Some selected photos from the making of the movie, courtesy of Tim.

This is from Day 3 of the production, probably our easiest day. We were shooting an early scene of the film, where the character Dave gets picked up.

From Day 2. Filming the post-crash scene. Smoke effects were created by large smoke bombs (they looked like big firecrackers). For some of the shots, we may be adding some CGI fire effects.

Also from Day 2, near dusk. Filming one of the last scenes of the movie. Three of the characters, tired, lonely, holding cardboard. I wanted a high-angle shot, which is why the cameraman is standing on my crappy minivan.

Day 2. I would like you to know that despite the fact there was a director chair on set, I never sat in it, nor did I wear my monocle.

Perhaps to offset the convertible stress I was put through, my shoot of 08/01-08/03 was quite pleasant, weather-wise.

Originally the forecast was for the weekend to be in the 90’s, and at one point Saturday the 2nd was predicted to get up to 95 degrees. However, as we spent the majority of that day outside in the industrial location, we were accompanied by a light breeze and a temperature that never cracked the low 80’s. Sunday was a little bit hotter, but still quite tolerable.

The day after our shoot, as I was driving Tim to the train station on Monday morning, the sky was heaving rain upon us, which would have been a crappy thing to happen on any of the previous days (I wanted sunshine for my movie).

So, I’m just trying to say to the Weather Gods — thanks!

I needed a convertible for my movie. I knew I was going to need one as I was writing my script.

How would I get one? Would I put in an ad in the newspaper? Ask friends, or friends of friends, friends of friends of friends in search of one? Post a tearful request on this blog?

Well, it turns out that you can rent convertibles from your everyday car rental place. In my mind the character in my movie has a vintage convertible (like, say, a ’65 Mustang), but I would be able to easily rent the next best thing — a brand-new Mustang, which is essentially a homage/ripoff to the 1960’s model.

So, I made my rental car reservation waaaaay back in early May, requesting it for the duration of the shoot (08/01 – 08/03), through the Hertz office at 909 N. Michigan.

The Michigan Avenue office opens at 7:00am, and we were scheduled to begin shooting at 9:00am later that day. We were planning on doing some dialogue scenes in the car that first day, so it was important that I get the car as early as possible.

I get to the Michigan Avenue office at 7:05am, wait in line for about ten minutes, and then step up to claim my Mustang. However, my Mustang is not there. In fact, there are no available Mustang convertibles through Hertz in the Chicagoland area. None. Nada. Zilch.

They apologize for the inconvenience. I say, “It’s WORSE than an inconvenience.”

I tell them they better find me a car. They call up some places and tell me one of their competitors has a convertible at O’Hare airport. I give my credit card number to a person on the phone so they will hold it.

So, I now have to drive to O’Hare airport from downtown Chicago, at the height of rush hour. I do manage to get the car (it’s a Chrysler Sebring, not a Ford Mustang) and then have to drive it to the cast and crew’s rendezvous point in the morning, again through rush hour traffic. I had planned on getting there an hour before everyone else, but I ended up rolling in ten minutes late.

It was a very sucky beginning to my moviemaking adventure (don’t worry, it got a lot better).

I realize that my needs probably don’t mesh with the normal needs of someone renting a car. I was particular with the type of the car I wanted. Maybe I expected too much.

Still, fuck Hertz and their inability to service my request that I had conscientiously made months before. If people reading this have a choice between Hertz and Some Other Company, please choose Some Other Company.

It’s been three long, sweaty, stress-filled glorious days.

There was smoke, driving, fake blood, bare asses and car crashes.

I’ll write more about the last few days’ events in the near future, but right now I’m dog tired.

If anyone involved in the making of this movie is reading this, please accept a deep and profound thank you from my soul to yours.

I’m a little less stressed than I was. I still have a lot to do, etc., but I am not as worried about it.

So that’s something, I guess.

We’re going to be shooting pretty much the entire movie outside.

I would prefer the weather be in the high 70’s to low 80’s, but at least the forecast doesn’t currently predict rain.

Just thought I should be clear with you about what to expect out of me this week.

If you want to show your support, by all means have swearing posts with pictures of Z-Grade actors on your own sites.

Thanks and Tor Bless,

Splotchy

I’m making a movie in five days.

I think I’ll feel better when the actual filming begins, but right now the leadup is killing me.

I’m making a movie one week from today.

Vintage shirts: purchased
Portable Audio Mixer: rented
Mustache: Okay, I can’t grow a mustache. I tried, I honestly did.

If I would have thought of it earlier, I’d have taken a picture of my nasty ‘stache before I shaved it off. It would have made a pretty decent FAIL pic.