The Reality of Filmmaking: If you think filmmaking is easy, try making one with a full staff and professional actors shooting on locations. There are a million things that you have to get right to give you the shot you want. This means a million things can go wrong. Some of the stories are pretty funny, although the team didn't think so at the time. This is the stuff that makes reality filmmaking so much fun. Here are some vignettes related to the the realities of producing and the physical work required in a production.

Reality Producing

On the Phone

As we mentioned, Dan is always on the phone try to swing the big deal. It's what makes producing cool.

Getting His Hands Dirty

Dan and Scott had to figure out how to bleach a tent to make it look old for the shoot.We soaked it in bleach overnight and then pumped about 7 quarters into a laundromat dryer before it was done. Then they spray painted it, rubbed dirt on it, and put holes in it. The result was impressive.

Carpet Bugs Takeover Shoot
(note from Dan Engelhardt posted on 4/06/04 on CreateSF)
On Sunday Brad and I purchased costumes from the Salvation Army. On Monday night our actors tried on the clothes only to find that they were infested with Carpet Bugs. In hopes of killing the bugs Brad took the clothes to a laundry matt.

At 10:00 PM I was woken by the sounds of Brad entering our hotel room with a cart filled with Panavision boxes. Subtly he brings up the bugs. "Dan, there were bugs in the clothes, but they should be dead now." Shocked at this statement I ran to the bag of clothes. After looking them over I realized that not only was Brad telling the truth but the bugs were still alive. Accordingly Brad and I were up till 3AM washing the clothes and killing the bugs. Two hours later we woke up to shoot on Venice Beach. The shoot went well but we are extremely tired after fighting the Carpet Bugs all night.

Murphy's Law never ceases to exist.

Hands On Producing

Good producing on a small budget also means clearing the way for the production. It's the little things that count.

Hard Labor

Please Donate Power to Our Production

There was no power in the creek bed so dan had to go around the neighborhood begging neighbors to let us use their power. Oddly enough, people were very willing to let us walk onto their property and drain their power.

Problems Entering the Creek Bed

Entering the creek bed was a challenge.

Stuck - ARGH!

Brad's car got stuck because it didn't have enough clearance. As you can see, his transmission was grinding up against the dirt. We needed to solve this problem.

Where Are You Producer?

"Dan, we need your help! NOW."

The Crew's Partner

So to find a solution, we went to the mecca of do it yourself construction. We went to home depot at least once a day when filming, often twice. So much time and money was spent there, we want Home Depot to come on as a sponsor for the VoiceLA Forum. They are the perfect fit for independent filmmaking. We wonder what they think, though.

Make Sure They Don't Fly Off

Mouse had to make sure that everything was secure.

"Neighbors: We're Getting the Production Underway"

Dan then showed up and started telling the neighbors we were filming. Most of them had no problem we were in the creek bed.

Packing the Equipment

The equipment was heavy and extensive. Dan hired Jose to help us load and unload the truck. He was a really good lifter.

Careful With Those Expensive Tools

And an incredible stacker.

Celebrating After a Tough Day

The crew still had an incredible time working together with the director. Scott, Mouse and Brad Leong (left to right)

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