|
|||||||||||
 |
|
|
|||||||||
| 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 4 March 28 (Day 15) “Just Another Day in Ferndale...” That’s the headline in Titus’ weekly as it hits the stands this afternoon. The latest edition carries front page pictures of Carrey with co-stars Landau, DeMunn and actress Laurie Holden (who absolutely loves Titus’ periodical and the smalltown atmosphere in Ferndale). Today’s edition also contains a cute note in its masthead -- “Temporary Home of Laurie Holden.” The actress asks to get a handful of additional copies to send home. And, not long after the paper is available at the Valley Grocery across the street from our fake diner, I find most of the cast reading it with relish (boy, would Titus love a picture of Carrey carrying a copy).  Her headline accurately reflects our appearance in Ferndale after a full week of filming in this picturesque village nestled in the shadows of California’s famous Redwood Forests. After just over a week in the area, we have settled comfortably into Ferndale, and have become part of the town’s routine, a thread in their daily fabric. And, in so doing, you get to know some of the locals who frequent our street set, just as they come to know some of us on the crew. One community welcoming another. Here’s a look at some of the Ferndalians we have come to meet (and greet) as we meander through town on our daily rounds. Just like a soap opera, or the sands in an hour glass, welcome to the days of our lives in Ferndale! In addition to the aforementioned Titus and restauranteur Robert “Curley” Tait (an entertainment industry refugee who used to manage the 1960s pop group, Spanky and Our Gang...can you name one of their hit songs?), there’s Jack Mays, a local artist and metal sculptor who has been documenting our movements around town through his striking pen-and-ink drawings. Mays (who rarely sells his artwork) tells us that he owns a local foundry, and got into his unique habit a decade ago when the last major earthquake decimated Ferndale and the state’s beautiful North Coast. He took up the craft to maintain an accurate history of the quake’s toll on the town. Sitting on the curb each day, he finds our presence here the closing chapter in his effort to document Ferndale’s resurrection over these past ten years. Ellie Green owns the local Valley Arts art supplies store on Main Street. Her shop has been decorated by Natali Kendrick Pope’s staff (led by Meredith McCarthy) to resemble a local laundry, and some out-of-towners actually call to ask about her services. Without formally being part of our company, this classy lady dresses each day as if we are really living a half-century ago, walking the streets greeting our crew with sweet treats -- homemade cookies. She is a welcome sight during our mornings on Main Street, basket in hand, offering up these baked munchies of all different sorts, all of which are her own original recipes. She confesses that she hopes to invent a new brand called “The Majestic” cookie before we leave town. She began the daily rounds during our construction phase many weeks before filming began. This is one lady we will miss upon our departure from town. Andy Doerner, who proudly wears one of the company badges allowing access to our set, is known around Ferndale as the town sage and the town weatherman. This familiar fixture in Ferndale gives me (and all whom he greets) the “thumbs up” salute every time we pass each other on the street. He can predict within 30 minutes the weather front about to engulf the town. He arrives at dawn, and stays with the company, watching from the periphery, until dusk. In the real world (as opposed to our “reel” world) Andy writes poetry and also builds beautiful, hand-crafted wooden model ships which provides him a steady, modest income. Maudie Purcell, a 77-year-old widow from McKinleyville (where the Eureka-Arcata Airport is situated, about 30 miles north of here) attended an extras casting call at the insistence of a cousin. Uninterested at first, Purcell signed up on a whim when she was in Eureka on personal business. Three weeks later, she returned for a wardrobe fitting (ultimately becoming one of costumer Wagner’s favorite extras) for four different scenes. While she may not have become starstruck through her unique experiences, her participation in the film “has given me a whole new perspective on life. My husband has been dead for two years. I’m all alone. This opportunity gave me the chance to meet some new people. It’s just been wonderful.” Karen Pingitore owns a woman’s clothing shop on Main Street adjacent to Mabel’s Diner set. Pingitore runs Ferndale’s Chamber of Commerce and arrived here eleven years ago from, of all places, Hollywood, where she worked in motion picture post-production for Warner Bros. for over 25 years. She survived the onslaught of her former employer seven years ago when “Outbreak” filmed here. During negotiations with Castle Rock (a Warner Bros. subsidiary), she offered sage advice to the new mayor and fellow commerce members on how to work with us, both during pre-production and actual shooting phase. She also taped a video spot, which runs on local television here, reminding viewers in the county that Ferndale is open for business during filming. Her boutique, it turns out, is doing a brisk business among some of our crew members. Wonder if they saw the TV spot! John McKeown lives up Arcata way (about 25 miles north of Ferndale). He accompanied his nine-year-old son to an extras casting call, and wound up working (virtually every day) in the film himself as one of the townsfolk who gets to drive some of these regal antique autos cast in the film by “picture car coordinator” Mike Price. McKeown, an affable, semi-retired fellow, closely resembles veteran actor Dabbs Greer, who played the role of the old Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks as a senior citizen) in the opening and closing scenes of Frank's “The Green Mile.” I greet John each morning as “Dabbs”, and introduce him to Frank, who reacts as suspected -- a stark double take upon noticing the uncanny resemblance McKeown shares with the octogenarian actor. Sonny Anderson visits Main Street from the nearby beachfront town of Petrolia (a 90 minute drive each way) almost every day. An amateur photographer, he admires what the art directors have done to Ferndale, this transformation back a half-century as evident through the diner and movie house sets. Anderson is a shutterbug, not just some tourist with a pocket Kodak. He employs a Rolliflex 8X10 negative formatted camera, and shoots everything in b/w, which evokes and captures this magical bygone era in a more romantic way. I introduce him to Frank (also a noted photographer) who loves his stuff. Anderson promises to give us some of his prints if we can arrange some explicit requests -- staging cars in front of the diner and theater, which is impossible for us to do during our workday. Like a kid anticipating Christmas Day, he remarks that he can’t wait until we light up the marquee of The Majestic. Ferndale’s Mayor, Jeff Farley, also comes from a family that dates back four generations. He is everything you'd expect in a smalltown municipal leader -- gregarious, lively, jolly, almost a caricature of what one would look for in the guise of a smalltown mayor. He celebrated his first year in office during our stay here after spending 16 years on the town’s planning committee. He owns a local dairy transport business, taking milk products to various dairy manufacturers (for use in ice cream and cheese). He spends but an hour a day on town business, and stops by frequently to dine off our set caterer. His wife, JoAnne, has taken a five-week vacation from her job to serve as one of our company chaperones (a dozen locals, donning green vests, who escort local pedestrians around Main Street during our workday). Frank has cast Farley and his wife in Sc. 74 as some local Lawsonites who attend the town council meeting chaired by our “Mayor,” Jeffrey DeMunn, who is married in the film to, you guessed it, Ferndale's First Lady, Mrs. Farley. Once again, the company settles into Mabel’s Diner for Scene 91. While the actors and crew are ensconced in the artificial eatery, I take the advantage of inviting the two local TV news stations (KTEM/NBC-3 and KVIQ/CBS-6) to come down to Ferndale to shoot some video of our movie palace set and chat on camera with co-star Landau. Smalltown TV stations are one-man-bands. The reporter arrives, camera in hand, and videotapes the interview with one hand, records the sound with a hand-held microphone in the other while simultaneously posing the questions. Channel 6’s Dave Silverbrand, the veteran anchor in town, has been a journeyman reporter for over thirty years in several small markets around the country. He leaves another local breaking story and rushes down to Ferndale when his assignment editor relays my call that actor Landau is available to chat about the film. Silverbrand is joined by Channel 3’s Katie Marzullo, a sweet, attractive news rookie who hopes one day to land a job in my adopted hometown, Chicago. Both outlets visited our set in Trinidad State Park last Monday, and are happy for the opportunity to interview a real movie star in Landau. Tomorrow -- a fight breaks out in front of The Majestic! |
||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||
| back to menu | |||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||||
