JANUARY 15 2006
Day 10
Desoto, MO

More explosions today, this time with extras.  We shot some more foxhole scenes, and did a bunch of explosions, some mighty big and impressive ones.

This was one of those rare days where almost everything goes right, and we finished up pretty close to on time.


JANUARY 21 2006
Day 11
Desoto, MO

This is our first day using a jib. (for those who may not know, a jib is kind of like a little crane for a camera. You get really nice shots with a jib. They are called jib shots.)

This is also -wonder of wonders- our first vehicle day! Jeep Guy came through! as a matter of fact, since Butch knows Jeep Guy, Butch gets to keep the jeep at his house!

We’re shooting the Beginning and End scenes for the movie today, End scene first.

Other than getting the jeep, everything else takes a sharp nosedive from the start.

For our scenes, we need an “Infantry rear area, with extras.”

First, we have very little that looks like it belongs in an infantry rear area. We need “mounds of supplies.”

What we have is one barrel, a bunch of tarp-covered cardboard boxes, and around six wooden ammo crates.

For good measure, we throw a tarp over the Pinzgauer and park it in the background. (Sure, it’s a military vehicle from the 1970’s… tarps fix everything)

Butch, the grips, and the production designer break out a compressor and paint everything they can see olive green. There is now a nice paint smell in the air.

Secondly, most of our extras have flaked out, so we have to improvise. Our End scene calls for a number of extras. We have one. ONE!

We fill out the ranks with two grips (one of which is female) the property owner, and a neighbor… and the last two look more like bakers than soldiers. Maybe they’re replacing some slain cooks, perhaps?

Thirdly, all of the above took a lot of time to arrange, so by the time we’re finally done with the End scene and ready to start on the BEGINNING SCENE FOR THE MOVIE, we only have around two-and-a-half hours of light left.

We plunge on ahead, and manage to get a lot done before the light goes.

Nobody wanted to spend another sleepless night in the cabin, so we all headed home.


JANUARY 22 2006
Day 12
Desoto, MO

We get an early start, and knock out the remaining shots for the Beginning scene.

Then it’s on to re-shoot the stuff with german re-enactors that was fucked up from day 3 ( the 60i footage)

This was another ass-kicker of a day, with us racing against the sun to pull off a leg FX shot.

Somehow, we managed to keep on track and pull everything off, even though FX Guy was driving me crazy trying to interview me with a camcorder while we’re trying to get all of our shots in. Madness.


JANUARY 29 2006
Day 13
Desoto, MO

We had some more foxhole scenes today. This of course involved the bailing out of two filthy, stinking holes full of filthy, stinking water.

After we got that done, We had some re-shoots and inserts from day 2 that had to be done. This was clear on the other side of the property from where we were at.

“Let’s take a short cut!” I say.

Me, the 1st AD and the 2nd AD then spend roughly an hour tramping semi-lost through some of the roughest, nastiest, thorn-filled country imaginable.

We finally stagger onto the set and get to work. The re-shoot/inset stuff gets knocked out fairly quickly, and that puts a wrap on January shooting.

Unfortunately, The crew and I will have to spend New Year’s day finishing up our hilltop bunker set, because what I’ve been dreading, the month of February, is looming large before us.

Why dread February, you ask? Well that’s the month we’re doing all of the big vehicle days and also the BIG BATTLE… a company size assault on a german hilltop position, involving a shit-ton of extras, heavy weapons, explosions, blanks, FX….

I must be well and truly crazy to think I have a chance in hell of pulling this off.


FEBRUARY 4 2006
Day 14
St. Clair, MO

Here we are, in February. I’ve been watching this month approach like a big, black wall for a while now. This is the make-or-break month for the movie.

All of the difficult and expensive stuff happens now.

Today is the first MAJOR day with multiple period vehicles, tents, gear, and extras. It is also our first two-camera shoot of the production.

I had made some inroads with re-enactors before we started principal photography, but most of these guys were lukewarm and a little wary of us. Luckily for me, I met some interested people on our very first day of shooting.

SIDE NOTE : THE FIRST DAY OF PRODUCTION
Way back when, on December first, I made two important contacts, Tim Scherer of the 84th infantry (US), and Dave Schmitt of the 1st SS (German)

These two would prove to be invaluable to me as time went on, as they were my main source of American and German vehicles and Re-enactors.

They were also helpful, patient, and eager to give me advice on accuracy and technical issues. One is a  Major in the Army reserve , and the other is a retired Air Force Colonel. These guys knew what they were talking about.

There are a number of other people and groups that helped us out along the way, and for that I am very thankful, but these two guys were my initial solid source.
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Today we had Americans. Lots of vehicles, lots of re-enactors and extras, lots of stuff, lots of shit that will be hard to do over.

It doesn’t start off good.

When the 1st AD, Cinematographer, and I get to the set to go over our shots for the day, the 1st AD gets a call. One of the actors is really sick. He can’t make it.

ME : How sick is he?

AD : Really sick.

ME : What, like dead? Dead I’m alright with. Dead, well, that’s just terrible. We’ll send flowers. He’s not dead, is he?

AD : No, just throwing up.

ME : THEN TELL HIM TO GET HIS ASS  HERE!! WE CAN’T RE-DO THIS SHIT!!

AD : He’s been throwing up all night. It ain’t gonna happen.

As much as I curse, flail my arms around, and howl at the moon, it does me no good.

I still have no actor.

“We’ll shoot around him” I finally mutter and then get to work.

Despite the rocky start, and despite the EXTREME COLD, we get a lot accomplished today.

The 2nd camera is run by none other than Eric Stanze, a fellow director, and incidentally, the most successful filmmaker in St. Louis. In exchange for shooting on RHINELAND, I’m letting him grab as much B-roll footage as he can for a WW2 sequence in his movie, DEADWOOD PARK.

Lunch is served up army-style by my Mother-in-law, and it’s mighty good. The re-enactors were expecting Bologna sandwiches, not hot chili and vegetable soup. They were impressed.

Along with a period WW2 ambulance, we had the owner, a period WW2 medic, who came along to watch. I asked him if this looked anything like how it was, and he said “Well, it sure is cold enough, but nobody is yellin’ at me so I think I like this better.”

That night, the crew who stayed at the production house (9 people) and the actor who lives on the property we’re using went into town to eat at a chinese buffet.

Lucky China may not be the worst chinese I’ve ever had, but It’s pretty damn close. It is, however, warm, hot, cheap, and filling.

Back at the house we break out a DVD with my first three short movies, watch them and laugh, then turn in for the night. Since the air mattress is dead, I’m crashing on a sleeping bag with a rough bed of duffle bags stuffed with wardrobe for added comfort.

At least my back is feeling better.


FEBRUARY 5 2006
Day 15
St. Clair, MO

Day two of the vehicles. This is also our first day with some heavy armor, a US halftrack. The second camera really helps out here.

Somewhere along the line, the production designer has managed to procure an army tent for us. We also now have a shitload of boxes, barrels, and other assorted junk. This gets me to thinking about re-shooting our semi-tragic End scene. (Not tragic because of the story, tragic because of the lack of shit in the shot)

The army tent now doubles as a warming tent, with the added bonus of being able to use it in a shot. The other warming tent is made of white plastic and therefore is somewhat less than period-looking.

It takes quite a while to get all of the re-enactor tents set up, vehicles rehearsed, and blocking down. When we’re finally good and underway, I enter the warming tent and jokingly tell the actors to get off their lazy asses and get to work.

One actor indignantly says “Lazy? I’ve been here for FOUR HOURS, WAITING. You call that lazy?”  to which I reply. “I’ve been here for THREE DAYS, WORKING, so get outside!”

The rest of the day goes pretty smoothly, and I’m well and truly pleased. The main vehicle days are done!

FEBRUARY 12 2006
Day 16
St. Clair, MO

So originally, the plan for today was some insert shots with our missing actor from the week before, along with a scene involving a jeep with the camera mounted on it.

Everything changed around Thursday or so when I got us a tank.

I got the tank by talking to a guy who knew a guy who knew these twin brothers who owned a working Stuart light tank.  They agreed to bring it out.

Tanks are big.

Tanks are expensive looking.

Tanks are cool.

I wrote two quick scenes making use of the tank, and also put it into our jeep scene, driving in the background.

Everything was coming up roses.

Unfortunately, one of the actors was going to have to leave early.

The one driving the jeep.

Which means we have to do that scene first, which means we have to mount the camera on the jeep, and that takes time, precious time.

And time is money, and the tank ain’t free.

So doing what any independent director would do, I say “Damn the torpedoes, let’s kick everything into high gear!”

SIDE NOTE : THE JEEP MOUNT
The Production Designer built this thing a few years back after we spent a lot of money renting one for AMPHETAMINE. It works absolutely fantastically, but it’s a bitch to put on.
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Since we have a limited time to shoot this before our actor has to go, I know we’re only going to get one, maybe two takes out of him.

A jeep has a front windshield that can either be up or lay down flat on the hood. I want the windshield down, because I know the reflection of the trees and sky will obscure our actors. The Cinematographer (DP) wants it up, because it looks better.

The following conversation goes something like this :

ME : We better put that windshield down.

DP: I want it up; it looks much better up.

ME : Granted, but I’ve shot car-mount stuff before, the reflection is going to fuck up the shot.

ACTOR : I have to leave in 10 minutes!

ME : Put it down!

DP : As director of photography, I INSIST we keep the windshield up! The shot is wasted otherwise!

ME : YOU INSIST? OK, MOTHERFUCKER! DO IT YOUR WAY! WHEN THE SHOT’S FUCKED UP, WE’LL GO BACK AND DO IT AGAIN THE RIGHT WAY!

DP : FINE!

ME : FINE!

ACTOR : EIGHT MINUTES!

Off they drive (or attempt to drive; The actor can’t start the goddamn jeep, eventually we have to pop start it. Time ticks away)

They return. We scramble to look at the footage.

It’s fucked up.

A minor victory, however, as we have barely time enough for one more take.

Another pop start, and off they go!

This time the footage is good, and our actor hot-foots it out of there.

The rest of the day is spent shooting two add-on scenes with the Tank.

At some point before we shoot the second scene, Butch comes up to me and says “Man, I think the tank guy’s driver is pissed off or something.”

SIDE NOTE : ARMORED VEHICLES
You see, a tank (or any other armored vehicle) can’t just drive out to where we’re shooting. It has to be hauled out on a flatbed truck.

This generally requires a truck driver.

This particular truck driver is a complete asshole.
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I ride with Butch back to where the truck is parked and have to deal with the guy.

SIDE NOTE : DEALING WITH ASSHOLES
Now, on a big budget movie, the director is insulated from such unpleasantness by a legion of AD’s, producers, Production assistants, bodyguards, assassins, whatever.

Not so on a low budget deal.

Sure, you could (and should) let your AD and/or producer handle minor problems and headaches so as to allow you to concentrate on your job.

But when it comes to dealing with a full-on, kick the dog, in your face raging asshole, you’re probably the best person for the job. Just my opinion, of course.
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I hop out of the Pinzgauer, and this wiry little redneck asshole is suddenly right in my face.

He yells and curses at me, but I have to take it because I want that tank.

He threatens to leave, threatens to sue my ass (for what, I’m not sure)

But I must remain calm and sympathetic to his needs, because I’ll be goddamned if I’m letting this son of a bitch leave before I get my shot.

I do the only thing that I think will work.

I promise him more money.

This seems to calm him somewhat.

Then, of course, I lie and say we’re almost done. “Ten more minutes, tops!”

I know full well we have at least an hour to go, but fuck this guy. He’s getting paid;I’m not.

It’s getting dark when we wrap, and the driver is hopping mad, but I could care less. We got the shot.

The other interesting fact of the day is that we had an old cowboy (with one foot missing) named Texas Jack Hondo come by and talk with us for a while before we wrapped.

If we ever need horses, he’s our man.

I sure wish we needed horses.


FEBRUARY 18 2006
Day 17
St. Clair, MO

This is it. The big weekend. For weeks, the DP and I have planned everything out where we will have three cameras, shooting everything documentary style.

For two days, we will rehearse and shoot everything in real-time, long takes where we will go through the entire hill assault, getting different things each time.

We will then go through and separately shoot the FX and explosions, to seamlessly tie everything together.

With re-enactors, extras, and main actors, we will have nearly 100 people on the hill.

There are people coming from Texas, Tennessee, and Louisiana to be in this scene.

We have a mortar crew, a machine gun crew, and a field gun crew (along with their respective weapons)


I am feeling confident and optimistic that we can pull this mother off.


The temperature drops to 17 degrees and we have to cancel the whole thing.

I’m somewhat less than happy with this turn of events. Rescheduling everything and everyone will be a real bitch.

So as not to have the weekend be a complete loss, we drag out the main cast to shoot some inserts from the incomplete scene that we shot out here on December 18th.

It is as cold as a witch’s tit in a brass bra. It also starts to snow when we get out on set, so that fucks our continuity for the inserts.

Oh, well.

We shoot a bunch of B-roll stuff with the snow. It looks really nice, but since this has been our only usable day with any snow, I’m not even sure where it will go.

Maybe in the trailer?


FEBRUARY 19 2006
Travel day
Effingham, IL

Since we can’t shoot anything, Me, the 1st AD, Production Designer, and Cinematographer travel out to the location where we will be shooting during the first weekend in March.

It is Jeff Cornell’s property in Effingham, Illinois. Jeff is a member of the 1st SS re-enactor group. He has several hundred acres of land, as well as a number of period german weapons and vehicles (including a halftrack!)

We’re going to be shooting several crucial scenes out there that involve germans, and since no-one has been there before, this seems like a good opportunity to find the place.

It’s about a two-and-a-half hour drive from St. Louis.

Of course, we get lost and have to cut across central Illinois, wasting several hours and damn near running out of gas.

When we finally find the place, Jeff gives us the grand tour… and the ground is just perfect. So perfect, in fact, it makes me wish I could have shot the entire movie out here.

Sigh.

FEBRUARY 25 2006
Day 18
St. Clair, MO

Big Battle, day one. We have decided to now break this scene up into four days to make it slightly more manageable.  Today is a two-camera shoot.

We have less people this time because of schedule conflicts. We have a lot of Americans, but only a few Germans. We’ll have a lot of Germans in the second weekend of March (I hope) so we’re doing the other half of the battle then.

It has rained all week, so the entire trench/bunker complex must be bailed and pumped out prior to shooting.

This location is also a part-time pasture for cattle, and in the last week they have somehow gotten into the trench and Machine gun bunker and left massive piles of shit and ankle-breaking holes everywhere.

Lovely.

It rains up to the time that we need to start shooting by…. then stops. The sun comes out, birds sing. I weep with joy.

We shoot everything on the left side of the hill (the wooded side) Big explosions on the hill itself , and a number of smaller explosions simulating machine gun bullets.

One of the re-enactors helped train Iraqi security forces in the current war (he is a Sergeant in the army) So he lends an air of authenticity to all of our actor and extras’ movements.

The day comes off really, really well. I’m so happy I can hardly think straight!

I can only hope and pray that the rest of the battle scene goes as smoothly.

After the shoot, the crew heads back to Lucky China for another round of fine dining.

On the drive back to the production house, I start to hallucinate, I shit you not.

LSD fried rice? Who knows.

The 1st AD gets into it with one of the actors over the phone and has a mini-breakdown. After the cursing and tears subside, we head off to sleep.

Me and one of the grips are sleeping in the wardrobe room.

SIDE NOTE : THE PRODUCTION HOUSE
I guess it’s about time I describe this place. It’s a three-room (plus kitchen and bath) little unfurnished shack that only smells faintly of cat pee.

The production designer found some big rolls of carpeting early on, and these we lay down each weekend on top of the original, nasty carpet. The place does have running water and central heating, and also a refrigerator. Come to think of it, the PD found that, too.

This place can comfortably sleep four people. We normally have nine or so.

Butch has an exceedingly uncomfortable folding couch, everybody else has the floor and sleeping bags.
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So we settle in for the night and shut the door to drown out everyone else’s farting and mumbling. 

A couple of hours later, I wake up freezing cold. I stumble over to the thermostat and crank it up.

Nothing.

I’m already using one wool army blanket, so I pull out another one.

No help.

I pile on two more army blankets, and I’m STILL freezing my ass off. It’s like we’re sleeping outside, it’s so cold.

ME : Juan, you awake?

JUAN : Fuckin’ A, man. It’s fucking cold in here, man. Turn up the heat.

ME : The fucking thing’s broke. I wonder if everybody else is cold?

JUAN : We’re gonna die in here, man.

I open the door and warmth enters the room. What the hell?

As the icy cold from our room flows outward, it begins waking people up.

“Shut that goddamn door” somebody croaks out.

“Fuck you” we call back.

The rest of the night is spent in a semi-asleep state. I unwillingly watch the sun come up. Who needs sleep, anyway?