Production: One in the Can

We were finally able to shoot our first scene on OotGG. The scene we rolled on was between Abby and Caleum in her hospital room. We originally were going to shoot the entire scene which consisted of Caleum entering the hospital and meeting with a man, Paul, who is a resident that Caleum has befriended after spending so much time there. Caleum then enters Abby's room and they have their final scene together. Then Caleum would leave to later come back when he is called by the doctor to reveal that Abby has passed away. That was our original goal for our fist shoot.

That was plan, but, like all shoots it was changed.

Everything changes.

We decided on not shooting Caleum's entrance and his scene with the doctor after Abby has died. I determined to only focus on the Caleum and Abby's dialog. The reason being was because their scene together is heavy. I did not want to feel rushed by trying to get all the other footage. This is probably one of the most crucial scenes in the story. Besides, I have never shot a scene that was this dramatically substantial. Messing up was something I did not want to do.

The night started by making a prop list of everything we needed. A lot of it was Abby's room decoration. A bamboo plant, picture of her and Benny Banks, birthday cards, a candle of the Virgin De Guadalupe, stuffed animal, etc. It was pretty solid list.

Honestly, I needed all the help I could get.

We then got all our gear loaded up. Dolly track, lighting, sandbags, and of course the camera. Once we arrived at the location, we moved around the room to accommodate filming. I then had Darcee arrange the room how her character would set her belongings out. After which, we got to work on setting up the lighting and the track.

A slight problem, although it was not major, was the room was terribly cramped. It was a tiny and we needed to get in a little bit of track, a dolly and a light on a C-stand. What we accomplished was pretty great, considering the room.

Our side. Plus Judea hiding on the floor.

The other side.

Now I have to say that this is where working with the actors all those hours really paid off. Ben and Darcee were on their game. The beginning was a bit rough, which is understandable as they were just warming up and this was Darcee's first real film gig. After we warmed up, we were off. These two could pick it up from any point in the scene and gave me the performances I needed. It was amazing. One of the smoothest shoots I've ever had. It really made my job, as a director, easy. Beautiful.

I also feel that I accomplished the look I was going for. The lighting was warm and cozy. After a while, the room, while warm, felt like home. We the lighting we used was a Diva which has an adjustable warm color that was perfect for the room. Also, I brought in a table lamp that gave the scene some practical lighting. All in all, I felt great about the lighting.

Warm and cozy.

Along with props, we really lucked out by the nurse on duty was a great help. She not only set up the bed and the monitors for us to use, but she hooked Darcee up to their instruments. Darcee had the finger monitor, oxygen up her nose and an IV hooked to an IV stand. It wasn't actually inserted into her. Darcee is a great actress, but I think even she has her limits.

Ben was working the camera, the Sony F3 with the Gemini attached to kick out the great video. We used a few lenses, 50, 85 and 35. This was to create a close look to make the scene seem more confined. This worked well as the room was small and created the intimate look that I was looking for.

Great coloring.

As with the lighting, I think I got the color palate of my characters down. Abby had the colors I envisioned. The white/light blue. Even though she looked sickly, she had this very angelic look. Caleum's color palate is that of a thunderstorm and in this first scene, the storm has not yet hit. His colors are more in line with Abby. Light. Caleum still has a home with Abby that he will soon lose. I was very pleased with the coloring.

Overall, I was pleased with this shoot. Everything went so smooth. The actors were great. The crew were fantastic. Everything was just so great. I have to admit, even though I felt that I may have done overkill on the pre-production, it paid off in spades. This was a great start to the production and I pray the rest of the shoot will go half this smooth.

Sony F3 with the Gemini. It makes EVERYTHING look good.

Ben. Professional as HELL!

Can you spot Judea?