48 Hours in Purgatory

Mental Reset

There's this odd time, at least for me, between wrapping principle and pick-up's/editing, where I feel very restless.

For about twelve days it's constant motion and then it's just... calm.  All the people you saw every day for LONG hours are gone.  The questions are finished (for now).  It's calm.  And it takes some getting used to.  At least for me.

It was a truly mind-blowing experience and I can say with a lot of confidence that it was a perfect storm of amazingly talented, creative, and energetic people working toward one goal.  I have to admit, I sometimes found the incredble synergy distracting.

There's no one from the crew who could have gone missing without leaving a gaping hole.  I have to thank Mike Klassen, the AD, for running a tight ship (REAL TIGHT) and selecting an amazing crew.  This guy was so organized he made Melvil Dewey look like a hack.  Someday we'll do a film requiring a truckload of entrails, for sure.

In order to make it work, everyone on location had to have numerous talents.  Rigging lights one minute and dressing a set the next would distract most anyone.  But this crew was amazing.

In no particular order, a thanks and a comment:

Nick Matthews: Nick was the DP and put in a lot of work well before we opened shooting.  We saw that work pay off every day as we almost never fell behind.  Thanks for your tireless work, abundant creativity and patience.  Big things are coming your way.

Ian Brennen:  Ian and Nick tag-teamed cam-op duties.  Ian was also the steadicam operator and in that capacity especially, was amazing to see in action.  The way he and Nick choreographed scenes and watching Ian execute the moves was crazy.  Thanks for everything you brought to the table, which was a lot!

Diana Birsan:  Diana was a grip.  What a ridiculous title.  Her's was the almost always the first name called when something needed doing and she was right there and always had the tools or a way to get the job done.  Thanks for everything, Diana, including explaining to me what the heck was going on at times.

Christi Fedecky:  Christi was the production designer.  She managed everything from props to dusting up shiny actors and making sure Emily's hair was properly deoderized.  She always knew where every prop was and is very organized.  Thanks for EVERYTHING, Christi.  Your plywood and tubing hospital was amazing!  ;-)

Amanda Teixeira:  Amanda was the SFX/Make-Up Guru.  Somehow humble, in spite of her CRAZY-AWESOME skills, Amanda put in nutty hours prepping and it definitely paid off.  She designed a wound so incredible I couldn't stand to look at it... and I've seen three children born!  Thanks so much for contributing your amazing talent to this film.  There are undoubtedly huge things in store for you!

Chris Lawson:  Chris was the location audio supervisor and boom operator.  Mild-mannered and pleasant, this dude's Samurai-like boom moves were just awesome.  The patience it must take to not only get good audio, but to take crap from everyone for shadows the whole time... madness.  Thanks for everything, Chris.  It was a pleasure.

Mike Howie:  Mike is referred to as "the swing", but seriously if there was someone on set who was like Dr. Manhattan, this dude was it.  At any given moment he was logging footage, slating, running cables and correcting anyone who accidentally or intentionally revised history for a good story.  I only remember him admitting to being tired once and an energy drink quickly over-cured that, because he was almost sprinting around the place after he drank it.  Thanks a million-billion, Howie.

Mike Klassen:  I mentioned this cat earlier, but it must be understood:  Without this guy, this film doesn't happen.  I've known Mike for a while, first back when we incited mosh-pits and deafened the young and old alike with the sweet sounds of metal.  He's got everything it takes to be a force in the film world and I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to work with him again.  I'm not sure the feeling's mutual, but...

Next on the list is a day of pick's up and the second unit (which bears a striking resemblance to the first unit) road-tripping to NYC for a few odds and ends, not that we need an excuse to head to New York.

There are a load of other people who need thanking too.  None of you have been forgotten, I promise!

Thanks to everyone who's watching our progress.  It's all for you!

Jason Armstrong
May 27, 2009