Before we got started we knew that filming a movie in 13 Days would be difficult. We planned the first day of shooting to be an easy one, hoping not to scare off any cast or crew. Two actors in one location and an eight hour day.
The first location was in the Malibou Lakes area of Los Angeles. Tucked away in the mountains between the San Fernando Valley and Malibu, Malibou Lakes is a man-made housing community that feels isolated even though it's only three miles from the freeway, nestled in the second most populated city in the U.S. Motorcycle enthusiasts might recognize it as that little lake on the way to The Rock Store, a popular mountain café. The lake itself is so small, if you're on a the back of a crotch rocket and blink you just might miss it.
The first location was in the Malibou Lakes area of Los Angeles. Tucked away in the mountains between the San Fernando Valley and Malibu, Malibou Lakes is a man-made housing community that feels isolated even though it's only three miles from the freeway, nestled in the second most populated city in the U.S. Motorcycle enthusiasts might recognize it as that little lake on the way to The Rock Store, a popular mountain café. The lake itself is so small, if you're on a the back of a crotch rocket and blink you just might miss it.
The Unknown Productions van was packed full with a few thousand dollars worth of rented lighting equipment, and unloading was the first amongst many chores. The home (cabin) is being renovated and some rocks that make up the staircase are loose or missing, so that getting everything inside was an adventure.
In a studio, there would be a place for make-up, craft services (food), and equipment. In a house that's under construction, you have to make do with what you have.
Once inside, we arranged materials so the shoot would go as smooth as possible.
Again, because time is of the essence, we scheduled shooting so that we would be setting up before actors arrived. Then, once they showed up, they would be busy with make-up and costume as we were finishing up the final touches on lighting and set. After filming a few scenes, we'd break for lunch. After lunch, we'd shoot for a few more hours before wrapping for the day.
Normally, during the pre-production phase of a movie, the cast and crew will get together. Unfortunately, Peace & Riot does not follow all the rules of traditional film making. On Day one of shooting, our two main actors--Ben Savage and Anna Pheil, met for the first time. In a way, it was in our favor because the movie is about two strangers, Scott Kossman and Crystal Green, meeting for the first time.
As we are trying to arrange schedules as well as not film in horrible weather (too hot or too cold) there was not an opportunity to get some things done (like meeting the cast before we started shooting).
Once we started rolling film, the actors were on it. They hit their marks, they delivered their lines with believability, and I felt the movie coming together.
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