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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 9 May 10-11 (Day 44-45) Our return to Los Angeles marks the start of the production’s third act, following our lengthy (eight-week) shoot up north, which was preceded by the first seven days here at home. Tonight (and continuing on tomorrow’s schedule), Frank begins the first of five days for a variety of scenes representing Luke’s homecoming party in the film. The company has taken over the Disney Golden Oak Ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley to stage these nostalgic sequences featuring a swing orchestra entertaining Lawson’s citizens. On this fine evening, 422 extras, fashioned in 1950s attire, will trip the light fantastic while saluting their homecoming hero, Luke Trimble.  You may recall that last week, in Ft. Bragg, we shot the first images of this party sequence at the Point Cabrillo lighthouse on the bluffs overlooking the ocean. The Golden Oak Ranch is no where near any body of water, yet, there sits Greg Melton’s replica of that lighthouse, an exact reproduction (down to the last foot) of the building which adorns the cliffs and preserve overlooking the Pacific. Originally, the production had scheduled all five scenes (Sc. 61-65 -- Ext. The Point/Old Lighthouse -- Citizens of Lawson arrive for the celebration) to be filmed in Ft. Bragg at the majestic lighthouse. At some point during pre-production, after scouting the northern California coast, producer Behnke and Frank declared it would be more suitable to bring the majority of these scenes back to Los Angeles. The crew call of 5:30 p.m. was preceded by a 3:00 p.m. call for the first wave (75) of extras scheduled to go through the normal routine of hair, makeup and wardrobe, then hang around while five more groups of 75 (in half-hour increments) arrived for similar duty before heading down to the set at 7:30 or so to catch the first shot at dusk. These two days presented another huge challenge for wardrobe designer Wagner and her crew. Like her two-day shoot at the Warner Bros. studio during our first days in L.A., Wagner beefed up her staff to accommodate the several hundred folks cast for this festive party. Unlike the sequences at Warners (where Wagner gathered over a hundred genre costumes to dress the background), she clothes this huge group in colorful party dresses for the gals and swank jackets and period ties for the gents, who endure heat approaching 100 degrees upon their arrivals in the afternoon. Wagner relates that “we plundered every costume warehouse in Hollywood. We raided those at Warners, Sony, Paramount and Universal. We even reached out elsewhere around the country to costume shops in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and New York to get what we needed.” In dressing her extras, Wagner also had to contend with two other features currently filming in town which are also set in similar time periods. A spirited, infectious passion envelops this corps of several hundred extras, who boogie down to such old-time classic tunes (performed through the trickery of sound mixer Ulano) as Acker Bilk’s “Stranger on the Shore,” Artie Shaw’s “Begin the Beguine” and Glenn Miller’s “Pennsylvania 6-5000”(the latter really putting the group “in the mood” for tonight’s festivities). If you truly know your music trivia, what makes Frank’s selection of “Stranger on the Shore” an unusual choice for this sequence? (The answer at the end of today’s missive). Ulano has employed a colleague named Chet Leonard to handle the repeated playbacks of the music Frank has chosen for the scenes. Leonard arrives in a minivan equipped with several computers (including a MAC G3) and recording devices that emit a sophisticated, resonant sound, played through a p.a. system erected by Ulano. Actress Holden relishes the evening, grabbing hairstylist Paskowitz and set dresser Charlie Nicholson to dance to the music in between takes. Although the music keeps us hopping into the wee hours (night work can be grueling and excruciating on the crew, especially when it starts in the middle of the week after working normal day hours), its repetitious, melodious nature can also become hypnotic, even somnolent. Thus, crafty brothers Michael and John Randolph keep the coffee pots humming and the java brewing well into the night to keep people awake and alert. Chalk up an assist for star Carrey, who brings back his friends at Karma Kappucino, for this week’s Friday night treat. And, if espresso does not offer enough of a jolt, the Randolphs also provide Red Bull (available at local supermarkets), a caffeine-laced drink that energizes the tired crew. Even star Carrey gulps down a can. And, like a genie in a bottle (or can in this case), something springs out of the performer at 4:30 a.m. the first night that galvanizes everyone gathered from the brink of slumber. Carrey breaks into an impromptu bit of hilarity when he impersonates the legendary actor Anthony Quinn. He dances on the makeshift floor like Zorba the Greek and even (imitating one of Quinn’s many screen leaders) commands the sun to stay below the horizon as it begins to lighten the sky as Frank and d.p. Tattersall scramble to complete one last shot before sunrise early Friday morning.  How does a film company light such a nocturnal location and scene? To create a moonlight effect, “gaffer” (or chief electrician) Mark Vuille works with a rigging crew, which “pre-lights” any set a day or two prior to the production’s actual arrival at the given location or stage. At the Disney Ranch, Vuille’s crew has rigged a massive arrangement of lights on an iron grid (measuring 50X30 feet), that weighs some 4000 lbs. Called a “soft box,” the grid is suspended over the dance floor set by a 185 ton DeMag crane, something you normally see at a construction sight. When illuminated, the effect is that of the moon shining down on the festivities. The producers decide that the blackness enveloping the Disney location after sunset could easily be duplicated on a sound stage back at the studio, thus moving the company back to a normal workday. Of course, the first person alerted to the decision is production designer Melton. Thus, Melton’s art department now has to recreate the party sequence on a sound stage back at The Lot in time for next Monday’s work for the close-ups Frank desires for these five party scenes. The work at the Disney Golden Oak Ranch will focus primarily on wide shots of the crowd dancing the night away while honoring the return of Luke Trimble back home to Lawson. While the company works fervently to complete the necessary exteriors before “wrapping out” (removing all filming equipment) of the Disney Ranch location, I sit out of camera range with a professional video news crew visiting the set tonight for the studio’s requisite electronic presskit (or EPK). Most companies employ a video crew to record various behind-the-scenes footage combined with videotaped interviews of the film’s cast and principal crew. As mentioned in earlier journal entries, Frank has requested a conscientious USC graduate named Constantine Nasr to document the daily unfolding of the production (sort of a video version of this diary, some of which is available on this website to supplement these words). For the actual cast/crew interviews, Castle Rock has chosen to employ a video crew using the normal BETA video camera used by virtually all news crews worldwide (which differs from the type of camera employed by Nasr, a SONY digital DVcam, a cut above what you can purchase in any electronics store). When “The Majestic” opens in theaters, the studio distributes their EPK package free to every TV news outlet on the planet, hoping they will use various pieces (interview sound-bites, background footage from the set, brief film clips from the actual finished movie, or a 10-minute featurette) to promote the film’s release. My job is to supervise the crew on the set, insuring they obtain the proper footage as the scenes are shot while also completing all necessary talent interviews. Tonight, we do not shoot any set footage, but focus only on four cast interviews -- Catherine Dent (Mabel the diner owner), Chelcie Ross (Avery Wyatt, the hardware store proprietor), Karl Bury (Bob Leffert, the scarred WWII veteran) and Brian Howe (Carl Leffert, Bob’s cousin). After these assorted cast members finish in the hair/makeup chairs, the assistant directors schedule their individual visits to our interview set (about fifty yards behind the working set). Our DGA trainee, Harmony Gosbee, coordinates this for us. Because Nasr is away this weekend, I actually pose the questions to each actor, asking them to talk about their characters, the film’s storyline, the period being recreated for the movie and other anecdotal points of interest. Now, regarding Acker Bilk’s recording of “Stranger on the Shore,” it was a Billboard chart hit back in 1961, a full decade after the period portrayed by writer Sloane in his film. While that may seem anachronistic, it’s symbolic title reflects the mood Frank wants to create for this poignant moment in the film. |
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