4/12/2015

The first half of the day was meant to be shot in the basement/laundry of one of the producer's friend's apartments. For the first two hours of the day, things went smoothly, but things, as they often do, took a turn.

Neighbors called the landlord of the complex and he drove in to see what was going on. He was not pleased. While he told the producer he would be calling the cops on account of our trespassing and not getting a hold of him, the producer apologized and reminded him that she had the tenant's permission, the neighbors had been notified and she had in fact tried to get in contact with him. He flicked on the lights and told us in no uncertain terms to leave.

After a quick conversation with the AD, my buddy CJ, everything appeared to be copacetic. We had permission to be there until 6, at which point we'd be headed up to tenant's apartment and wouldn't be in anyone's way. Everything was good to go.

We went to get another take when the producer got a call from her friend whose apartment we were using, the landlord had called him and reamed him, we needed to leave - NOW. The landlord was angry and if we didn't get out, he was going to call the cops. It was bad news.

The saddest pile of equipment ever, waiting to be loaded into cars and taxis after getting kicked out of our location. Photo credit: Megan Cooper

We hastily packed up and began an emergency company move to one of the few locations we could secure permission for on the spot - the producer's apartment. We made a quick drive across the suburbs and started getting set in the tiny back hallway of the producer's apartment. Here, though, the news was worse. Because of the stark difference between the previous location and this one, everything we'd shot had to be scratched. Four hours went down the drain and we were going to have to reblock, reshoot and restage everything.

It was looking like the day was going to run long, but thanks to some quick thinking during a pow wow with the AD and the cinematographer, we made some minor changes to the script and the action and got to work. We powered through shots and wasted as little time as we could.

This isn't the first time I'd ever lost a location, maybe it won't be the last. But if there was anything that I learned from the first time around, it's that the show must go on. The odds certainly weren't stacked against use as much as they were in White Sands, but it all comes down to how you work with your circumstances, because your circumstances aren't always going to work for you.

We rocked out and at the end of the day, we finished up about two hours early. And that was with the addition of an outtake shot to have a little fun with a few of our actors. Not bad for a surprise company move in the middle of the day.

4/11/2015

Months of pre-pro finally paid off because today we started shooting the Reutan Collective's web series, The Un-Supers.

Overall, it was a solid day. We were shooting in an apartment that belongs to friends of the producer, Sarah. They were cool with us being there and stayed all day to observe and help with anything necessary. I was a little worried going in because it was a tight space and we had a fair number of people. I think we worked well with what we had though. Two of the cast members provided us with a home cooked pasta dinner, which kept us going through the end of the day.

Some of the scenes got a little loud (they're fight scenes, it's to be expected) but the neighbors didn't seem too concerned. Toward the end of the night, one of them did come by to see what was going on, but was more intrigued than anything.

Working on one of the fight scenes. Figuring out the physics and logistics behind an actress playing almost-dead.

While we did have some issues with noise from the neighbors, a rather vocal dog outside and airplanes, we had no choice but to power through. We could control everything in the apartment, but when it came to the sound outside, there was nothing we could do. Sure, it was irritating, but we made it work. It's something to keep in mind for shoots down the road though. Just like renting a new apartment, knowing what's going on outside your own four walls is something to take note of.

Locations for free or cheap are great, but for any shoot, you have a choice between three factors: make it good, make it cheap or make it fast. You get to pick two. If you get all three, you've stumbled upon a miracle and should rejoice in your luck. Three factors make for three choices, for us, the budget limits us, but there can be other factors that limit the way you choose your combination of two. But that will be covered another day.