December, 2016 - Fun working on an NYU student film
For two days in early December I worked on "Neptune Hill," an NYU sci-fi short film directed by the fantastic Peter Carellini. The gist of the film is that the world is a post-apocalyptic, barren wasteland in which a survivor, a young woman, is traveling in search of safe haven. She is stalked and eventually attacked by a crazed, homicidal victim of some kind of rage virus. That crazed attacker would be me, replete with a long coat and a steampunk mask.
The film shot for a few days at various outdoor locations in southern Dutchess County, such as Bowdoin Park along the Hudson River, along some railroad tracks, and in a field near the Wassaic rail station. The locations were meant to evoke a deserted, uncivilized wilderness through which the main character has to traverse on her way to safety.
The film culminates with a hand-to-hand battle between the lady and the crazy guy (me). We had a NYC stunt coordinator on hand to help us work out the fight. We also did some chase scenes and some scenes of me stalking around getting ready to pounce. The fight was by far the best, and I was surprised at how good it came out on film. I guess if you just make sure to twist your head quickly, a punch always looks real. I also got kicked in the chest. Great stuff.
The whole thing was fun. My scene partner was a sweet, charming Argentine named Carmen, and the crew included all these nice young film students from the city up for the day doing what they love to do best: makin' movies.
The only drawback was it was freaking cold. That is a film set cliche, of course, but really, it was cold. The wind whipped down on us while we were rolling around this weedy field. In between takes I crawled into one of the vehicles to get warm and eat. But at least I got to wear layers. I had on a big coat under which I could pile on all the clothes I wanted and I still shivered. Poor Carmen was supposed to do her scenes wearing only a couple of layers of sweat clothes. She was freezing. And the crew had to keep working hard on the set up and shooting even as I got breaks to go recover in one of the vehicles.
Yet it occurred to me that even with enduring difficult temperatures I was having fun. Being on a film set is an adventure that takes me out of the routine of my everyday life, and it is always a great time. The hardships of the cold actually make the experience better because it is something the cast and crew all endured together, like comrades, in the pursuit of a common goal, a goal about which we all feel passion and joy. Yes, film making is a passionate, joyful experience. The cold gave us something to push against, to overcome, in our pursuit of passion and joy. And I took pleasure in the company of much of the group so much more precisely because we were enduring as a community.
I'd love to spend my whole life on film sets if there is a joyful community there every time.
Below is a shot of us rehearsing the fight scene. Notice how bundled up the crew is?
