Stormborn: Days 14, 15, and 16

Greetings, one and all! It is a bittersweet thing to say, but, as of Tuesday, principal photography has wrapped. As we move into the next phase of production, we will miss everyone we've worked with over the course of the summer.

So, recap. Early Friday morning we shot in an alley downtown, racing to get the shots we needed before the city woke up. We made it out just in time. This was followed by a series of pickup shots and a revised scene, which were all completed by 2 in the afternoon. All in all, a very good day.

Sunday afternoon, we broke from our usual routine and shot our last scene with our lead, Joanna, where she encounters some refugees. Special thanks to the families of our team members, for helping out with that scene.

Tuesday we captured our final scene, along with reverse angles for our villain when he speaks through a hologram or screen.

So, the rush is now over, but the work is far from done.I must now write the new prologue, so that it can be edited, and sent off to our actors. Then comes a new round of costuming, and another shoot or two, all before the end of September. Let the fun begin...

Well, that's about all for this week. Until next time!

Stormborn: Days 12 and 13

Greetings, one and all! This week was an interesting mix. Thursday, we started off with training one of our new actors for his scenes.

Friday, we rushed one of our larger groups of stunties and extras off to an all day forest shoot, including a battle scene.

Sunday saw a short costuming session for our coming shoots, running in parallel with yet another revision of the choreography for our Friday shoot, followed by the team cutting loose in the largest skirmish since the tournament two years ago.

Monday was... interesting. We shot three scenes in a local park, and our actors did very well. However, an ever growing collection of what can only be described as drunk-and-disorderlies seemed intent on ruining our takes.

We may be able to edit around it, or an extensive ADR session may be required. Only time will tell. Thinking about it, given how long we've been doing this, I'm thankful that this is the first time bystanders have actively caused trouble. Up until now, they have either been oblivious, or actually quite respectful, sharing the public spaces with us.

 

At the time of writing, we have two official shoot days left with our lead. Add onto that a couple scenes with supporting characters, and a day or two for the prologue shoot. But most of that can wait. Right now, we're focusing on those last two days with our lead, which promise to be quite the sprint, with one shoot very early Friday, and two more Sunday afternoon.

We'll see you on the other side...

Stormborn: Days 10 and 11

Greetings, one and all! After that brief preparatory pause, we leapt back into action with an extras-intensive shoot, a sci-fi club scene.

 

Despite some having never been on set before, everyone was great. The mood stayed light, and we actually managed to finish slightly ahead of schedule.

Come Sunday, there was nothing that needed to be prepared for, so we began the choreography 101 class for our newest members.

Tuesday saw audio recording and a brief scene shoot for a persistent voice in the season. (Quite literally, actually. You will be hearing them far more than you will be seeing them.) 

Today, we will be scouting the locations for two of our final shoots, and getting vital data off of another location. All in all, a busy week.

Well, that's about all for this week. Until next time!

Setup for Set Up

Greetings, one and all! Our lead left on vacation this last week, so the crew turned its attention to preparing for the final block of shooting. Many of the last few scenes are quite extras-intensive, which means it can take a while to find these people, and sync up schedules. Thus far, we have locked extras for about half the remaining shoots.

Sunday, the team met and helped prepare the shop to receive the new set, organizing and containing the mess, getting the space clear and ready for us to dress for the shoot this Saturday.

 

We also worked on costuming an officer for another scene...

After all their hard work, we let them cut loose with a few whirlwind melees.

Monday and Tuesday, we finished the costume for a supporting character, as well as the armor for one of the main toughs in his retinue. We also finished the weapons for our mercenary and a handful of militia. In the mix we also worked on some of the personal tech for these characters.

Well, that's about all for this week. Until next time!

Stormborn: Day 9

Greetings, one and all! This last week capped off with the big confrontation shoot. We spent a lot of time cramming ten to eleven people in narrow spaces, and passing gear along like a fire brigade. Oh yes, and then there were the stairs. We can't forget those stairs...

The shoot was intense, and not without complications. Turns out, the scene was not only wearing on our cast and crew, but also the props and costumes. Thus, we will be spending the next few days restoring and repairing the things we will need for our remaining shoot days. However, despite the complications, we managed to finish the complex shoot, and wrap that location.
At the time of writing, we have thirteen more scenes to shoot, and two to three roles to fill. All I can say is, this project is certainly taking the concept of a "rolling production schedule" to a new level.

 

Well, that's about all for this week. Until next time!