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| Introduction: Opening the Doors Cast and Crew Prelude Journal 2: ACT 1: Blacklisted! March 6 (Day 2) March 9 (Day 3) March 10-11 (Days 4-5) March 12-13 (Days 6-7) Journal 3: ACT 2: Welcome to Ferndale! March 20 (Day 9) March 21 (Day 10) March 22 (Day 11) March 23 (Day 12) Journal 4: March 26 (Day 13) March 27 (Day 14) March 28 (Day 15) March 29 (Day 16) March 30 (Day 17) Journal 5: April 2 (Day 18) April 3 (Day 19) April 4 (Day 20) April 5 (Day 21) April 6 (Day 22) Journal 6: April 8 (Day 23) April 9 (Day 24) April 10 (Day 25) April 11 (Day 26) April 12 (Day 27) Journal 7: April 16 (Day 28) April 17 (Day 29) April 18 (Day 30) April 19 (Day 31) April 20 (Day 32) April 23 (Day 33) April 24 (Day 34) April 25 (Day 35) April 26 (Day 36) Journal 8: April 30 (Day 37) May 1 (Day 38) May 2 (Day 39) May 3 (Day 40) May 4 (Day 41) May 7 (Day 42) May 8 (Day 43) Journal 9: May 10-11 (Days 44-45) May 14 (Day 46) May 15 (Day 47) May 16 (Day 48) May17 (Day 49) May 18 (Day 50) Journal 10: May 21 (Day 51) May 22 (Day 52) May 23 (Day 53) May 24 (Day 54) May 25 (Day 55) Journal 11: May 29 (Day 56) May 30 (Day 57) May 31 (Day 58) June 1 (Day 59) |
Journal 2 ACT 1: Blacklisted! I’ve always equated the first day of filming to hitting the golf links. That first movie shot is like teeing up the ball on the fairway of the very first hole. You size up your shot, take a few practice swings (directors will rehearse before actually rolling film), then hit the ball, hopefully, straight down the fairway. Needless to say, you play the holes in sequence.  Where possible, Frank likes to shoot his films in sequence (a practice rarely done on major motion pictures due to the constraints of actors’ schedules and the availability of locations). Thus, the company was scheduled to kick off filming by shooting the very first scene of the film (described in our “shooting schedule” as Sc. 1 -- Interior Samuels’ Office: Close-up on Pete as he sits through the story meeting). Scenes are given brief, one-line descriptions on various filming schedules to indicate the content of the sequence, and compiled using a special computer program onto a schedule called a “one-liner.” In the three-page dialogue sequence (scripts are broken down into “eighths” of a page to allow the “assistant director,” here a seasoned pro named K.C. Colwell, to break the script down into a viable schedule), the camera holds firm on Carrey’s face as he reluctantly listens and reacts to some of the studio executives (off-camera, and voiced by some real-life Hollywood directors whose names will be revealed later). This group offers its opinions and suggestions on Peter Appleton’s new script, called “Ashes to Ashes,” in the film’s story. Following completion of this scene, the crew was to move to The Lot’s front gate on Formosa Avenue to shoot an “exterior” scene where Appleton arrives at the studio in his swank, brand new, 1951 Mercedes Benz (which happens to belong to Frank himself, of which you’ll read more in future reports). Albert Hammond had a Top-40 hit song in the 1970s called “It Never Rains in Southern California.” Tell that to Frank! Mother Nature drenched the west coast this season (even wetter than Seattle) with enough precipitation to avoid the typical droughts that usually bring deadly brush fires to southern California at mid-year. And, it rained on Frank’s parade this day, causing the company to shift gears and move to a “cover set” (an interior set or location used in an emergency during inclement weather). So, on day one, you could say Frank hit a water trap as the first three days of the shoot were shifted around (much like starting your golf game on the third hole), and Frank teed off with Sc. 9 -- Int. Writer’s Building: “Two writers avoid Pete,” in a 1920s Victorian-style edifice near downtown Los Angeles. The building, a former YWCA built to shelter single women back in the early days of Hollywood, is now under HUD supervision as a low-rent SRO apartment complex.  In scouting sites for this scene, Frank asked “location manager” John Grant (also a classmate at Hollywood High) if he was familiar with this building (known as the Clark Residence) near 3rd Street in the shadows of L.A.’s downtown skyscrapers. Yes, the sprawling metropolis, affectionately known as The Big Orange or the City of Angels, has a downtown, the buildings do scrape the sky, and occasionally swing-and-sway to the tremors of earthquakes that regularly rattle southern California. Grant knew the edifice to which his colleague referred (it has been used in previous Hollywood movies), so they took a look at the building on a “location scout,” (visits to various sites many weeks and months prior to the actual start of filming to find actual locations for scenes in the film) and they secured it for not only Sc. 9, but two other bits in the film’s early scenes -- Sc. 10 (Int. Pete’s Office: Pete packs up his office) and Sc. 13 (Int. Typing Pool: Louise isn’t supposed to be talking to Pete). Typically, movie companies set out to find locations which they can use for multiple scenes. The Clark Residence would “double” for hallways at the HHS movie studio where Carrey’s character works. And, these three sequences together launch the film’s early drama -- screenwriter Peter Appleton, suspected of being a Communist sympathizer, has been named in testimony to the House Un-American Activities Committee (H.U.A.C.). Subsequently, he gets locked out of the studio until he can clear his name. For more information on the history of the Hollywood Blacklist, McCarthyism, the Communist Witchhunt, the Red Scare and the H.U.A.C., check the following websites -- www.gis.net/~scatt/blacklist.html or www.Hollywood10.com.  Crew call was set for 7:30 am, whereby cast/crew report for work at the designated location (based on information provided by the assistant directors’ team on a daily work paper called a “call sheet,” to which locations expert Grant attaches a detailed map to the site from various points around the city). A complete, hot-and-cold breakfast is provided to the company, as is a tasty lunch spread at midday (of which we’ll report later) before the actual work day begins. As various crew members (grips, electric, props) load their gear into the building, director Darabont consults with his “director of photography” a.k.a. “cinematographer.” Here, British d.p. David Tattersall (who shot “The Green Mile”) confers with his director on the camera angles they seek for the scene and the various lenses available to them. To map out the shot, Tattersall uses a device called a “viewfinder” (a telescope-like instrument to which different size lenses can be attached to see how the scene will look). Today, Tattersall uses a static camera on a dolly to capture the first, or “master” shot, then relies on his “camera operator,” David Emmerichs, to shoot the next few set-ups with a unique machine called a Steadicam (a 70 lb. camera, attached to a harness worn by Emmerichs, in which gimbals, springs and a gyroscope allow a steady maneuver in a walking-talking scene to avoid bumpy, erratic movement...suffice it to say they didn’t use one of these in the making of “The Blair Witch Project”). At about 9:30, star Jim Carrey arrives on the set, donning a 1950s suit created purposely for him by “costume designer” Karyn Wagner (another alum from both “The Green Mile” and Hollywood High). The actor, with a pompadour haircut (styled by Carrey regular Ann Morgan) reminiscent of the era, chats briefly with Frank to ascertain how he should play the scene.  They record the first “take” (a single shot which can last two seconds or two minutes or more) at about 9:55 am. Several more takes are filmed so they have numerous choices from which the director can edit the scene. When Frank is satisfied, a.d. Colwell calls out, “check the gate” (a term, used after every sequence is filmed, which refers to the portion of the camera where the film runs through the lense housing and records the image...if there is dirt, hair or other foreign matter in the gate, they cannot process the negative, and must re-shoot the take or scene again). By midday, Frank is confident he has all the necessary angles and takes to cut the scene together, and the company calls “lunch” at 1:30 pm (union rules mandate a hot, sit-down meal be served after six hour increments on the set). The company has secured a caterer based outside of Nashville, Tennessee called TomKats to provide the daily crew lunch (they also worked with Frank during his month-long location shoot in Nashville on “The Green Mile”). On our first day, TomKats’ chief chef, Steve Dale, serves up a smorgasbord of goodies like prime rib of beef, baked salmon and roasted chicken along with mashed potatoes, penne pasta tossed with shrimp, steamed broccoli and assorted salads. For dessert -- fresh-baked chocolate (white and dark) chip cookies and cherry pie (we’ll be sure to tantalize you with future menus, and hopefully talk at length about how the catering truck operates on a film set in future segments). The remainder of the company’s first day is centered on the other two scenes, which take place in the same building but on different floors, thus mandating a move by the various crewfolk of all their equipment. Some interesting tidbits this first day of filming -- one of the two writers who appear briefly in Sc. 9 is played by actual Hollywood screenwriter Jonathan Hensleigh, an acquaintance of Frank’s since their days together writing for George Lucas’ ABC-TV series, “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.” He can now add “actor” to a resume that includes screenplays for such projects as “Die Hard: With A Vengeance,” “Jumanji” and “Armageddon.”  In the room that served as writer Appleton’s office in the film, there was a “one-sheet” (a standard 27”x 41” inch promotional poster that you’ve seen hanging in movie theater lobbies) for a film called “Sand Pirates of the Sahara.” Never heard of it? It is the fictional title that appears in “The Majestic,” or as we call it in the biz, a “film-within-a-film.” It represents the first feature written-and-produced by Carrey’s screenwriting character in “The Majestic,” for which Frank actually shot two scenes that will be projected in The Majestic movie theater later on in the story. Every movie poster contains a list of contractual credits (the names of cast-and-crew, per studio contract, that must appear on printed materials, like posters and newspaper ads). For the fictional “Sand Pirates...,” one would think the names of those appearing in the “credit block” are made up. And, yes, that is true here, to a certain extent. In addition to the name of screenwriter Peter Appleton, the faux film is directed by someone named Ferenc Arpad. Translation -- that is director Frank Darabont’s first and middle names in his native Hungarian language! The final anecdote of day 1 -- Carrey’s writer works for the HHS Studios in the film. While the studio name is fictional (Heintzleman, Hubbard and Samuels), Frank lends a wink-of-the-eye to the moviegoer (especially those based in Hollywood) in choosing these letters -- they represent his high school alma mater, Hollywood High School. Tomorrow’s coming attractions -- monkey business in Polynesia! |
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