.. one more for the road.

more photos!..

ladies and gentlemen... ron harring!

deception pass

welcome aboard, heavy-metal-cat!

i'm starting to like this mike...

My best day of shooting...

So Mike invited me to post on this blog.

...man, what was he thinking?

Well, I'll do my best not to let him down.

I've known Mike for close to 10 years, and he's finally seeing one of his dreams come true in making this film. I couldn't be prouder or more excited for the guy.

As a filmmaker myself, I'll admit I'm kind of envious...and a tad relieved.

Why relieved? I assume that most of you reading this are involved in the production in some way. You may even be helping out on the set. And if you are, you're going to be looking to Mike as the director. You'll also probably be curious as to what's going through his head.

When I direct, lots goes through my head. I won't bore you with all of it, but here are a few thoughts that run through my mind on my best day of shooting.

On the best day of shooting...

--I get my first shot off one hour later than planned.

--I only finish two hours behind schedule.

--I only misplace one piece of expensive equipment.

--my shooting ratio is only 35% higher than planned.

--my actors know 75% of their lines and can say them correctly by the fifth take.

--half of the shots I make come out the way I saw them in my head.

--I have at least three-quarters of the crew who said they'd be there.

--my actors look at me like there's a chance I know what I'm doing.

--my crew grumbles less than five times that we're running late and there are other things they'd prefer to be doing.

--I dream of quitting filmmaking to grow corn in Nebraska less than three times.

--I get lightheaded less than half a dozen times.

--I almost have an appetite.

--I only feel slightly overwhelmed all day instead of WAY overwhelmed.

Now, I'm a very neurotic guy. I can pass for being normal if you meet me, but if you get into my head, lord help you.

Mike, on the other hand, always has a calm demeanor. He makes you feel relaxed and like he's in control. However, he's still a filmmaker, so the thoughts that go through my head probably go through his. And even if his thoughts are only 10% of what I feel...pity the poor boy.

I'm letting you know all this - especially those of you on the crew - so you'll have an inkling of what Mike is going through over the next month. When you're on the set and it feels like things are taking forever, and you wonder if Mike realizes and appreciates all you're sacrificing...he does!

I know Mike and he is Grateful with a capital 'G,' and I know he always has the best interests of those around him in mind. So give him the benefit of the doubt these next few weeks. And when things seem tough and you're exhausted, take that feeling, multiply it by four, and that's where Mike will be. And then...hold onto your grumbles till wrap.

Mike is a smart, talented filmmaker, and I can't wait to see what Kernville brings. If you're on the set, you're lucky to be along for the ride.

wardrobe stuffs...

So… The hunt for the cheapest clothes in Seattle has begun! I’ve been rummaging through Mike’s closet, the closets of my friends, thrift stores and flea markets across the Puget Sound, searching feverishly for the right clothes to fit our ever-so-tight budget and our ever-so-talented cast… It’s fun… but I can’t say I had any clue what I was getting myself into when I agreed to do wardrobe for Mike… he’s super picky!

We’ll be shooting this film in less than three weeks and I still have to find just the right jacket for Joe and the precise red 80’s ski sweater I have in mind for Tipper… So far, so good though, I pretty much have Justin all squared away and found some great shirts for Joe too… One of them features the fabulous state of Illinois, which is pretty rad, considering it’s Joe and Tipper’s home state…

I’ve dragged our lovely makeup artist Brad with me a couple times, and I tricked Mike to come with me once too… Mostly, I’m scouring dollar bins all by myself, getting funny looks from other bargain hunters because I’m taking pictures and talking on the phone about how that coat will look with a black hoodie underneath… I’m filling up Mike’s text-message inbox with hoards of pictures of yellow poly-cotton blend shirts and thin red shirts with meese on them and fuzzy-necked jackets that I like but are too small or too big and all that jazz…

My next assignment is to dirty-up 2 identical pair of generic converse-looking things so that Justin can stumble into the river, but have a dry shoe to put on in the next scene… I’d consider quitting my day job for this gig if it would pay the bills!

Oh! And I had a dream that we were shooting the movie, but I was so busy fussing about wardrobe and what everyone was wearing that I completely forgot that I was script girl too… But we won’t let that happen!

Christmas Comes Early!

Bounding up the stairs like a kid, my heart beat fast. It was a day early, but I just knew it had to be IT. And it was!

Two big ass boxes sat on my front porch along with two wide eyed UPS men. I’ll forgive you for imagining a totally different scenario, but I’m afraid I’ll have to shatter your little fantasy here. They were simply in awe of what are easily the largest and most expensive boxes I’ve ever received in the mail - these boxes cost more to send than most of the department budgets on this film! “Someone must like you!” they said as I signed their electronic signing machine.



You’d think it’s an early delivery from Saint Nick, but you’d be wrong (WRONG!)! It’s from my own personal Santy Claws, Chance Shirley.

And it contains the camera equipment we’re using to shoot The Mountain, The River and The Road.






I’ve never gone through so much Styrofoam Popcorn in my life.

Easily one of the most generous people I know, Chance not only lent me his camera – free of charge – but last time I was in Birmingham, Alabama for The Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, he and his wife Stacey put me up! You don’t make friends like this often.

Thanks again, Chance! One day I hope to get you back!

Back From California!

Wow, what a trip! It was a lot of fun traveling with Ryan, I couldn’t have asked for better company!

It's great to finally have concrete locations to look at instead of just ideas. The movie really began to appear right in front of us and it just reinforced my initial decision to write a story about Kernville. Of course, there were a few difficulties, like how certain locations existed only as an amalgam of places in my head and so had to be modified to fit the practical reality of Kernville. But that’s a good exercise at any point of production – learning to make do and appreciate what you have and not go out chasing some undefined ideal that may never show up (Let me say that I'm all about chasing a known ideal, though!).

Two locations that are still proving elusive: The Cave and Red Rock Canyon. As you saw in Ryan’s post, we did find an amazing cave. The only problem is, it’s a rough two hour hike and even if that didn’t give you second thoughts, there’s a good chance we won’t be able to find the way back up if and when the snow comes. It kicked my ass and that was without carrying any heavy gear or enduring the necessary hours of shooting inside. Right now, our location manager, my Aunt Sue, is trying to find us a more accessible cave. It’s still more promising than Red Rock Canyon, though.

Because of how far it is from Kernville and how far out of the way it is from our planned travel route, it looks like the Red Rock Canyon location will be dropped altogether. This was the hardest decision made during the trip and maybe through the whole pre-production process so far. I used to pass it driving from my Grandpa’s place in Nevada to my Grandma’s place in Kernville. It’s gorgeous. In the script, it’s the whole reason for the boys’ detour to Kernville. We’ve got a nice little solution for that change courtesy of Ryan, but I still can’t help but feel some loss for what I expected would be one of the great images of the movie.

That’s the funny part about movies, and I think it’s why you sometimes hear filmmakers complaining about the difference between the movie they made and the movie they wanted to make (when it isn’t all because of creative or corporate restrictions) even though the movie works great for the viewer. You have something in your head that you want to show everyone and you get excited about it. Suddenly, it turns out that you won’t have the chance to show it after all. It’s like losing your turn at Show and Tell. In the end you just have to remind yourself that the film is the sum of its parts and have faith that the rest of the film will still be gorgeous and more than worthwhile and that the only one who will some obscure location or element is you. That’s why you keep making films!

Getting back to Kernville, it's remarkable how kind and welcoming everyone is. There’s quite a bit of filming that goes on in Kernville and once people understand what’s involved with the film making process they usually prefer to have nothing more to do with it. But that wasn’t the case there. People were more than happy to have us come in and shoot stills and were mostly enthusiastic (or occasionally indifferent) to us bringing the crew into their pride and joy. I think no small part of that hospitality was due to our amazing Location Manager, and host, Sue Roefer! Being a resident and business owner in Kernville (she runs the Kern Lodge with my Uncle Marty), she was able to approach people as a local instead of Ryan and I approaching as strangers from up north.



Still, given the number of times Ryan got hit on, I guess being a stranger in a small town has its own advantages!


Over all a great experience, I can’t wait to go back in January! I especially can't believe it's less than a month away!

parting shots...

a few photos from our final days of scouting in california. mike and i arrived home yesterday evening. much to our excitement, we were successful in finding many a great location for the show! soon, we'll have a comprehensive collection of photos up on mike's flickr page for all to see. until then...

murphy. california's greatest location scout...

.. and mike entering packsaddle cave.

greetings from kernville...

on sunday the 2nd, mike and i set out for a week of fun, location/tech scouting in sunny california. apparently, we picked a good week to vacate seattle! hope everyone is okay and dry. below are some photos from our drive. we arrived in kernville last night and just completed our first day of scouting in town. the scenery here is gorgeous and the town has a nice feel. saw us a beaver and bald eagle along the kern river this morning---not a bad way to start a day....

-ryan