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.

Preproduction - Day 12/13

The last two days have been really slow. The only things that needed to be done needed to be done by certain people, so I haven't had much to do other than small errands. We're still finalizing deals and permits and such so we can be ready to film on the first day of shooting. Casting is still trying to fill roles. Amy went to LA yesterday to see people and apparently our number 1 pick for one of the main roles is no good. All the other various departments are just busy trying to get their own things all ready.

I did have a chance to read a role for Amy today. I've done a little acting throughout school and so decided I might as well show her what I can do in my free time. She really liked my read, said I was very natural and might put me in a small role, so you might have to watch out for me when you go to the theater. Who knows, maybe I'm really an actor...

Preproduction - Day 10/11

Friday was pretty short. Not many people were in the office so there wasn't much to do. I ran a couple errands and worked with the AD's (Assistant Directors - they do all the logistical planning for the actual filming) on the schedule for a bit and then everyone left early.

Monday was a bit more busy. I ran camera for casting in the morning since they had a few people come in. We're still in the process of narrowing down potential talent. Offers should go out this week. The rest of the day I spent making copies and organizing paperwork.

We also managed to finalize the filming schedule. Principal photography will begin on May 26 and run through the first week of July. We'll shoot on a Tuesday-Saturday schedule so Sunday and Monday we'll have off. The first couple weeks of shooting will take place in Winter Garden, Orlando. We'll be shooting on location in a neighborhood. Then we'll move onto the Post Office and back to Universal to shoot on the soundstage. A crew is currently modifying and building upon the Final Destination 4 sets. Those will be used for interior shots. We'll also be filming a few bar scenes at Finnegan's in the Universal Studios park.

Lots of gears are starting to move right now and hopefully the machine will be up and running come May 26. We're doing a lot of things at the last minute, but everything is working out so far.

Preproduction - Day 9

We had another slow day. It was especially slow for me since I was given phone duty all day. I had to sit in front of the phone in case anyone called. Only a few people did. I was pretty bored but hopefully I won't have to do it again. I did manage to get some reading in, though.

Friday will be slow again. I'll update if anything goes on. Right now we (the assistant directors and I) are just hanging out. We may work on some scheduling issues but it doesn't look like we'll have much to do.

Preproduction - Day 8

I spent yesterday morning running camera for casting again. It's fun because I get to see all the actors and their various takes on the characters. It also shows you parts of the script that need reworking because the actors might be coming in and showing anger and frustration when we want them to show apathy or sarcasm. That was especially the case for actors who have been reading for the lead male role. We want them to be witty and flippant but they're reading it with anger. I think the dialogue in the script is at fault, but I don't have any creative control over that so I can't change anything. Amy Severson (our casting director) is really nice though and loves to hear my opinion. I want to be a director, but she thinks I like casting and acting, so who knows...

I spent the afternoon making copies of a revised script and lining sides for various people. Lining involves going through the script and drawing lines with a straight-edge to separate the scenes from each other. The Post Office wants sides so they can approve their logo and offices for our use. I also moved around some equipment as we continue to set up our offices.

Check back later for today's recap.

Preproduction - Day 7

Last night was long. Justin and I waited for Kim to draft a final copy of the script and he didn't finish until close to 9. We then attempted to make (on our donated copiers that lack all functions except copy and print--that's right, no collate...) 15 copies of the script. I managed to get two copies done by before my copier died at around 10:30. Justin stayed and finished making the copies, one at a time...

We started off this morning with a script meeting at 9. The meeting was essentially a place for all the department heads to gather and nitpick through the script. They'd go through and say, "What equipment do we need for this scene? Can we place a brand in this scene? Do we need rain towers or can we use a fire hose for this scene?", etc... We have a guy specifically doing the product placement for the film since we have a limited budget and could benefit from added publicity. All that lasted well into the afternoon.

I left the meeting around 1 to go run camera for casting again. They had a couple dozen callbacks come in from the open call this past Saturday. There were several great reads* and one guy who's most likely a definite for one role. Offers for the main roles have gone out and should be set by the end of the week, but the minor roles still haven't been cast. They'll continue reading people tomorrow morning.

Check back tomorrow for more updates!

-Cole


*A 'read' or 'reading' is just another way to say 'audition'. They use 'read' because the casting director sits there and reads lines to the talent from a side (a small section of the script).

Orlando, Pt. 1

Most people following this blog don't live in Orlando and are probably wondering what it's like.


It's hot.


Remember that Seinfeld episode when Kramer decides to coat his body in butter and then go lay out on the rooftop, only to come back slightly cooked? That's what it's like to walk outside in Orlando. Do you like weather in the 70's? Don't come down to Orlando. 'Overcast' is not a word used often here either.


Orlando is also the only city I've been where you will daily find people driving both 20 over the speed limit and 20 under the speed limit on the same road. Forget traffic laws, just drive as fast as you can (while carefully avoiding the inept--think The Fast and the Furious) towards the next light because the lights last almost 10 minutes on average--longer if the traffic is bad (traffic is always bad). I haven't seen any cops yet, but they're probably just avoiding the traffic lights.


On the plus side, it doesn't rain much. There's also a plethora of fancy restaurants and two big theme parks. If you like sunny weather, driving fast and fancy resorts, you'll love Orlando. I kinda like it, but there's a lot I've yet to explore. That can wait for Part 2...

Preproduction - Day 6

Today was just another day of simple tasks and chores. I vacuumed the downstairs hallway this morning since it was covered in dust and junk. I spent most of the afternoon driving around getting various supplies. This journey included an hour's trip (driving anywhere in Orlando takes FOREVER, to be explained in a later post about general Orlando) over to a Staples warehouse to get a couple boxes of paper so we could print out scripts this evening (we're still waiting on a final copy as I go to press...).

We also did a walk-through of the soundstage this afternoon with a couple of the Universal people so we could learn how everything operates. We're going to use a couple sets left over from the filming of "Final Destination 4" and we've got a couple carpenters working on that already. On that note, our art director is Mark Garner so he'll be the one designing the sets and the overall visual themes of the film. The soundstage already has lighting rigged up and most everything else is set up so we'll just be reworking the existing sets and building whatever else we need. I may post pictures of what's down there right now if I can. We also learned how to operate the huge stage door--a massive solid block of concrete a foot thick that moves at a speed of about 0.1 mph. One of our dept heads asked if the roller coaster being built right next door would raise the noise floor at all, but apparently that's being monitored and shouldn't be an issue.

Thinks are starting to ramp up, so check back for more!

-Cole

Preproduction - Day 5

Today was a very busy day for casting. I spent all afternoon (about 5 hours) with them rolling camera while they read callbacks. All the major roles were auditioned as well as a few of the minor roles. David Nixon, Sandra Thrift (the main script editor) and Bob Scott (the director of photography) sat in and it was really interesting to hear their feedback and even give my own opinion on a few actors. It was a pretty successful day overall and resulted in at least one definite casting and a few close ones. These are all professional actors (as opposed to the volunteer actors in Fireproof) so the talent will be really good for this film.

Tomorrow we're going to come in and paint some of the rooms downstairs. The soundstage looks like it hasn't been painted or renovated since the 90s and the producers don't want investors and such to see all that. There's also a script meeting going on tonight so a final draft should be ready for next week. I think Monday we're going to scout a Post Office for some scenes and maybe a few other locations.

Check back for more!

Preproduction - Day 4

Yesterday was very busy. Casting had a bunch of actors come in to read for minor roles and I spent some time trying to set up a camera for them though they ended up not using it. They're doing callbacks this afternoon so I'll run camera for them then. Other than that, I just ran a bunch of errands. Lots of people were in the office yesterday and we're starting to assign specific tasks and jobs to dept heads. Things should get even more busy.

Last night, Justin (the production coordinator/manager) and I went to scout a location at Give Kids The World. It's a non-profit organization run by Make-a-Wish. It's designed as somewhat of a miniature Disney World and offers families a place to stay for a week while the visit Disney Word and the other theme parks. We took a camera and filmed the place so the producers could see what it's like. They want to include it in the film somehow because of its focus on kids with cancer. The management there was very excited about this proposition.

Check back later today for more.

Preproduction - Day 3

Some stuff needed to be done at Universal this morning so I went straight over there instead of to the hospital, though I heard APH is going to be very accommodating and will let us use an entire new floor to shoot before they move their own employees up there. They're also willing to close off certain sections and are very excited to be part of our project.

I continued unpacking those 'My Family's Got Guts' jerseys this morning. Apparently the show's been cancelled. We walked across the park to Moe's for lunch (I think the burritos were smaller than usual...) and then unlocked the downstairs area so we could start cleaning it out. There's a few dressing rooms, a makeup room, several editing rooms and two control rooms for the soundstage. Two house sets are still left on the stage from filming for 'Final Destination 4.' I moved some furniture around so casting would have a room in which to meet with potential actors tomorrow. The producers also wanted to have some nicer rooms in which to meet with investors since the offices upstairs are pretty messy.

I had some free time this afternoon and read over a draft of the script. The story sounds very promising. I have no doubt it will strongly portray the intended message.

I'd also like to thank everyone who's following and commenting. It's nice to see that people are reading and getting interested in the film.

Check back tomorrow for more!

Preproduction - Day 2

Today was pretty slow. Some people were out of town and the rest are still getting settled in. I spent the morning researching various rental situations and getting quotes on trucks and porta-potties for our location shots. I spent a couple hours in the afternoon taking 'My Family's Got Guts' (a Nickelodeon game show shot on soundstages 23 and 24) jerseys off racks so we could take the hangars for wardrobe.

I should have more interesting news tomorrow. We're going to the Arnold Palmer Hospital in the morning to scout a location for hospital shots. There should be another production meeting later this week as well.

Keep checking back!

First post

Hey people!


I've started this blog to chronicle my life as a production intern on Letters to God. Some people wanted updates and I figured this would be the easiest way.

Letters to God is being produced by Possibility Pictures and will be shot on location around Orlando and on set at Universal Studios Florida (soundstage 25). It's a Christian film centered around a 9-year-old boy's struggles with cancer and how it affects his family and friends. I'll post a more detailed synopsis when I get a copy of the treatment or final script, which should be soon.

Like I said, I'll be working as a production intern. Preproduction has officially started and is starting to rev up in preparation for shooting, which will begin at the end of May. Today we had a production meeting with all the department heads together for the first time. We went over plans for the film's production and I ran around making production passes for everyone (these passes allow us into the Universal backlot and the employee cafeteria--cheaply priced, ironically--as well as the theme park on the weekends, for free).

David Nixon, the director, has assembled what he called "category leaders leading a category." All the department heads are experienced professionals with a strong interest in reinventing the "Christian film" category. Everyone is excited to be here and create a high quality product that will hopefully set a precedent for many future Christian films.

Lots of various production tasks (permits, contracts, etc.) need to be done this week. Callbacks for actors will be soon and an open casting call will take place this Friday. Possibility has leased out soundstage 25 on Universal's backlot and all the office work will be based out of here. We're trying to organize the various office office spaces this week.


I'll try and update every day. We're pretty busy, so there should be tons of interesting stuff to post.

Check back tomorrow!