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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 7 April 25 (Day 35) Ferndale’s weather today is a carbon copy of yesterday’s, allowing the company to complete Sc. 93, the war memorial dedication, with minimal fuss. Frank owes coverage on several characters in the scene, none more so than the only one with dialogue -- actor Jeffrey DeMunn, who leads Lawson’s townsfolk in the emotional unveiling of the handsome bronze statue dedicated to the town by President Roosevelt in honor of the death of several of its hometown soldiers. Today marks DeMunn’s birthday, and Frank has a surprise for one of his favorite performers -- a salute by the entire cast, crew and 100+ extras on-set for the scene.  Frank also has some musical accompaniment to tap into -- the Marching Lumberjacks from neighboring Humboldt State University in Arcata, whose band members have been cast as part of Lawson’s town band. Led by equipment manager Gordon Johnson, and at Frank’s lead, the 12-piece ensemble breaks into an impromptu version of “Happy Birthday” as the crowd (at 200 strong) sings the tribute to DeMunn, one of the most likable fellows you could ever meet in this business. DeMunn reacts with surprise at the salute, and gives Frank a huge bearhug as he warmly accepts birthday greetings from several crew members. The break in the action allows the Lumberjacks band a rest of from the repetitious renditions of two of our respected anthems -- “The Star Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful,” which, when we conclude the scene at 6:30 p.m., they have played almost fifty times between rehearsals and takes shot over the two-day period. Band leader Johnson relates that the eleven musicians chosen for the scene had briefly rehearsed both songs, not knowing what would be expected of them once they arrived on the set. During several takes, the band hits some sour notes which adds a note of endearment to the scene, as they are supposed to be an amateur local town band. Johnson quickly defends his group by saying, “When you play the same song over and over again, you sort of lose your chops a bit. It wasn’t intentional, but it does add an honesty to the proceedings in the scene.” After lunch, it’s back out to the Ferndale night air for three brief bits, all spotlighting Carrey. During lunch, Frank takes some time to sit with the documentary video crew to answer a half-dozen questions about the film, story and production. It is not a comprehensive interview with the filmmaker, only a brief one to obtain some sound bites that could potentially be used for a video news item the studio can supply to any TV outlet (most prominently, Entertainment Tonight) either immediately, or later. In addition to the footage already shot by documentarian Nasr (a tape of which has been assembled to allow both Frank and Jim their input as to what sequences we are allowed to show at this time), we need Frank (or Jim or writer Sloane) to add some comments about the story, the cast and the location. Frank graciously gives us that in his usual eloquent manner. In speaking to our cameras, Frank relates that he chose Carrey for the role because “the script spoke to his heart. Given that this is an old-fashioned, Capraesque piece, it turned out that Jim is a Capra fanatic. He has that easygoing integrity, that homespun honesty that Jimmy Stewart had, and really vibed with the sensibilities of the script.” Curiously, we sit Frank down for these comments in front of The Majestic set as dusk sets in. The marquee glows against the darkening sky, with Frank positioned prominently in front of it as cameraman Brett Hill (Nasr’s assistant) angles his lens just slightly upward to capture Frank against the sparkling set. But wait! The marquee contains the following wording -- “Grand Opening Tonight...Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report.” What’s this all about? |
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