Washington Shoot Part One: Hillbilly God

Thursday evening we rented a stylish SUV, loaded up the old Chevy truck, and Artie-the-dog's private car, and we drove a cast and crew of eight (plus Artie-the-Dog) to the suburbs of Seattle where we shot for two full days on the forthcoming "Mountain of the Hillbilly God." The biggest challenges we faced this time around were lighting for nighttime. Carter recently purchased two professional grade lights, with stands and diffusion umbrellas, and they performed marvelously. The color temperature of the lights was much better than the halogens we used on the last project "Tale of Persephone."

Another challenge was choreographing a sexual assault. I wanted the actors to feel comfortable with what they were doing, so I consulted them heavily. I think they were willing to be more intense than I expected, and even still, there was something a bit tame about the final outcome. My own apprehensions about their safety played too heavily, I think, for. As we discussed the scene after scrubbing the footage, they volunteered to do some additional inserts that will amp up the violence. I'm grateful for their courage. The location up in Seattle was ideal for shooting this scene: private property where we would not disrupt neighbors, attract attention, and there was electricity nearby. Now I have to figure out where to shoot the inserts locally.

A final victory was the footage we got of the "Little Girl." Our young actor was very coachable and has great instincts for being in front of the camera. She had a great imagination, no fear of being watched, and was interested in knowing her motivations - bringing them to bear on a very convincing performance.