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Hey man, where are we going to shoot
this thing? |
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D.C.
in the mouth of one of many caves we explored |
Down
in a hole |
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Most fan made flicks take place predominately
in forested environments and why is that? Well, that’s because most of us
live near that type of area. It’s convenient, most of the time there are no
man made structures about and it’s isolated unless that is your shooting in
some type of park. It’s pretty simple basically; with out a fat budget you
are pretty much stuck shooting near where you live. All is not lost however.
With a bit of will power and thought one can often discover the unique
amongst ordinary surroundings. It was a cold March morning (2 am) in
2007 when a partner of mine climbed into my Bronco as we headed for the
hills. Our destination- Modoc, roughly a six hour drive from the
Pulling up to the Ranger station (8
am) we were greeted by closed doors. So instead of just sitting in the truck
waiting for something to happen we decided to explore a bit on our own. Lava National
Monument boasts more
than 600+ caves. Most of these caves were formed between 11 and 40,000 years
ago by lava flows from |
Interior
cave ceiling
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After D.C. and I explored a hand full
of caves in close proximity to the visitor’s center we headed back to meet up
with the park ranger I had previous spoken to a week before about filming in
the park’s lava tubes. The meeting was going pretty good until he asked what
kind of film we were making. Once he heard the words “Star Wars”, he and his
two fellow female park rangers began to chuckle. I knew then, especially when
he said, “Hey- we got a Spielberg here,” that we wouldn’t be shooting in the
park. I don’t blame them. What would you do if you saw two grown men around
their forties telling you they’re making a non profit Star Wars flick? I
guess I’d laugh to, as I often do. Amused, he requested to see the costumes
our actors would be wearing and I politely showed them. After that happen,
well you know, crap runs downhill. He informed me that our costumes were
pretty scary and they may frighten some visitors off Unbeknownst to a great many, there are
caves not located in the park. Their numbers are few and they are spread
about but they are there ready to be had none the less. Overall however in my
opinion most of the best caves to explore are located within park boundaries.
After the debacle at the visitors center D.C. and I spent the rest day
checking out a few more of the park's caves then searched outside its reach
in pursuit of that special locale. The ranger I suspect was feeling a little
sorry for us, (you got to put on that sad face |
Hell,
the costumes I did get to show him was of our Sith guards, I hadn’t even
gotten to the creature costumes. That might have been a good thing thinking
back on it. Although filming in the park was most likely out of the question
he did however gratefully offer an alternative.
agreed
to show us a few of the caves he knew about on an old forest service map I
had brought along. That was very cool of him. He even offered to guide us to
a few if we had trouble finding them the following day. Overall the ranger
did the best he could to accommodate us and I thanked him for that. I can
understand his concerns for the park, the environment, and its visitors.|
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That night D.C. and I stayed at very
old and outdated motel. The closest to the park, some 20 odd mile away and
had an our first meal of the day that night at an eatery many, many miles
from the motel;-) which brings me back to where I had started. In a mere two
months we would be back to film on the Memorial holiday (4 day) weekend with
truck loads of equipment and roughly 20+ personnel, cast and crew alike. Man do you know how expensive that
was! |
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Here’s a few of my trips on scouting
outdoor locals. Homework Do most of your work at home. With the
net these days along with quality maps of your prospect area you can save a
bunch of time and cash as well. I study a lot of aerial pics when looking for
an area that I would like to shoot at. You can even discover areas near where
you live that you may not have realized that were there just hidden off the
beaten path. Also consider the time of day as well. Lighting can play a mayor
role in how an area looks. At midday much of everything becomes hash with
strong overhead light. But in the early morning or late afternoon deep
shadows begin to appear which will enhance its look and sometimes even mask
unwanted elements. Perspective can also play a major
role. The two pics below were taken just minutes apart. The first photo was
taken atop the lava flow and the second from below with one of our camera men
standing in for scale. In the first pic the grade of the lava flow appears to
be sloping gradually. However in the second the slope appears very steep and
the man appears rather small in comparison to his surrounding. Take these
factors into account while scouting and they will pay you dividends in the
end, guaranteed. |
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Old
lava flow |
Eric
Genis |
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Mix It Up If the bulk of your story calls for
outside locations try and mix it up a bit. In our story the character take a
journey of sorts. So in turn we filmed at several locals and each time the
elevation was increased. The journey begins close to sea level and gradually
climbs to well over 7,000 feet. This diversity will help keep things from
becoming static and always looking the same. This approach can be scaled down
as well. Let’s say you live somewhere that’s pretty flat and uneventful but
there’s an old rock quarry that happens to be near by or creek, river banks,
and even old mines. Go take a look see you just may discover your next
shooting locale. But please keep in
mind SAFETY is paramount. |
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Distant
volcano & lava flow |
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Take A Drive Once you have narrowed your search its
time to take a drive. I am a firm believer in visiting each locale well before
packing up cast and crew alike and hitting the road blindly. Even if I have
been there in the past, things do change, so never rely on info unless you
have seen it with your own eyes. Take my word for it. Start your day early
and well before sunrise. You’ll want to see the area in its entirety and by
that I mean you need to see what it looks like throughout the day, dawn,
noon, and dusk. So if you have several areas within a certain geographical
area that you want to recon by all means plan your day well in advance. And
if need be bring a sleeping bag and make a weekend out of it. On a final note
always take your camera along with you. The one you normally shoot with and a
still camera to boot. Take plenty of pics and burn some tape as well. Usually
I like to kill two birds with a single stone by capturing vista, landscape,
and background shots during the scouting trips. If you don’t use them in post
just edit them and sell as stock footage, it can help you pay for the gas.
Good luck and good hunting. |
Comments by
Rick Johnson
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