Barney
11-23-2009, 03:01 AM
Here's another behind the scenes story by Adrian on the movie "Throttle".
When my manager called and asked me if I would be interested in doing a low-budget independent film, the first thing I asked was if the script was any good. He didn't know because he hadn't read it. Mmmmmmh! So I said I would take a look at it and to my surprise I was taken in by the simplicity of the writing and the good character development. At least that was a start.
I was already scheduled to go to Daytona for the 24 hour Rolex race. The shooting dates for Throttle almost conflicted but luckily after a brief negotiation (and since I was only required for two days work), I set off for Denver. Arriving in Denver the night before I was to start shooting, I had the wardrobe mistress Mimi Kaupe and director James Seale come to my hotel room for a wardrobe fitting. Much unlike a large-budgeted movie where the wardrobe department can spend money for clothes, this was a smaller independent film that had a limited budget. In fact, I wore one of my own suits for the film.
After having a quick discussion with James about the next couple of days' work, I found that we seemed to be on the same page as to the way I should play Gavin Matheson. Lucky for me as sometimes that is not always the case. I had a couple of ideas that James liked and he let me in on the way that he planned to shoot the film. The film had already been shooting for about two weeks and this would be the last week of production. James was obviously tired and wanted to get to bed as he had an early call the following day.
So after James called it a night I ventured out to get myself a good meal because I was sure that I would need a lot of energy for the shoot. It was cold outside and Denver had just gotten a few inches of snow. I thought it would be nice to walk to the restaurant, even in the brisk night air. What I didn't realize was that it was quite a few blocks away and the only shoes I had were not quite the right type for the icy pavement. As I walked I thought to myself about how "smart" this plan of action had been, walking in the freezing cold on slippery pavement. Then I got lost. Walking up one street, down another and then finally getting directions for the restaurant, I arrived finding it relatively empty. Well that was a plus and a minus. It was supposed to have good food and it would mean I could read my script and have a nice quiet dinner. So, restocked and tired, I went back to the hotel to get some rest.
Bright and early the following morning, I was picked up and taken to the set. However, the driver must have been sleeping or something because he got lost going to the location. You would think that limo drivers would know where they were going or at least find out before they left. I should have guessed there was something wrong when, as I got into the car, he asked me if I knew where we were going. Arriving half an hour late at the location, I hurriedly went to set for a quick blocking of the first scene and then left to get ready. There were no trailers to speak of and the dressing room consisted of a partition in the production office. Most of the shooting for the entire film took place in the parking basement level of a building. The locations, like the script, were simple. To make almost an entire movie inside of a parking structure and make it interesting was going to be a challenge. What I like about working with independent films is that everyone is very eager to do a good job. Sometimes on larger productions, the crew and some staff have a little bit of an attitude. I guess that is because they have seen it all so many times before and perhaps their job has become just a paycheck for them.
The first days filming went well. The scenes were well choreographed and Grayson MCouch seemed very eager to work hard on the scenes we had together. The morning seemed to drag a little, probably since we were confined inside the parking garage, but after "lunch" (at 3pm), I knew I was going to have a little fun. That evening I not only had an interesting scene, but I was also going to get to drive a Viper. I told James that of course I had to test drive it before we rolled camera and so I got into the car and went through the maneuvers to get the car in place for the shot that James had in mind. But I like to drive fast and the Viper had a little kick to it, so I did the test run again but this time a lot faster. I wish I had had a camera to take a picture of James' face as I stopped the car and he fell on his knees, saying, "You just gave me a heart attack." I just smiled. Once we had completed that scene, it was off to do another. Time seemed to fly by and at around 12:30am, it was time to wrap. We had shot for about 15 hours.
Tired and wanting to get back to the hotel for a quick bite before going to bed, I hopped into the limo. The driver casually drove back into Denver not doing more than 53 mph on an empty freeway. As cars sped past us, I wondered whether all Denver limo drivers were required to have irritability training or whether it was the luck of the draw.
The next morning we were shooting in a bar close to the hotel. The crew was in a much livelier mood since this was the first day that they had come up for air, so to speak. The shoot started well and drifted into the night. It was around "lunch" call (10:30pm) that I realized that I needed to go and find something to eat that was not going to be pizza or fastfood. Being a smaller production, they were not able to serve a selection of food so I decided I would go to a local restaurant, if I could get there before they closed. It was already 10:30pm, so I asked the first assistant director if I would be needed for the next shot. He said not this one, but the next. I asked when "lunch" was going to be called and he said in about 20 minutes. He said that since they were lighting they might just finish the first shot before lunch was called. So I told him I was going for something to eat. As I was leaving the location, I told another production assistant that I was going to get something to eat and if they needed me, which was highly unlikely, I would be nearby. I found that most restaurants had already closed, except for one that was at the end of the street. It was not a great place but I was sure I could find something to eat that late at night. I had just sat down to order when the production assistant rushed in, her headset squawking away, to tell me that they needed me on set NOW! I asked her if they had broken for lunch since it was already 15 minutes after the scheduled break and she said no, not yet and that they needed me now. Ok, fine. I walked back to set and had just entered when one of the production staff came to me and in front of other people asked me why I had just taken off. Didn't I know better than to leave set without telling someone?, she said. My blood boiled at being spoken to like that, especially in front of other people. However, instead of the raging response that I felt like giving, I quietly told her that I did tell someone, the assistant director. I was still pretty angry, but I decided to sit on a chair and just wait to see if I was needed. About a minute later, lunch was called. Mmmmh, they definitely needed me.
The other restaurant that I had just been to was now closed and the only choice left was to eat at the restaurant next door, which the production had set up. The place was good and I could have gotten a fairly healthy meal there, but that wasn't the point. I had needed to eat earlier when my blood sugar was getting low. I realized that I was still a little upset and so I figured that the best way to get rid of it was to confront it. I saw the lady in question and beckoned her over to me. I told her that I was unhappy with the way she had talked to me in front of people and that I was not a novice in the industry. I said I was not usually difficult and if I had wanted to be pedantic about the situation I would have made a fuss earlier about the fact that I had to share my trailer instead of having my own which was stipulated in my contract. At this point, James saw me in a quiet but direct discussion and came to ask if there was a problem. I told him there was no problem. Again he asked and again, I replied the same. I didn't want to bring attention to it because I felt the girl was doing it out of fear of not being able to do her job rather than just being a ..... well, you know! Once James had left I told her I felt that she had been rude to talk to me that way, especially in front of other people. She said that she had been "just joking" and I said, "It wasn't funny." She apologized and I said that the matter was ended and I had said my piece. I was actually fairly proud of the way I had handled the situation by not making a fuss but rather saying my point to the person who needed to hear it and not be vindictive but just politely straightforward. I wished I could handle myself like that more often. After the shoot we all went for a drink at the local bar to wind down after another long day. I think the crew needed it more that I did. Again, the girl apologized for the problem and I said it had already left my mind. Except, come to think of it, if it had I wouldn't be writing about it to you, would I?
Regarding the job, I was happy with the way James worked and it was a fun job to be a part of. The next morning I got up rather late, had lunch (at a regular time) and left for my next port of call, the 24-Hour Rolex race in Daytona, Florida.
When my manager called and asked me if I would be interested in doing a low-budget independent film, the first thing I asked was if the script was any good. He didn't know because he hadn't read it. Mmmmmmh! So I said I would take a look at it and to my surprise I was taken in by the simplicity of the writing and the good character development. At least that was a start.
I was already scheduled to go to Daytona for the 24 hour Rolex race. The shooting dates for Throttle almost conflicted but luckily after a brief negotiation (and since I was only required for two days work), I set off for Denver. Arriving in Denver the night before I was to start shooting, I had the wardrobe mistress Mimi Kaupe and director James Seale come to my hotel room for a wardrobe fitting. Much unlike a large-budgeted movie where the wardrobe department can spend money for clothes, this was a smaller independent film that had a limited budget. In fact, I wore one of my own suits for the film.
After having a quick discussion with James about the next couple of days' work, I found that we seemed to be on the same page as to the way I should play Gavin Matheson. Lucky for me as sometimes that is not always the case. I had a couple of ideas that James liked and he let me in on the way that he planned to shoot the film. The film had already been shooting for about two weeks and this would be the last week of production. James was obviously tired and wanted to get to bed as he had an early call the following day.
So after James called it a night I ventured out to get myself a good meal because I was sure that I would need a lot of energy for the shoot. It was cold outside and Denver had just gotten a few inches of snow. I thought it would be nice to walk to the restaurant, even in the brisk night air. What I didn't realize was that it was quite a few blocks away and the only shoes I had were not quite the right type for the icy pavement. As I walked I thought to myself about how "smart" this plan of action had been, walking in the freezing cold on slippery pavement. Then I got lost. Walking up one street, down another and then finally getting directions for the restaurant, I arrived finding it relatively empty. Well that was a plus and a minus. It was supposed to have good food and it would mean I could read my script and have a nice quiet dinner. So, restocked and tired, I went back to the hotel to get some rest.
Bright and early the following morning, I was picked up and taken to the set. However, the driver must have been sleeping or something because he got lost going to the location. You would think that limo drivers would know where they were going or at least find out before they left. I should have guessed there was something wrong when, as I got into the car, he asked me if I knew where we were going. Arriving half an hour late at the location, I hurriedly went to set for a quick blocking of the first scene and then left to get ready. There were no trailers to speak of and the dressing room consisted of a partition in the production office. Most of the shooting for the entire film took place in the parking basement level of a building. The locations, like the script, were simple. To make almost an entire movie inside of a parking structure and make it interesting was going to be a challenge. What I like about working with independent films is that everyone is very eager to do a good job. Sometimes on larger productions, the crew and some staff have a little bit of an attitude. I guess that is because they have seen it all so many times before and perhaps their job has become just a paycheck for them.
The first days filming went well. The scenes were well choreographed and Grayson MCouch seemed very eager to work hard on the scenes we had together. The morning seemed to drag a little, probably since we were confined inside the parking garage, but after "lunch" (at 3pm), I knew I was going to have a little fun. That evening I not only had an interesting scene, but I was also going to get to drive a Viper. I told James that of course I had to test drive it before we rolled camera and so I got into the car and went through the maneuvers to get the car in place for the shot that James had in mind. But I like to drive fast and the Viper had a little kick to it, so I did the test run again but this time a lot faster. I wish I had had a camera to take a picture of James' face as I stopped the car and he fell on his knees, saying, "You just gave me a heart attack." I just smiled. Once we had completed that scene, it was off to do another. Time seemed to fly by and at around 12:30am, it was time to wrap. We had shot for about 15 hours.
Tired and wanting to get back to the hotel for a quick bite before going to bed, I hopped into the limo. The driver casually drove back into Denver not doing more than 53 mph on an empty freeway. As cars sped past us, I wondered whether all Denver limo drivers were required to have irritability training or whether it was the luck of the draw.
The next morning we were shooting in a bar close to the hotel. The crew was in a much livelier mood since this was the first day that they had come up for air, so to speak. The shoot started well and drifted into the night. It was around "lunch" call (10:30pm) that I realized that I needed to go and find something to eat that was not going to be pizza or fastfood. Being a smaller production, they were not able to serve a selection of food so I decided I would go to a local restaurant, if I could get there before they closed. It was already 10:30pm, so I asked the first assistant director if I would be needed for the next shot. He said not this one, but the next. I asked when "lunch" was going to be called and he said in about 20 minutes. He said that since they were lighting they might just finish the first shot before lunch was called. So I told him I was going for something to eat. As I was leaving the location, I told another production assistant that I was going to get something to eat and if they needed me, which was highly unlikely, I would be nearby. I found that most restaurants had already closed, except for one that was at the end of the street. It was not a great place but I was sure I could find something to eat that late at night. I had just sat down to order when the production assistant rushed in, her headset squawking away, to tell me that they needed me on set NOW! I asked her if they had broken for lunch since it was already 15 minutes after the scheduled break and she said no, not yet and that they needed me now. Ok, fine. I walked back to set and had just entered when one of the production staff came to me and in front of other people asked me why I had just taken off. Didn't I know better than to leave set without telling someone?, she said. My blood boiled at being spoken to like that, especially in front of other people. However, instead of the raging response that I felt like giving, I quietly told her that I did tell someone, the assistant director. I was still pretty angry, but I decided to sit on a chair and just wait to see if I was needed. About a minute later, lunch was called. Mmmmh, they definitely needed me.
The other restaurant that I had just been to was now closed and the only choice left was to eat at the restaurant next door, which the production had set up. The place was good and I could have gotten a fairly healthy meal there, but that wasn't the point. I had needed to eat earlier when my blood sugar was getting low. I realized that I was still a little upset and so I figured that the best way to get rid of it was to confront it. I saw the lady in question and beckoned her over to me. I told her that I was unhappy with the way she had talked to me in front of people and that I was not a novice in the industry. I said I was not usually difficult and if I had wanted to be pedantic about the situation I would have made a fuss earlier about the fact that I had to share my trailer instead of having my own which was stipulated in my contract. At this point, James saw me in a quiet but direct discussion and came to ask if there was a problem. I told him there was no problem. Again he asked and again, I replied the same. I didn't want to bring attention to it because I felt the girl was doing it out of fear of not being able to do her job rather than just being a ..... well, you know! Once James had left I told her I felt that she had been rude to talk to me that way, especially in front of other people. She said that she had been "just joking" and I said, "It wasn't funny." She apologized and I said that the matter was ended and I had said my piece. I was actually fairly proud of the way I had handled the situation by not making a fuss but rather saying my point to the person who needed to hear it and not be vindictive but just politely straightforward. I wished I could handle myself like that more often. After the shoot we all went for a drink at the local bar to wind down after another long day. I think the crew needed it more that I did. Again, the girl apologized for the problem and I said it had already left my mind. Except, come to think of it, if it had I wouldn't be writing about it to you, would I?
Regarding the job, I was happy with the way James worked and it was a fun job to be a part of. The next morning I got up rather late, had lunch (at a regular time) and left for my next port of call, the 24-Hour Rolex race in Daytona, Florida.