On Set

More on Dave's "Time Out"

Hey Everyone...

I feel like I need to explain the Time Out situation a little more. So I've been getting this blood sprayed all over me every weekend since we started the shoot... which sounds fun (and it is) but it can start to get quite uncomfortable... both having it dry onto the skin and having to stop it dripping on the floor... I felt like I wanted to share my discomfort with crew members and hugging them seemed an easy way... I know I'm very childish... Anyway back to the Time Out business. I must have been particularly drippy as the floor was slowly being painted red wherever I walked and so Megan put a bin bag down on the floor for me to stand on... She put it in a room where I needed to be so say some Off Screen lines for some other Actors... however we weren't at that scene yet so I was just left in a room alone stood on a bloody bin bag! I didn't even have a place to sit until the scene did come up and people walked to see me and got me a box to sit on... I felt like a naughty child, and I must say I bet the Time Out parenting trick works a treat!

Dave's Time Out

Sunday was really fun on set; at least I thought it was. I know part of this was the fact that we spent most of the day on the balcony which meant that we weren’t trapped in the hot indoors all day. But the downside to that was sound issues – we had everything from frickin’ dogs barking to planes overhead. Despite this I was really relaxed and almost giddy for awhile.

Once again, we had to get Dave all bloody in preparation for the last scene we shot in the “present” timeline. He is a good sport every time we have to do this; but he totally tries to get sympathy from those around him. This week as he waited to do his scene he was dripping stage blood everywhere and we got tired of having to wipe it off the floor so Stefanie put him on a garbage bag and an apple crate and he waited out the scene we were shooting so we could get to his.

However, Dave proceeded to keep trying to get people to hug him or shake his hand whenever I called cut, and then he’d turn to me and sadly remind me that I “put [him] on time out.” His persistence kept up, and he kept asking people to hug him and kept being turned down.

Owing to my good mood, or my nature as a director (I’m not sure which) I told Dave that after his scene he could hug me – as long as we got it on camera.

Weekend three

Just wanted to say that with the new call sheets out I am looking forward to weekend three and the creative challenges that arise. Hope everyone has had a well rested week and is looking forward to the shoot. For those that have left the set, you will be missed but I look forward to seeing you at the wrap party.

Wonky Terms

I was teased this weekend by my crew. Why? Because I was using a term that they swore didn't exist: canted angle.

The thing is I knew this term existed. It's a shot at roughly 45 degrees of a tilt, meant to convey distress or something else being other wise "wrong" in the situation. Watch a film noir, you'll see it.

Regardless of my insistence Shannon and Beth were sure I was using a bad term to refer to what they called a "dutch angle" and had somehow made it up.

I know that a canted angle and a dutch angle are the same thing - I just hate the term "dutch angle" - what did the Dutch do to us?

So I googled the term today and here's my results:

A Dutch tilt, Dutch angle, oblique angle, German angle, canted angle or Batman Angle is a cinematic tactic often used to portray the psychological uneasiness or tension in the subject being filmed.

HA!!!

Now the only question is this: who uses the term "Batman Angle"???

Art Department

Weekend Two

Weekend two of filming ended. Not to jinx ourselves, but weekend two was nice.

Sure it was still hot, and it was still crowded; but as I predicted things between cast and crew are continuing to gel in a wonderful way so that we are really starting to move more and more like one cohesive unit. It makes me excited for the day where I can have one continuous shoot instead of a series of weekends. This feeling of family, and unity must increase with the more time that you all spend in the same area for that extended period of time.

I am happy to say that due to this working situation we are falling into we are still on schedule. Miraculously. If my math is correct we have shot 46 pages of the script in 4 shoot days. That is an insane amount of pages to have shot and I am more than a little amazed that we are keeping up. [Knock on wood and say a little prayer please.]

I wrapped two actors this weekend – Samantha and Cody (a.k.a. – Weston). I will miss them terribly as they brought a great sense of humor and creativity to my set. However, I also got Lorn to my set for the first time this shoot and I do enjoy having him on set as well…so I guess it’s a trade off. If I could do anything about gas prices I’d have all of my actors on set as much as they want just because the camaraderie that having them there creates is wonderful.

I also let Dave hug me this weekend.

This is a milestone because Dave was covered in blood when he hugged me…so I ended up covered in blood. But I volunteered for it so it was okay.

EARMUFFS!!!!

okay...so I wont say anything bad, first because this is part of the publicity kit, and second because I would never say anything horrible in the first place...right guys?-----Mhhmmm, what they said!

So, another weekend has flown by, where has the time gone? This weekend was even more interesting than last, I think because we all know eachother really well now. Everyone has been so awesome, and it's still intimidating every time I watch one of the cast members nail a scene. *shivers* Some of the cast is now done filming unfortunately, I will miss them dearly. But I cant wait for the screening and the cast little party-get-together-thing...yea.

I must say, I got to work on a slightly intense scene this weekend with "Alan" and it was amzingly brilliant. He blew me away completely, and I'm sure I looked amature next to him. The feeling you get when you can play off of someone as talanted as that is...indiscribable. Wow...

Moving onto another topic[andto making sense of my title]...the set is a very interesting place to be. You need all types of accesories, for me, EARMUFFS! Maybe because the crew, *cough*Caryn and Dave!*cough*( :] ) is, well let's say...'PG-14'...HAHA! But it's great! We all joke and enjoy our little inside joke. And my dad, Matt/David, which ever identity you prefer, always makes sure I have a set of earmuffs with me, lol. Well it's been hilarious so far and I can't wait to see what jokes are instore for next weekend. Oh dear....

Signing off for now,
Lauren

How Close? ..........Really Close

The second weekend has gone by and we are still rolling. More and More we are become family. I first want to acknowledge BETH the greatest person in the world. Without her we would not be getting the shots. Thank you BETH!!!!!!!!!! On sunday we shot alot of Alan's Balcony scences. She was on a ladder holding that camera forever. I asked Megan to shoot for a while so she had a lot to play with in editing. Without thinking twice Beth held that camera till exahastion she was shaking and could barley walk down the ladder after. She is the best! Not to say that everyone has not been great because they have. But David needs to stop making me laugh and Ashton and I need to stop yelling, stomping, and spitting in each others face. I have taken many pictures and videos. I will post them at the end of shoot.

week two of shooting and going strong

I'm Brian Harvey "Doc" to fans of the film

In our second week of shooting, this was my BIG week....got to kill two men, chop off a leg, and drink booze.

Ah, the life of an actor.

I didn't know what I was going to get into when I auditioned for this.  Now that we are well into production, I can tell you that not only are my fears completely gone, but, I could not ask for a better set of actors to work with, or a crew that treats each and everyone of us like a personal friend.

Yesterday, I had the privilege to work with Weston Cody.  Don't want to give too much of the plot away, but, let me tell you, don't come to see this "Doc", when you are infected.  Bad for you...and for Weston.  We got to do an intense scene.  We did this scene, maybe six maybe seven times.  Wes is one of those actors, that can make even me look good, and I thank him for that.

Being that this is an ensemble show for the most part, I don't get to interact, on film, with one character more than another.  But I have another scene coming up in the shoot to come that will help with that.  

I wrote and spoke to the director.  I wanted another scene written for me and Ashton who plays Jacob.  This guy can act Lawrence Olivier under the table.  Very intense in his work.  Very quiet on the set, I guess I'm the class clown, and it shows in his performance.  I even told him that with every take we did, he got better and BETTER.

I haven't done a straight dramatic role like this for a month of Sundays.  I'm a comic.  I try to tell jokes between takes, make faces in the camera after it was slated, and am always ready for a laugh. (wait until the cast and crew see the latest app I downloaded on my iPhone THIS weekend).  I don't have any trouble making an audience laugh, I just hope, they take me as a serious actor.  I guess I am my own worse critic.

I was scared on the 16th.  We we about to do a scene.  When I realized the page numbers we were about to put on film....I freaked.  I STUDIED THE WRONG SCENE!!

I'm hoping, Meagan, the director and Chris, the writer, were not too disappointed in me.

As for the rest of the cast, well, I guess I'm the father figure of the group, being the oldest.  My birthday is on the 19th, and AARP is not only walking up the sidewalk, they are banging the door down!  OY!

Even though there is such an age difference between myself and the rest of the cast, I feel that they are treating me as one of them (young I mean).  Although sometimes, I have to stop and say, "What does that mean"?

Well, I don't understand all the lingo.  I guess I put my parents through the same thing.

The cast has been great.  Especially David and Pierce to me.  I'm forever making fun of...the way they talk and where they are from (England and Canada respectively).  I'm sure I'm getting on their nerves, but they joke along with me.  And so far, no punches have been thrown.  (Although, Pierce DOES carry his rifle and squints his eyes at me.......hmmmmm)

As for the crew.....every day they are looking out for our needs and wants.  Especially Stephanie, our craft table person.  I'm Jewish and there are certain things I won't eat.  She goes out of her way to make sure that EVERYONE is taken care of.  I have been on sets before, and if they are serving ham, and you don't eat it, then you starve.  Not so with this crew.

I so can't wait until the latter part of November or the early part of December, for the screening of this show.  Every shoot day, I get more and more excited to see the end result.  I am sure I will be the worse one up there (worse critic, remember?), but I am anxious to see it.

Hope I haven't bored everyone

Will have more to say in the coming weeks

Brian

brianharveytheactor.com