Hope Bridge - Day 10

Cast and crew now find themselves back in Lawrenceburg, KY for six consecutive days of shooting at the Spencer House. Most of the shots are interior, featuring the lead character Jackson, played by Booboo Stewart, along with his mom Robin(Sam Sorbo) and little sister Lillie (Sage Stewart .

It’s tight quarters to say the least. It’s a real house with a real family that we’re using to shoot a large portion of our film. The family actually had to move out to make room for our production. Can you imagine having fifty strangers running around your house for six days? It’s quite a scene.

The Director, Joshua Overbay, wanted realism for Hope Bridge. That’s why he decided not to shoot on a sound stage and opted for a real location. It does present challenges shooting in such a confined space. All the walls and hallways are real. You especially feel claustrophobic after 10 hours of shooting. You sorta feel like the walls are closing in.

With temperatures rising into the 90’s along with the humidity, both cast and crew certainly experienced a great deal of discomfort. There’s little to no air, and during takes all fans have to be turned off.

There’s also the issue of light to deal with. Light coming from the outside has to be blacked out in order to create a realistic and natural look. There’s also the difficulty of staying on schedule. Each week presents its own unique set of challenges. And this week is no different. We’re going to have to deal with the heat index reaching into the 100 hundreds.

If you’ve never been on a movie set, it’s quite a sight to behold. I really can’t emphasize just how chaotic it feels. Another thing I can’t help but notice is the unique language the crew uses to communicate with each other. Of course, we’re familiar with words  like action, cut or print. But have you ever heard the expressions hotpoints and martini? Hotpoints is called out when a crew member is carrying a light, a ladder, or any other large item. It’s a way of telling people to get out of the way and make a clear pathway. When time is essential in setting up a shot, every minute counts. Another favorite phrase is martini. When the Director calls martini, it means it’s the last shot of the day.

I also had a chance today to talk with Christy and David Eaton. They are the originators and the visionaries of Hope Bridge. Their efforts have made this production possible. Christy said, “After ten days it’s starting to feel real. This is really happening. All of these people are breathing life into the vision.”

Thanks Christy and Dave for all or your hard work and dedication. When you think about it, there are a lot of people who talk about making a movie or perhaps even write a script, but it is so rare when it actually comes true. Their journey is an amazing story.

More to come.