Filming - Day 6 & 7

Yesterday we continued filming on Lakeview Ave. We focused on a couple scenes in front of the Doherty house. One of the residents has graciously allowed us access to her yard and house so we can film. The scenes take place in the first act of the film and feature Brady playing soccer with Tyler and Ben and the first meeting between Maddy and Brady. These scenes have lots of dialogue and take a while to film. We have to take numerous shots of the characters which requires us to move the camera around quite a bit. We also frequently move all our equipment around in order to stay out of the shots, especially those looking out on the street. We keep all our equipment on heavy duty carts though, so it's not too hard to pick up and move everyone. We also had some rain but it didn't last long and we were able to finish the day.

Today we moved over to Lake View Middle School to shoot the soccer game scenes. We had over 200 extras and two youth soccer teams out there so it was quite chaotic. The kids are only 8 years old so they can be a bit difficult to direct and handle. They don't quite understand why we have to stage all the shots. One little girl even asked me at one point if it was the fourth quarter yet.

A big storm came in during lunch so we lost most of the extras and had to move inside. Unfortunately, our cover set (usually an indoor set that we can quickly move to when weather turns bad) was poorly planned and one of the kid actors wasn't even on set. We set the shot up (a short little shot of Tyler, Sam and the other kid sitting outside the Principal's office) and then spent an hour or so waiting for the kid to arrive and go through wardrobe and makeup. After that we had to wrap early, so we'll continue the soccer game tomorrow.

I said earlier that I would be playing the role of the referee, but unfortunately I can't due to SAG rules. However, Amy graciously put me in the role of "Opposing Team Coach" and so I now have a non-speaking role and will be seen in the movie. I was really excited about that. It was funny being the coach after spending all those years as a player.

Anyone who thinks making these movies is simple is beyond wrong. We spend 12 hours each day on set, most of which is spent just setting up the shots. We may work all day and only film a few minutes of the movie. There's just so many little things that need to come together perfectly in order to get a shot off; the camera crew has to set up, the lighting needs to be manipulated, the actors have to be blocked, the set has to be dressed, etc... It's hard to appreciate until you see it in person. Fortunately for all of you we have an excellent group of people filming a bunch of behind-the-scenes material so you'll get to see what all goes into making a film.

Check back this weekend for another update.

Filming - Day 5

We moved over to Winter Garden today for the first of two weeks of location shooting. We're using a small section of Lakeview Ave as our "Laurel Lane" - the fictional neighborhood where Tyler and the Perryfields live. A small section of the street is covered in a canopy of huge, mossy Southern live oaks. It should look beautiful on film.

Today we focused on the first few scenes of the film, specifically the exterior scenes involving mailman Walter Finley (Chris Schmidt), who takes some vacation time and is replaced by Brady. We had a Steadicam operator on hand for several scenes and the rest were shot with a crane rig. The crane shots take especially long to set up, but the Steadicam makes some shots easier since we don't have to reposition a dolly every time.

Tomorrow we continue shooting on Lakeview Ave.

Filming - Day 4

Saturday we started shooting around 4 PM on the sound stage. We shot a scene in Tyler's bedroom that we didn't have time to shoot earlier. Because of child labor laws, Tanner (Tyler) was unable to film a couple shots. Since I'm the resident stand-in, they had me come in and lay on the bed so Bailee would have someone to look at while we filmed. So when you go to the theaters and see the scene where Samantha comes through the window in the morning, I'm actually the one sitting in bed that she's looking at. I also stood in for the next shot with both Robyn and Bailee and actually recited lines, but Tanner was able to come back after our first take and replace me. It was really exciting being in the scene for a real take.

After that we moved the company over to Finnegan's Bar & Grill in the park for the bar scenes with Brady. It took a while to get set up outside but we had a second camera to work with and so we moved a lot faster once we got going. We moved into the bar around midnight and shot until 4 AM. The highlight of the night was a scene where Brady is drunk and stumbles out of the bar. Jeff was given permission to ad lib his farewell to Jack the bartender and came up with some really funny lines, my favorite being "Jimmy Buffet called, he wants his shirt back" (Tom, the actor playing Jack, was wearing a bright floral shirt).

Tomorrow we start filming on location in Winter Garden. Most of the shots will be outside but we will be shooting a couple scenes in a local church.

FIlming - Day 3

Friday we shot a few scenes in Tyler's bedroom. These scenes require a number of different shots so it takes a while to film. Sometimes we have to take down walls and move parts of the set around so we can get the right camera angles. When you see a shot from behind Tyler's bed, it means that we had to take the wall down behind it. Sometimes we have to move the bed around and even raise it up on "apple boxes" (wood boxes of various heights). When you see the film on screen, it looks like the same room in every shot, but the reality is that almost none of those shots had the same room setup. This also requires the set dresser to pay extra special attention so things don't "disappear" from the set between shots. This is called continuity and is a very important part of the filming process.

Saturday we're shooting overnight (from 4 PM - 4 AM) so I'll post the next update on Sunday. We're a little behind schedule but the film looks great so far.

Filming - Day 1 & 2

Filming began Wednesday morning as we opened with a prayer and a devotional at 8 AM. We're shooting 12 hour days on a Tuesday-Saturday schedule. We take a break after 6 hours and have to stop promptly after 12 so the crew doesn't have to be paid overtime. Overtime is very costly. We're a union and SAG film so we have many rules to follow.

My role has now changed from Brady's stand-in to any one's stand-in and will be so for the duration of the film. I'm also going to be paid a reasonable daily rate since I'm now a full-time stand-in. That's great for me since I've been an unpaid intern up till now. It's a great experience since I get to hang out on set and see all the inner workings of a shot.

If this post seems scattered it's because I'm sitting on the soundstage and it's pretty distracting. Anyways, we began in Brady's apartment on Wednesday and moved to Tyler's room on Thursday. We have to shoot everything we can in one set before moving to the next so we don't shoot scenes in sequence. We'll spend the rest of the week moving between the two rooms on the soundstage.

I've finally got a cast list, too:

Jeffrey Johnson as Brady McDainels (the mailman)
Robyn Lively as Maddy Doherty
Tanner Maguire as Tyler Doherty
Bailee Madison as Samantha Perryfield
Maree Cheatham as Olivia (the grandmother)
Michael Bolton (not the singer) as Ben Doherty
Ralph Waite as Cornelius Perryfield


Check back tonight for an update on today!

Preproduction - FINAL Day

I just got home from our final day of preproduction. Principal photography begins tomorrow morning!

Today was really busy. I spent most of the morning updating a huge list of volunteers and extras. We've been networking with a few local churches and schools and have found a ton of people who want to be involved in our project.

The cast is set and most of the actors were in town today for a table reading we held this afternoon. A table reading is exactly what it sounds like; we have all the talent gather in a large circle and we read through the script so the actors can get a feel for their parts and the rest of us can see how the film will flow and what parts need tooling. I'll post a list of the cast in the next couple days but they are all very talented and are going to make this film look great.

As I mentioned above, filming officially begins tomorrow morning. We'll be shooting on set in our soundstage at Universal. We'll begin with several scenes in Brady's apartment.

Speaking of Brady, I've been asked to be the stand-in for our Brady actor for the duration of the shoot. A stand-in essentially stands in (duh...) place of the actor so lighting and photography can get everything ready for the actual shoot. I'll be really busy dividing my time between that and casting, but I'm certainly looking forward to it. This whole adventure is one learning experience after another. Maybe someday I'll be the one needing a stand-in...

Please do check back every day for more updates. Now that things are busy and we're filming every day I'll certainly have tons to share.

More to come tomorrow!

Preproduction - Day ?

It's been a little while since my last post as there hasn't been much going on, last week especially. However, things are really picking up this week as we prepare to begin principal photography this coming Wednesday.

I had been working with the AD department but I've now moved into casting. AD didn't have much for me to do and I'm pretty unfamiliar with the casting process so I feel it's a positive move for me. This will also allow me to further explore any acting opportunities I might have. The casting department is a fun crowd so I'm excited to be working with them.

Patrick Doughtie, the father of Tyler and the author of the original script, came down yesterday and will stay with us for the duration of the shoot. The story we're shooting is 90% fiction but is based on Tyler's personality and includes a few real life characters. Patrick himself is not featured as a character in the film, but he wrote the role of Maddy (Tyler's single mother) with his experience in mind. He's a really nice guy and is totally devoted to the film and its message. He told us how he shopped the script around to a few big Hollywood studios, even turning down a $5 million budget at one point since they wanted to change the story and message.

Check back later today for more updates. From here on out I should be posting every day.