shooting the opening scene of the movie. I run down to drop off printed photos of Melba's new "boyfriend." They're getting setup. Nice day to shoot. Sunny. I wish I could stay and help. I feel like I'm letting down the team.

3:00pm - Leave work early and arrive at Nat's apartment, now doubling for Al's. Daiana has arrived from NYC for her big scene with Al. Once we're finished shooting Al, it's off to "Old, Odd, and Unique".

5:00pm - Company move to "Old, Odd, and Unique". Sky is getting darker. Uh-oh. It couldn't....., oh yes it could. Downpour and lighting strike! Yikes! Zach and I build a makeshift cover for the generator. I don't know a whole lot about generators, but if it somehow fails, we're screwed. "Old, Off, and Unique's" power supply is weak at best, and if we blow the circuit, we're done for the night. Luckily, the storm passes pretty quick. Back to work!
We're almost ready. Lights are set. Actors are ready. Sound is ready. Now we have to wait for nightfall.


8:00pm - "Old, Odd, and Unique" is a pretty tiny store on Clinton Street in Binghamton, NY (Do check it out if you have a chance. It's awesome. Check out their website.) But because its so tiny, most of the crew has to stand outside while the shooting was going on (including me! Ah, the life of a producer).


10:00pm - Things are going well! Nat, Al, and Daiana are grinding through the shot plan/performances at a pretty good clip. But we still have to setup for the big money shot (the exterior arrival of Al involving a jib and actors choreographing their actions to camera) and then break down everything. Thankfully everyone is in a good mood.

11:30pm - I'm standing in an apartment on the second floor of the building, walkie-talkie in hand, looking down on the street where Nat & Jeff have setup the camera on the jib arm. The apartment's tenant (who's name I've forgotten, sorry.), is standing with me. He's been hanging out the entire evening, watching, and patiently waiting for us to use his apartment. In the world of the film, the apartment belongs to Melba, and on Nat's cue, I'm going to shut off the light, as if she's just turned it off.

12:00am - We crank off five takes and nail it!

12:30am - Superfast striking of set and equipment. The crew heads home for the evening.

Producer's Log: Production - Day 1

5:00am - Run out to Dunkin Donuts to grab the crew some coffee. Wake up Brett, our sound mixer, who's taking a catnap in my guest bedroom, having arrived in town at 3:30am. Pick up Zach, our Camera Assistant (who remarkably lives three blocks from my apt), and we begin our drive to Brackney. The night is morning is foggy and the country road dark. I'm paranoid that a deer will dart in front of my car and set-back the film.



5:30am - Brackney Inn. The Brackney Inn is a true road-side bar. Apparently it used to be a brothel back in the day for wealth Philadelphia doctors. Now its a local watering hole, and with its old wood and grime, one hell of a location. Lot's of history in this bar and it shows. We unpack the gear and begin setting up.


7:30am - Nothing like starting a shoot with a dolly shot. We're still setting up. Not exactly a well-oiled machine. But that's to be expected during the first day. Extras start showing up. Al's tuning his banjo. We're almost ready to pop off the first shot.


10:30am - Getting some fantastic material. Al is giving some great performances. Our extras are well cast (a happy accident, I'm the first to admit). A bunch of them are regulars at the Brackney and give it that local "flava" (i'm such a tool for writing that).
Okay, done now with Al. Move to the dining area and setup for Johnny's reveal. Nat's got a great shot planned. We're moving faster now. Feels good.


12:30 - Company move to ______, Johnny's house. Break for lunch. Everyone's tired and buzzing from the excitement of the first day's shoot. It's a nice overcast day - very even light. Hopefully this will speed things up. We've got a lot of shots to burn through.


3:30 PAINTBALL GUN! with the special "bullet-hit" pellets. John, our firearms wrangler, has the task of getting those pellets as close to Dmitri as he can. Awesome!


5:30 Wrap sound. Done with the shootout scene and following Al/Dmitri conversation

6:30 Wrap for the day. Pretty tired. Everyone is. Excited but a little concerned we might be over our heads. We'll see what happens.

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