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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 4 March 30 (Day 17) As radio personality Paul Harvey bellows each week on his nationally syndicated newscasts, “It’s Friday!” Every Friday on location is payday (yes, we are compensated for having this much fun). More importantly, it’s Aloha shirt day, a practice (not mandatory) where crew members (men and women alike) don those vibrant, colorful and thematically wacky Hawaiian shirts. Today, “best boy electrician” Mike O’Melia (whom I’ve nicknamed Bergenfield Mike because of his roots in New Jersey), propmaster Farley and a few others (myself included) display these unique and unusual garments as we count down toward another weekend on the Lost Coast.  Crew call is 11:00 a.m. (usually meaning a potential wrap time of midnight or later, but we complete Sc. 66 at 11:15 p.m., allowing some to hit the college bars in Arcata before the 2:00 a.m. curfew). With the bright sunshine today, Frank bounces his crew all over the Ferndale landscape, first on Main Street for pickup shots of Sc. 47 that we did not get on Tuesday. Then, up a block to the town square park built behind the faux town hall for another portion of the very same sequence. Back to Main Street right in front of The Majestic set, and back once again to the Ferndale Cemetery for Sc. 132 -- Ext. Cemetery: Pete returns Luke’s medal to his grave. In Ferndale, the company has leased the Catholic Church of the Assumption for our daily meals. The location also houses our extras casting coordinators and our wardrobe department. Tents have also been raised where the extras report for work and wait until being called to the set. The sun begins to set as we wander back to Main Street to begin our night work and the completion of Sc. 66. We shot only two different angles of the sequence last night, and estimate we have six more setups to wrap the scene. The scene, to remind you, features Carrey and film newcomer Bury as the scarred WWII vet Bob Leffert. Tonight, the action calls for a minor stunt, as Luke takes a punch from Bob after Bob interprets a question from Luke as insulting. Veteran stuntman Banta stands by, rehearsing how Bury will throw the fake punch (it better be fake, as the 6’ actor will throw much of his weight into the jab) and the fall Carrey must take to create the illusion that he has been whacked in the jaw. Banta began his career doubling for 007’s Roger Moore in 1981’s “For Your Eyes Only.” He has doubled for Carrey on his last six films, most recently enduring the four-hour makeup transformation to become The Grinch in scenes that required some potentially risky physical action. Carrey is a true trooper on the set when it comes to executing his own stunts. I remember watching him on the set of “Me, Myself & Irene,” where he did his own pratfall over a fence at Vermont’s famous Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory (waiving off Banta to make the illusion more real) and was pulled through the rapids in the Winooski River. Tonight, Carrey will take several falls onto the hard asphalt street in reaction to the punch thrown by actor Bury. Bury joins us for a drink after wrap (again at Curley’s) and confesses over a glass of bourbon that he was somewhat nervous working in the scene, wondering what would have happened if he had really connected with Jim’s jaw. Little did he know that after Banta choreographed the actual punch with Bury, he quietly told Carrey to lean into it while the two cameras (we always use multiple cameras for an action scene) recorded the action. Of course, Bury had no idea that his co-star would actually come this close to getting smacked in the face. Banta, also enjoying the company at Curley’s, smiles in hearing Bury admit his fears if something unintended had happened in the scene. But, Banta knows how Carrey likes to work, and the 20-year veteran knows how to choreograph a fight scene. His expertise insured that no one would really sustain injury. As Carrey departed the set at wrap, the only soul to get hurt was a young lady holding up a hand-painted sign that read “I’m single and available” as Carrey drove back to his trailer. Smiling, he stops, extends his hand out the window and acknowledges yet another marriage proposal from the Ferndalian who, while touching a bona fide Hollywood superstar, was touched by the experience. A variety of weekend plans begin to formulate, the main event being actress Catherine Dent’s Jambalaya party at her bed-and-breakfast hotel in Eureka (I’m told the entire cast will be there, and she has graciously invited me and stills photographer Nelson to join the festivities). It makes perfect sense that the Louisiana-born Dent (whose latest film, “Someone Like Me,” opened in theaters this very weekend) would host such a shindig -- she plays Mabel, the owner of the diner, in the film. Next week -- April showers! |
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