The Screenplay...

The Screenplay... is done!

Ah, I see you all making puzzled faces. Well, although I wrote most of the script two years ago, there were scenes at the end that just didn't get done... for several scenes the very patient actors had to work off my handwritten first drafts. They deserve much praise for persevering against such a barrier!

But today, at long last, I corrected the final typo in the complete typed draft. It is officially done. And just in time, as we shoot the ending scene in a week and a half!

Day 30 - August 7th, 2010

Sister Geraldine's first day on set! Unfortunately the photography camera battery got left at home so we have no pictures, but the footage was good!

We drove across some beautiful Minnesota countryside to the little town of St. Bonefacius where our very awesome and dedicated fan Maria J. had secured our location which was to be Sister Geraldine's office. Then we filmed for four hours, getting down one of the longest exposition scenes in the script. We got some great stuff, and it was nice to have a small cast and crew as it meant we moved quickly. No crazy problems, and it was warm, but we did have air conditioning. The office was small, but we were able to get the shots we needed without much difficulty. I'm pretty pleased with it all! And I'm finding I like being the camera person...

Day 29 - August 4th, 2010

I was sick and unable to direct Wednesday's shoot, but Josh and the rest of the crew stepped up to the plate and were able to carry on without me. (kudos galore to them!)

This was the day we had our Father Raymond on set... and actually Mr. Freet's second day of filming, believe it or not. :)

Your LAST chance to be an extra in the film!

Northwestern College, St. Paul, MN. August 20th and 21st.

It's here. The very last shoot we need extras for. Are YOU up for it?

We're shooting the final scenes in St. Catherine's School, so we need anyone who looks between the ages of 14 and 19 - but especially guys!

If you are interested, please e-mail me at theshadowofthebear [at] ymail [dot] com

Remember, this is the last shoot with extras!

Day 28 - July 30th, 2010

This was a very satisfactory day, since we managed to get more shot than what was originally on the schedule. This means that we were able to completely finish the work on this set, and wont' need to reassemble the room in August! Hurrah!

This was also Mrs. Brier's last day of filming... give her a round of applause!

Down here you can see me getting the last shot of the day - in a very tight corner!
Josh and Isaac getting the white balance - to make sure the colors appear correctly, we always have to adjust it based on the lighting set-up. This is done by focusing the camera on something pure white. Pretty nice to have machines that do it automatically for you...
Learning the last lines of the day
Blanche crying about not being able to go to prom.
Setting up the shot. (Shooting with three people is so much more complicated than shotting with two. *sigh*)
Now what's the best angle here...?
Rose gets her hair done for prom! (This was a tricky shot, because the hairdo we had created for the prom sequence could not be replicated with Rose's wig. For the Rob's party part we could have Rose take her hair down, since many girls do at after parties. However, that wouldn't work for this scene! If you know of someone who could do a color touch up in after effects, along with some other small bits, please let me know! We're looking for a special effects wizard!)

Day 26 - July 28th 2010

God works in amazing ways. I spent a lot of time wondering why this movie had to take so much time to complete... but we could never have shot everything that had to happen at Rob's party a year ago. Yet on Wednesday night we found ourselves talking about the necessity of the scene and just growing in a lot of ways. I cannot tell you all what a kind and gracious young Christian man David (who plays Rob) is. If you ever have the chance to meet him, you will never believe that we actually cast him as Rob!

Also, many, many thanks to all of our wonderful actors! Everyone was so cheerful and pleasant and eager to do whatever was needed to ensure successful shooting - even if it meant holding a difuser over a hot lamp for take, after take... after take.

Although we had some stress with a slow start and a wasp sting, not to mention the sheer logistics of coordinating extras for every shot, this was a very successful film shoot, and I left with a tremendous feeling of peace.

Many thanks to our friend Christina B. for taking these lovely pictures!

Below you can see our Suzanne...

Suzanne and Rose

Josh shedding some illumination. (This guy is amazing and has been so much help on the project! He deserves a ton of thanks from everyone! I am so glad to claim him as a mutually adopted brother and co-director/producer on this project!)

Rob being cool...

Yeah, about the angles one must sometimes hold a lamp to properly light a scene... I kid you not. I really had to hold the light on my head to make it work.

Rose is just too adorable. I think curly hair looks absolutely fantastic on her!

Yes, it looks like day, but through the magic of film, it will actually be night...

Watching the performances
Setting the scene in Rob's basement
Difusing a too bright light.
Rose and Rob

Interview!

The Katies did an interview with me for their Fairy Tale Novels Week. There's some interesting facts that you might enjoy learning about myself and the film. Check it out here!