Day Four of Filming: News and Notes

It was a big weekend for us and we got a lot of great work done but unfortunately we ultimately fell short of our goal. We were scheduled to wrap principle photography with a couple of marathon sessions of filming but we were not able to do so. It's always tough when we get behind schedule, especially since we'd wrapped every shoot earlier than planned. But that doesn't take away from what was a great shoot on Saturday.

Our shoot was by far the most complicated scenes of all the shoots. While most scenes in the movie had about eight shots, this scene had over forty. And it took place in a crowded bar at night. We could not shoot at a bar at night, since they're all open at that time, so we had to find one which would let us shoot during the day and make it look like night. Once again, Ozzie's on Lower Queen Anne was a more than gracious host for our little troupe of misfits.

Ozzie's Diner on Lower Queen Anne in Seattle

Once again, the set for filming.

So since we were filming a scene set to take place in a busy bar we needed to enlist the help of some more extras. We exhausted all possible avenues to do so and fell a little short on the number of people that we were able to bring in, but those who did come in were very easy-going and cooperative and really seemed to have fun with the whole process. They really made everything go much more smoothly. A special thank you to Travis, Charlie, Ryan, Mandy, Josh, and Amber.We didn't get a picture of everyone, but we did get some.

Ryan signs in with Erin.

Ryan and Charlie enjoy some coffee.

David looks on as we set up the shoot.

Phillip talks over a few things with Ryan and Charlie.

This shoot also marked the return of Steven to production. He was with us for our very first day of filming and now he is back to reprise his role as the bartender. It was great to have him back and this time he got to have a little more fun with us.

Steven McCart, international man of mystery.

He worked with David and Gerald mainly; the three of them had a good dynamic. With so many different part to this scene it was nice to be able to break into smaller groups and work with different combinations of actors. We had some fun with these three guys.

Phillip and Heather set up the next shot.

Gerald and David chat between shots.

Steven and Phillip talk through the scene.

Heather sets up her camera

Gerald and David between takes.

Erin assists in the set up of the shot.

Back with us again as well were both Brittany and Holly. They'd joined us last week and returned this week for another pivotal scene. Their parts were an aspect of the film that I worried about going into production but they have really made it work. And we began with most of the shots that they weren't in so they began the shoot on the sideline. But they didn't complain. They just brought a good energy when it was time for them to jump in.

Holly, Gerald, and Brittany enjoy some fake alcohol.

Gerald, Brittany, and Holly get ready for a dancing scene.

Amber, Holly, Gerald, Brittany, and Mandy pose for Heather's camera.

Gerald, Brittany, Ryan, and Holly kill some time between shots.

Again, a great job was done by Erin. She has been the glue that keeps everything together and the engine to keep thing moving. And this day, there was a lot to keep track of.

Erin looks over the shots for the day.

Erin organizes the the daily schedule.

The shoot included lots of fake shots, jokes, dancing, and even a fight. It was fast and furious and we had a lot of fun and were able to finish a few hours early. A great job and lots of thank yous to everyone.

Phillip and Heather look over the shot.

Gerald readies for the glare of Heather's camera.

He was not ready enough.

Heather and Phillip set up a dance scene.

Heather gets the low-angle shot as Phillip blocks the shot.

Heather gets the shot she needs.

The back of the bar we shot at.

Erin shows off her penmanship.

Phillip talks through the shot with Josh.

Charlie; dance light coordinator.

Heather gets Brittany and Gerald lined up in front of her camera.

A scene is choreographed with Gerald and Charlie.

Erin sets up a shot as Mandy and others look on.

Heather looks over the footage.

Mandy and Josh await direction.

Only one more shoot day to go and it's a wrap. More to come soon.

EXCLUSIVE: First look at "The Tao of Lamarr"

So we are nearing the end of production on "The Tao of Lamarr" and I wanted to give people a first look at some footage from the movie. I didn't want to give away any story elements, but this will give you an idea of the look of the film and a look at our lead actor, Gerald.

Just click on the link below and download it from the site. I hope you enjoy.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/8h1jvc

Day Three of Filming: News and Notes

Another day of filming is behind us. Things went very well. We only had two scenes for this day, as we had to be done early for schedule reasons. And we were able to continue our streak of completing our shoots either early or on time.

We began in the bitter cold of the morning at the apartment of German and Cullen. Cullen was there to get us what needed and keep the coffee coming. This shoot marked the beginning of photography for both Brittany and Holly. They came in and were able to bring a real fresh breath to the production. The shoot itself wasn't as smooth as it could have been. But that was not due to the actors, whom all did a great job with a scene that had a quick pace and multiple changes in tone. Ultimately though, the production was very successful. And as the opening scene of the movie, it should set a great pace for the whole story.

After that we headed to the campus of the University of Washington for a shoot in a bathroom. There Gerald was rejoined by Calvin. This was a makeup shoot for one we had missed out on the weekend before. Things went great. Gerald and Calvin worked fast and were able to really get into a scene that could be a little difficult. Ultimately the scene existed soley for the purpose of exposition, which is always difficult to not have feel boring. They had a great chemistry between the two of them and were able to make it fun while doing so.

This scene does mark the completion of filming for Calvin. He did a great job, and brought an energy to the movie which was much needed to balance out some of the other characters. We look forward to working with him again in the future.

Our next shoot is this coming weekend as we are set to wrap production. We have a lot of things going on this weekend so stay tuned and if you're interested in getting involved just let us know.

Day Two of Filming: News and Notes

So day 2 is in the can, though we had to cut it short for a bit. We had two scenes to shoot in one location, then one more at another. The scene at the second location we had to postpone til a later shoot date due to other engagements, though we should be able to fit it into another day already scheduled.

The two scenes that were scheduled for the first location were set in a community college classroom. We were not able to get an actual classroom for the scene but were able to make a meeting room in the downtown Seattle library look just like a classroom. A lot of the success there was due to Erin filling the room with the right props, and Heather utilizing the lighting of the room to give it a great feel.

We worked with a great group of extras; Madison, Jordan, Mia, Virginia, Marie, Samuel, Michael, and Marshall. We didn't have quite as many as we'd intentioned, but we did a great job making what extras we did have look like there was a full classroom. Most of the extras came from Seattle U, and they were very upbeat and cooperative. They really help make the whole shoot go smoothly.

We had four principles this day, and they did a great job of really getting into their characters. For Kate and Jessica, this was their only shoot day and they were really locked in and brought what they needed to their roles. For Calvin, this was his first shoot day and was meant to be his last, but he'll be back with us another day to make up for the scene that we lost out on shooting later in the day. The dynamic between the four of them was great and well-balanced. Each brought something different to the group and made the whole shoot go faster than we'd scheduled for.

Back with us again was Gerald, our lead and he did a great job. With the story on the whole in mind, he's done great hitting the tones that we've needed him to hit. As the character "Lamarr" is based on a real person that we know very well, its been very interesting to see him both really embody the real person and still be able to bring his own take on the character. I look forward to future shoots as we delve even further into the story and the character.

And a special thank you goes out to Erin who continued to take on her duties as producer but also had to step in as an actor when the actress who was set to play the teacher was a no-show. She really helped out again and did whatever needed to be done. That's it for now. We're back at it again next weekend, on Saturday and possibly Sunday. We look forward to the introduction of both Brittany and Holly with our scenes next week. Should be fun.

Here's a few more random pictures from the shoot to close out the post:

Day One of Filming; Notes and Photos

The first day of filming is behind us and it was a success. Not only did we complete every shot we had scheduled, we did so with an hour and a half to spare. Everyone did a great job.

We began in the morning at Ozzie's diner on Lower Queen Anne. There, we shot with Gerald, our lead, as well as Jason and Steven. It was our first day, but we were able to get into a good rhythm. Our cinematographer, Heather, worked fast to get the shots we needed while battling the difficult lighting. Her footage was looking beautiful. Done at the bar, Steven left us, though he will be back for some more another day.

Here are a few snapshots from the set:

After grabbing some lunch, we headed out to Kent. There we met up with our friend Michael for a shoot at a nice big country home. Gerald and Jason were met by Brett, and we had a great shoot there. The pacing of the story picked up as the actors really found their characters' voices. There was a lot af really great footage captured. Brett left us, saying good-bye, having completed his role in the movie. His hard work was greatly appreciated.

After that the boys got to work. We shot a bit of a series of shots of Gerald and Jason hard at work in the yard. This shoot had a nice, fun flow to it as the actors played around with the idea while we fleshed out the series as we went along. This location was different from the one scripted so we had to throw out some of the storyboards and adapt to the new setting. Everyone did great.

Just one snapshot of this shoot for you:

A special notes goes out to Erin, the producer, who was there doing whatever needed to be done in order to get the day's shots in the can. And she even started a Western Ranches Productions Twitter account. Follow the production, @Western_Ranches, and get up to the moment updates directly from the set as we film. This includes news, notes, and exclusive photos.

That's it for now. Our next day of filming is Saturday, Feb. 18th. Check back in for updates and news 'til then.