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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 3 March 20 (Day 9) A film company becomes a community unto themselves. The films crew, hired by the "unit production manager" (here, a seasoned veteran named Jim Behnke, also our executive producer) is a multifarious band of freelance craftspeople, who earn their livelihood going from job-to-job. A colleague once said there are only 700 people in the business, and we all work with each other over and over again. And, it certainly seems that way when one stays for the credit roll at the end of a movie. You always recognize a dozen crew members' names (but never recall on which projects we previously worked). This filmmaking community was about to enter a tight-knit society (some five generations deep) in the village of Ferndale. It is interesting to note that one of the film's main themes is community. This theme is made apparent in the plot synopsis that Castle Rock uses for marketing and publicity -- “A Capra-esque tale set during the Hollywood blacklist, the film tells the story of a screenwriter who loses his job and his identity, only to find new courage, love and the power of conviction in a small town."  In his lengthy interview with the local Ferndale newspaper, Frank told editor Caroline Titus that “I saw that Ferndale, as a community, had heart. I don't think people live in a place like this without having a sense of community." What could the 1400-strong community of Ferndale expect when director Darabont and his Tinseltown troops marched into their town on March 20 for an anticipated five weeks of shooting? Would our community of 150 artisans meld seamlessly with these residents of Ferndale? Many of the locals there had endured a similar situation some six or seven years before, when the Warner Bros. drama, "Outbreak" (Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey) besieged this tiny enclave to portray the story of a small American town taken over by an army of scientists and soldiers out to contain a deadly virus. Prior to that, director Tobe Hooper chose the locale for his 1978 TV miniseries, "Salem's Lot," from the Stephen King novel (spending countless hours in the local cemetery, a place where we were scheduled to frequently film). For "Outbreak" Ferndale's populace saw their population explode while enduring the noise of helicopters and hundreds of extras for the film's climactic sequence. To complicate matters for the locals, Warner Bros. shot "Outbreak" in August, at the height of Ferndale's tourist season. In comparison, "The Majestic" is a quiet story, with no gunfire, car chases, violence or profanity. Since our production was not their first barbecue, so-to-speak, what could Ferndale's townsfolk expect? To prepare for our onslaught, local newspaper reporter Bob Doran of the North Coast Journal (a free Humboldt County weekly periodical) arranged a field trip for eight of his colleagues in the surrounding area a week prior to our arrival to see the recent release, "State & Main." The purpose of this junket -- Doran wanted to pen a story for his paper about the preparations a small town endures before a film company's arrival. Or was his agenda to actually witness whether art imitated life, or vice-versa? Coincidentally, David Mamet's delicious satire, "State & Main," was playing at the Broadway Theater in Eureka, so Doran invited the likes of fellow journalists Titus (editor of the Ferndale Enterprise), Ferndale's chamber of commerce head Karen Pingitore, Humboldt County film commissioner Jensen Rufe and a handful of others to watch the film one Sunday afternoon to see how Hollywood portrayed itself (and the small town) in such a situation. "State & Main," written-and-directed by award-winning filmmaker Mamet, depicts the adventures of a film company that settles in a tiny Vermont town to make a movie called "The Old Mill." Mamet, clearly relishing the comic potential of a situation he may have actually endured in his career, sort of bites the hand that feeds him by portraying the filmmakers in his story as the antagonists, victimizing the kindly citizens of Waterford, who lay out the red carpet for Hollywood only to have them soil it with their greedy demands. Of course, Mamet turns the tables on Hollywood in the film's humorous climax (www.stateandmain.com for more info on that film).  Up to this point, the locals were enjoying the presence of Castle Rock's artists and craftsmen, watching as they turned Main Street in Ferndale (for more on the town, click on to www.victorianferndale.org/chamber/) into the fictional town of Lawson. In doing so, the idyllic, postcard-like hamlet resembled a smalltown street fabricated on a Hollywood backlot. Production designer Melton's crew did a marvelous job in erecting three sets that transformed the face of Ferndale -- Mabel's diner (the daily gathering place for Lawson's inhabitants, built from the ground up on the site of a local mechanic's garage), town hall (Ferndale hasn't one, but a Main Street bank did the trick, on which a second story was constructed) and The Majestic Theater (also occupying an empty lot, Ferndale’s municipal parking lot). With the addition of some quaint street lamps, the sleepy Victorian village was transported back in time (or maybe brought into the 20th century, depending on your outlook of this tranquil town). Filming got under way at about 10:30 a.m., a walk-and-talk sequence featuring Carrey (whose character now has amnesia) and two-time Oscar nominee James Whitmore as Stan Keller. Sc. 25 (Ext. Lawson Main Street: Stan tells Pete/Luke about the war) depicts Pete's arrival in Lawson. Unaware of his identity and whereabouts, Pete listens as the town's elder explains how it lost dozens of its young soldiers in World War II. The day marked Whitmore’s first on the film. One of the industry's living legends (over 75 features during a stellar career dating back to 1947, just as the blacklist tainted Hollywood), the 80-year-old is one of Frank's favorite actors. He seems not to have slowed one bit since his appearance in Frank's feature debut, "The Shawshank Redemption". The octogenarian still enjoys spinning yarns and anecdotes for the crew from earlier years. Today he relishes a particularly amusing bit from the 1954 sci-fi classic, "Them!" where he was threatened with dismissal by studio boss Jack Warner himself because of some unprofessional behavior (uncontrolled laughter) on the set. When a film company hits a tiny hamlet like Ferndale, it becomes headline news for the local media. It is my job to help nurture those headlines without allowing the press too much access to our outdoor set (a delicate balancing act, as the press persistently pursues opportunities for newspaper photos and TV footage, with-or-without our cooperation). The aforementioned newspaper editor, Caroline Titus of the Ferndale Enterprise, has reported on our progress since last October, when location manager Enke first approached Ferndale about Castle Rock's desire to film there. Titus is tenacious in her pursuit of a photo of Carrey his first day on the streets of her adopted hometown (an English native, she is the daughter of a former movie location manager in London). What can we do to assist her, especially since today, Tuesday, she is on deadline for her weekly to hit the stands the following day? We provide a bit of movie magic ourselves in helping Titus land the first local photo of Carrey at work. She feeds the digital photo card into her computer, transforms the color picture of Carrey and Whitmore on Ferndale's Main Street from color to black-and-white and strips it onto her front page. I provide a couple of quotes about the company's first day for her headline story, and leave her office satisfied that we have attained some initial positive press among the locals. While her past coverage of our presence in Ferndale has been somewhat controversial, I feel it important to assist her as the hometown paper. The anticipated front page story may not adorn the walls of the Castle Rock marketing execs back in Los Angeles, or equate to the impact of similar coverage in a big city newspaper. It does buy the film company good will in this quaint setting, one that will be our home for the next five weeks. If the local press turns against a film company, it subsequently raises the town's ire as well, and our stay can then become less comfortable. Now, for the anecdote of this first day of Spring -- Ferndalians (otherwise known as "Eel River Valley" residents) welcomed the filmmakers by showing us their senses-of-humor with their Jim Carrey masks (available for a $5.00 donation to the local Chamber of Commerce fund). Many of the local kids were buying these hot items with the hopes of Carrey autographing them during his stay in town. Why did the locals manufacture these cardboard cut-outs? Seems they got wind of the fact that Carrey is mobbed wherever he travels. So, the locals, wanting him to feel comfortable on the streets of Ferndale, figured they'd call attention away from the star himself by walking around town wearing a "face-similie" of the actor! Carrey finds out about the amusing situation in town, and suggests to documentary videographer Nasr that, during the star's first embrace with co-star Holden, she wear one of the popular Carrey masks! And that would make banner headlines the world over! Tomorrow -- dead and buried? |
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