This decision is known in the business as a “company move,” and requires an hour or so to transport the crew and the trucks to the fairgrounds. Inside one of the exhibition halls (Hindley Hall, I believe), the construction department has erected three sets -- Harry’s apartment above the Majestic; the basement of the theater, where the aging usher Emmett lives; and Doc Stanton’s office. Of the three sets, the Majestic’s cellar is quite striking, with a huge furnace (made of wood and cardboard and rented from Universal Studios' prop department) dominating the space. Set decorator Pope tells me this is her favorite set of all those she has had to dress for the film.

The filmmakers, expecting the possibility of rain (which came sporadically throughout the day) were ready for the move, and scheduled Sc. 36 -- Int. Majestic Apt.: Harry shows Luke some pictures; Luke falls asleep. While many of the main cast had been called in to work, they dismiss most of the actors save for Carrey and Landau, the only two now working today. Actress Susan Willis, the New York stage veteran who co-stars as Irene, the Majestic’s elderly candy girl, sticks around in her trailer waiting for a possible rehearsal after Sc. 36 is complete.

Being on this location sound stage allows me the luxury to honor a request offered by Humboldt County film commissioner Jensen Rufe to be the featured speaker at the Eureka Rotary Club’s monthly luncheon at the historically registered Eureka Inn, a grand Victorian hotel in the downtown area.

Ironically, back in 1993 in Mansfield, Ohio, during the making of Frank’s first film, “The Shawshank Redemption,” I also served as guest speaker to the Kiwanis organization. I am not the most eloquent public speaker, but have had enough experience addressing these social organizations and college classes to wing it.

Most of these audiences are captivated by my patter, having never been to a movie set or the opportunity to meet an industry veteran (with 27 years in moviemaking, I guess I qualify as same) like myself.

I have a staple of stale jokes in describing my job and position on the crew’s hierarchy. Here’s a sample:

I had the pleasure of working twice during 1995 with actor Bruce Willis (on “Twelve Monkeys” and “Last Man Standing”). On the set of the latter, I was telling director Walter Hill about Sidney Lumet’s then new autobiography called “Making Movies.” In the book, Lumet offers a paragraph about unit publicists, and how he and many of his actors despise my position on a film production. He cites several examples on why we are expendable.

Actor Willis was listening during my chat with director Hill, and smiled in agreement with Lumet’s sentiments. His remarks to me -- “Face it, you’re at the bottom of the food chain.” To which I replied, “Yes, Bruce, that’s true, and I know it. However, being at the bottom means that if you run a film backwards, I get top billing!”

That gets a laugh this day (as does my reply when one of the Rotarians asks how much Jim Carrey is making on “The Majestic” -- “more than me,” I retort, leaning into the microphone at the podium).

After the luncheon, I get several handshakes, compliments and thanks for providing some humorous anecdotes along with insights into how a film (particularly in a location like Ferndale) gets made. Returning to the fairgrounds set, I sit for fifteen minutes with actress Willis (no relation, by the way, to superstar Bruce). A sparrow-like septuagenarian based in New York City, Willis is a veteran of over fifty years in the acting world. Much of her career has been based in the theatre (Broadway, off-Broadway, regional and National Tours), with a notable turn on the big screen opposite Richard Dreyfuss and Bill Murray in “What About Bob?”

Willis has brought a clipping folder with her from her Greenwich Village home, which allows me some on-location research so I can prepare a comprehensive biography of her career for my press notes (something we unit publicists must write for distribution to the press...for more info on Willis, please click here).

She is a live wire, and sweetly theatrical in her gestures as she relates anecdotes about her life and career (which includes many triumphs on the New York stage back in the ‘60s). Following our lovely chat, I retreat to my office to make some changes to her bio before returning it (and her clippings) to her for her final OK.

I meander over to the exhibition hall to take in some of today’s filming, a quiet scene between Carrey and Landau. The set is a tight squeeze, so stillman Nelson and video documentarian Nasr cannot get inside to get their requisite publicity shots. Frank sits intensely at the video monitor outside the apartment set, quietly focused on the performances of both actors. This scene plays about an hour after Pete’s arrival in Lawson, so Carrey has again adopted a very concentrated air, just as he did our first day in Ferndale for Sc. 25, when, groggy from the car accident, he is dazed and confused as he enters his newfound home.

Tomorrow -- The Majestic appears for the first time.