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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 8 April 30 (Day 37) Even though we're now some 135 miles south of Ferndale, the experience is not yet over for some Ferndalians. Frank’s comments last week about the contributions put forth by the locals who braved the elements and the challenges of working as background players while in Ferndale were sincere, as is evident in the fact that about 100 Humboldt County residents (including fifteen from Ferndale) are bussed down to Ft. Bragg for this coming week’s scenes -- at Frank’s request. You may recall that Frank chose three California coastal towns to collectively portray Sloane’s fictional hamlet of Lawson on the screen. Although Frank emphasizes that Ferndale, first and foremost, IS Lawson, we still have a week’s worth of work in Mendocino County. Although these Mendocino area locations this coming week may appear to be secondary to Ferndale, we have three major sites (in which Frank will stage significant scenes in the story) that will complement those already completed up north. Before the deal was consummated in Ferndale, the company scouted several California locales (in different counties) to double for Lawson. Frank and his troops visited Healdsburg and Sonoma in the heart of the state’s wine country. Frank had also seriously considered spending more than a week in Mendocino, a charming, affluent seaside community about two hours north of San Francisco, before opting for Ferndale’s old-world allure.  Mendocino’s striking ocean vistas and unique 47-foot lighthouse at Point Cabrillo would ultimately prove too appealing to bypass. Neighboring Ft. Bragg, about eight miles north of Mendocino, had a train station necessary for three scenes (situated throughout the story) in the film. And, unlike Ferndale, both have appeared numerous times on the big screen. A local writer named Bruce Levene has compiled a history of filmmaking in Mendocino. His book, “Mendocino and the Movies,” spotlights over fifty productions that have been based here, the first dating back to 1904 during Hollywood’;s infancy. Some of the more recognizable titles shot on location in the Mendocino area include “Forever Young” (Mel Gibson), “Dying Young” (Julia Roberts), “The Uninvited” (Ray Milland), “East of Eden” (James Dean) and “The Summer of ‘42” (Jennifer O’Neill). The company arrived in Ft. Bragg on a Friday, with no filming scheduled for the remainder of the day (giving the cast-and-crew a virtual three-day weekend). Many of the cast were placed in hotels in upscale Mendocino (at the Mendocino Hotel and the Hill House Hotel), while the crew occupied six different hotels in the more rustic Ft. Bragg. As for star Carrey, he rented a private residence (as he did in Ferndale) with striking vistas of the Pacific Ocean. In the move south, the company bussed those without personal transportation. Many of the Angelenos had driven their own cars the 660 miles north to Eureka over a month ago, so had the luxury of a leisurely drive down to Mendocino. Some, anxious to get settled in their new digs for the next week, sped down US101 before cutting west on Highway 1 over to the coast. As for star Carrey, he had his personal Harley-Davidson motorcycles shipped north so he and his team could take Highway 1 (which hugs the Pacific) all the way down the breathtaking coastal route. With only one weekend scheduled for the new locale, many took advantage of what the area had to offer. A large group rented canoes and kayaks for a sail down the Big River, which spills into the Pacific just south of Mendocino. Others preferred the proximity to California’s regal wine region, and drove the bucolic backroads to Sonoma or Napa to sample the fine food and drink. And, the weekend’s weather was spectacular, possibly a harbinger for what we might enjoy during the coming week. Guess what? That dampness and cold haunted us yet again on Monday when we reported to work at Ft. Bragg’s famous Skunk Train depot in the heart of town.  The Skunk Train (www.skunktrain.com), operated by California’s Western Railroad, was founded in 1885 as a logging train before adding passenger service in 1904. Today, the railroad offers riders a slow-paced, relaxing trip through the scenic Redwoods, snaking its way east from Ft. Bragg over to Willits, California. As for its unusual name, the rail’s old motorcars were originally powered by gasoline. Locals coined the phrase “you could smell ‘em before you saw ‘em,” hence the name accorded the unique rail line. The company scheduled a scene at the train depot to kick off our week in the area. Sc. 43-- Ext. Lawson Depot: Adele could be the catalyst to bring Luke’s memory back, represent the first time you will see the character of Adele Stanton, played by film newcomer Laurie Holden, in the film. Holden, handsomely decked out in a baby blue suit with a matching bonnet (the sheen of which strikingly accentuates her crystal green eyes), steps off the train and is greeted by her father, “Doc” Stanton (David Ogden Stiers). Our hope today is to complete this sequence by late afternoon, at which time a.d. Colwell has scheduled a company move (the first of four this week) to the seaside lighthouse (a welcome departure from all the moves we made to the cemetery back in Ferndale). Instead of completing all scheduled scenes in one location before moving to the lighthouse, Frank is hoping to capture a striking sunset this week for a romantic tryst between Luke, still struggling to understand and remember who he really is, and his old flame, Adele. On our first day here, the sun threatened to cooperate before abandoning us for the day. Instead, the confounding mist we battled almost daily up in Ferndale struck again 135 miles south. The scene features actors Holden and Stiers. As it turned out, Carrey did not work today, one of the film’s few scenes in which he does not appear. He was listed on today’s call-sheet as a “will notify.” That notation is affixed whenever the assistant directors (here, Colwell and Harris) know that the company will spend several hours on some scenes before actually getting to another sequence that features Jim. The star knew he had the entire morning free before being notified by Colwell’s department at 1:30 p.m. He subsequently reported to “base camp” (that area which includes the actors’ trailers as well as the hair/makeup and wardrobe trailers) at about 2:00 p.m., roaring in on his Harley-Davidson. He went through the normal hair/makeup ritual, visited Frank on the set, but was dismissed around 5:30 p.m. when the call was made by Colwell and producer Behnke to forego the lighthouse location today due to the uncooperative weather. Another crew member, Teamster Mickey Guinn, also went through a hair application, taking off his beard so he could double for actor James Whitmore in scenes tentatively scheduled for either Tuesday or Wednesday this week. Guinn, one of the company’s van drivers (and a longtime associate of transportation coordinator David Marder), is no stranger to doubling for the legendary Whitmore. If you remember Whitmore’s memorable performance in “The Shawshank Redemption,” that was Guinn hanging from the halfway house rafters when Whitmore’s character, Brooks Hatlen, commits suicide after being paroled from Shawshank Prison. As the day wound down, Frank completed the scene (employing about forty Ft. Bragg extras and only a dozen period cars) by dusk. Tomorrow, three different scenarios exist on the call-sheet, with weather once again dictating what and where we will shoot. |
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