Today has been absolutely nuts.
For one, I found out that our previous film "Stalin and Hitler: The Motion Picture" has been invited for an IMDb page through our festival submission website, Withoutabox. This, surely, is nuts. Even more nuts: a behind-the-scenes crew has been assembled that will be creating a documentary about the making of "Our Story" without any involvement from me whatsoever, in order to capture the film and the production process from an unbiased viewpoint. These guys will be starting a blog of their own closer to production, and I will definitely provide a link when that day comes.
Nuts.
Anyway, I was sitting on the porch this evening with a cold Shock Top and a copy of "Neverwhere," and realized something: those location photos I put on our page the other night don't mean much by themselves. So, like every other aspect of pre-production, I figured I'd discuss them, how they relate to the film, and why they spoke to me so much in regards to the script.
I did not know Jeffress Park even existed until one day when myself and a few other crew members, including producer Zaque Smith, were scouting on a nice day for our other upcoming project "Eyes on Me." We had some free time, and decided that since the wind was so gentle and the sky so blue, to take off to the Blue Ridge Parkway in hopes of finding some good spots for "Our Story." Our intended destination was Hangman's Hill to the North, but the road was closed, so your lovely model Katy (in the picture there) suggested we hit up Jeffress Park. In the park are a picnic area and various hiking trails...specifically one that led to the miraculous site above.
I think, in everything I've ever written, I've always had a penchant for the dreamlike or surreal. "Our Story" is no exception, though the fantasy aspect has a more psychological role in this film. The cascades at Jeffress Park are just that, even as they are still caught in the grip of leaveless winter. From its furthest point the cars on the road are silent, and the only thing you hear is the rushing water. God rays even shine through the tree branches like in a fantasy novel or something.
This particular log caught our attention (specifically Zaque's.) We're unsure whether we're going to use it or not, but like all logs that stretch across rivers, it has a childlike sort of wonder to it that we are trying to capture in this scene in the film.
I feel like this area particularly affected me because it reminded me of trips to the mountains when I was a kid. We'd visit all kinds of nameless places like these, places that seem to be a dime a dozen in Watauga County. It inspires a powerful nostalgia, almost want. Memories are shaped by time into being perhaps more ideal than they really are; you replace pictures with emotions, emotions you've materialized and made physical.
I feel like for the scene in question, there's no better place than Jeffress Park.
I again can't ruin the specifics for everyone, but this kind of building up of emotion, of undermining beauty with delusions of grandeur, is a central theme of the film. Jeffress Park, in all its wonderful isolation, fits perfectly. The scene we're shooting here sort of feels separate from the rest of the film: it has almost nothing to do with the central plot thread, and instead serves as a manifestation of the main character's emotions. Maybe I'm a little biased because of the nostalgia factor, but I'd like to think that upon seeing the finished product, you guys will at least see what I'm getting at.
Here are some more photos from the excursion.
- The aforementioned cascades. These were taken at the lowest point of the path, and chances are they'll be used.
- Zaque Smith (Producer) with someone that looks like me, engaging in serious business.
- I feel like this particular photo gives a very good idea of the soft, delicate shadows and copious amounts of foliage we'll be working with here.
- Those wonderful, wonderful stone stairs from a top view. Zaque not included.
And now, your pre-productive organs for the day.
Script: 100% since 2/09
Cast: 100%
Crew: 100%
Camera Supplies: 25%
Storyboards: 30%
Definitive Shooting Schedule: ~7%
Movement Rehearsals: 0%
Locations/Permissions: ~75%
Green Screen Construction: 0%
Be well on your way,
-JD
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