It’s midnight. We are now four days into shooting. In an attempt to “keep it real”, I’ll admit that we are falling just a little short of our expected goals each day. Not to worry for what we lack in speed sometimes we make up with quality. Already I can say that this production is one I’m very proud of especially having only shot a few scenes. The work flow is great and taxing but all in all the quality of the footage so far is nothing less than astounding.
Over the weekend we used a car mount for some driving scenes and got some stellar footage of East Colfax. Not only that but we had the pleasure of shooting a mean looking 1973 Chevelle SS. The car mount consists of three industrial strength suction cup bases, that you stick to the car. With use of a few small rods, you can build a small tripod right on the car to attach the camera. It was a really exciting shoot. I almost can’t believe the freedom you get while shooting with the mount. The Chevelle also helped make the shots look unquestionably badass.
Tony Lloyd’s 1973 Chevelle SS.
Bill and Joel troubleshooting the Car-mount.
Production value baby!
Anyhow…
Right now i’d like to take this time to introduce everybody to our main cast. I realize now that, perhaps I should have done this sooner, but whatever.
It was important for us to find people who embody the qualities of our characters rather than force those qualites out. We want desperately to avoid anything coming off staged or emotionally contrived. So while casting we made a great effort to pick specially from a pool of very talented people.
To ensure a sense of realism and to capture a natural performance we chose to work with non-actors for most of the roles including Isaac and Alicia.
Joseph has an unmistakable presence about him. His distinct personality is something you just can’t fake. So far it has been a pleasure to see the character flow into reality through Joseph, he’s never forced or manipulating in his performance. He’s surprised us already a few times with a colorful, full hearted character, that could have only been realized through him.
Isaac - Joseph Trujillo
For Rome, the Bondsman, we used a Denver based, veteran stage actor named Jim Whiteman. Jim is a real treat to work with. His reading of the part from day one was spot on. He brings a dynamic element of humanity to an otherwise, stoic and curmudgeonly bastard.
Rome - Jim Whiteman
Alicia was a tough one. The character had evolved so much in the writing process it was almost impossible to nail her down exactly. Even up until casting we still hadn’t really grasped what she was all about. It wasn’t until we brought Ariana in to read that we found out how important her character’s presence was for Isaac. Ariana has this subtlety about her that’s hard to define but, it’s something that stays with you. From her first spoken word as Alicia we knew that she would bring such warmth and maternal power to the story. I really don’t think anyone could’ve pull it off quite like her.
Alicia - Ariana Sanchez
The enthusiasm of the cast and crew is high. And shooting thus far has gone really well.
Continue to wish us luck as we enter our second week of shooting. And pray the weather treats us nicely.
Stephen
