Shooting continues -- Day Two

1/7/11, Dallas Shoot, Day Two, 12:00 Call time.

Shooting today, and for the rest of the shoot is at the Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park, in Dallas.  The Heritage Village is very near downtown Dallas – situated right next to a busy highway exchange.  The Village is a collection of authentic old buildings that were saved from the wrecking ball and moved here.  It’s got it all - a saloon, train depot, bank, general store, and many old homes.  The Village even has a couple of live donkeys and I’ve spotted at least one sheep.  It’s a fairly sprawling place.  The key crew members are all in radio contact – critical for communicating across the large distances.  The donkeys were braying a bit ago – some added authenticity.  I’ve yet to hear the sheep baaaa.

It’s about 4:00 pm and they’ve finished shooting the first scene already.  In the scene, Wanda looks at her newborn baby Lamonda in a hospital baby crib, picks her up and leaves.  The production coordinator, Patrick Clinton, was able to locate a cute as a button six-week old baby for the scene, Josie.  The script calls for the baby to be swaddled.  Colin and Michaela (the wonderful wardrobe folks) were at a bit of a loss regarding proper baby swaddling techniques.  Luckily, one of the extras happens to be a military pediatric nurse, and has swaddled babies around the world.  He very kindly agreed to authentically swaddle the baby.

Josie and her Mom are very pleasant to work with.  The live baby was only used for the final shots.  A fake baby was used for all the rehearsals etc.  When Barker, the Assistant Director finally called for “the live baby,” little Josie performed beautifully.  She kicked and squirmed a bit when placed in the baby hospital bed (despite the authentic swaddling), but seemed to enjoy looking at the overhead camera and the complicated lighting array.  The shot was beautiful.  After Josie’s camera work was finished, it was all quiet on the set to record live baby sounds.  Karlo (the omnipresent steady boom operator) dangled the mike above Josie and she provided a bit of baby crying audio and then some calmer baby sounds.  Josie and her mom  return tomorrow, playing a different baby part.  

Arianne Martin as Wanda looked great as usual.  For this scene she wore a hand made western fringed leather jacket.  The jacket is a work of art – Wanda made it for our Mom, Carla, when Mom was in high school.  Mom’s held onto it for all of these years.  It seems remarkable that a jacket made by Wanda is now appearing in this movie about Wanda’s life.  Thanks Mom for letting us borrow it. 

The cast and crew are now transitioning to a different set at the same location – the traveling circus tent.  Chris, the production designer has erected a gorgeous tent.  There are more extras today, and more talent.  Wardrobe has done an excellent job again of making all of us (the extras) look like country folks from the 1920’s.  Sadly for me, a fur stole is not a part of my costume.  

The action is now in the circus tent.  We just finished shooting several audience scenes.  Wanda and her husband are in the audience for a marksman’s act (part of the travelling circus).  The marksman calls for volunteers, Wanda goes up on stage and shows off her marksmanship skills – her husband leaves the circus tent in a huff. 

Right now the special effects guy has loaded up the target with “squibs” or fake little explosions that simulate a bullet going through the paper target.  Barker keeps alerting us all that “the set is hot, the set is hot,” - Which I assume means there are explosives on set.  Wanda and the marksman also shoot blanks, and when loaded the “gun is hot – a hot weapon on the set.”  And, just before the action with the live weapons and explosives, there’s a “fire in the hole.”  A few minutes ago someone accidentally discharged one of the guns – an unannounced fire in the hole.  I guess perhaps that’s considered fire escaping the hole? 

We finished shooting around 11:30 tonight.  All of the extras gamely hung in there until shooting wrapped.  We are getting good at pantomiming clapping and general audience reaction.  Almost all of the extras will be back tomorrow for some more audience action.

The cast and crew continue to work together like the cogs of a well oiled machine.  The machine will continue to crank out some more excellent work tomorrow afternoon and evening.