#195 Making of "The Third Room Pt. 3"

Getting the Actress
So after a bit of a wait, we finally got an interested party.  Her name is Victoria Brown, and she is a

multi-talented actress, dancer, choreographer, etc.  Because of my conflicting schedule, I wasn't able to do a proper casting session as I have done before, and because of my lack of quality internet, I wasn't able to take video submissions, so my only obvious choice was to have Matt do it.  Matt and I had already discussed what type of performance we needed, so he already had an idea of what would work best.  All I had to do was wait for him to give me his determination.  Victoria and Matt agreed to meet at Starbucks where they would both work towards wooing the other.  Matt; to get her on board the project, and Victoria; to prove she was the right person for the role.

Tip ?: Always meet in a public place.
In spite of how tempting it is, to invite a potential hot actress to your house; don't.  It's very unprofessional and could lead to all sorts of legal problems, plus it's just poor taste.  Instead meet them at a Starbucks, or a Library or if it is warm outside; a nice public square, but not in a place that's to loud.

Casting
My involvement in the casting choice was only at the initial stage.  I sent Matt the info, and he arranged a meet with Victoria.  They met, and discussed the project in length.  Matt knew what we were looking for and Victoria who had the experience and the presence, could be the person to pull it off.  To be honest, since there were no real takers for the role; Victoria was really our only choice and the only one who would be available on our time frame.  Normally I wouldn't advocate this sort of first come first serve; but lucky was on our side.  I knew that Matt would never accept anyone who he didn't think had the ability to pull off the role.  Victoria agreed to do the part and that was one less role to worry about.

The Pit Falls of Location Scouting
Now that we had the actress, we could go on with location scouting.  There's an old saying that goes "location, location, location, and scouting your location is important ahead of time.  Normally this is done simultaneously with casting, to allow for more time to make deals and negotiate, but as indie film makers with day or in Matt's case night jobs...we can only do so much in a day.  From the story we had three basic locations that required the ability to use them for an extended period.  The other was just a short scene/transition.

Our prime location; which is where most of the scenes would be shot was a small hotel room.  We would need access to both interior and exterior for certain shots to blend together.  So Matt and I discussed the basic look of it.  Nothing to noticable or stylish like a Marriott or a Motel 6, just something small with a parking lot right outside the door.  We would exchange notes through text throughout the day.  Since I'm without vehicle and Matt has greater knowledge of our area (Bloomington, In) he was perfect as a location scout.  He located a few places, but we settled on one in Martinsville.  Originally we would rent the room; do the rehearsals there and start shooting the following morning.  Because of the size of the script and the dialogue; long rehearsals weren't necessary.  The script was shown to the owners wife; because the owner was away.  She thought it would be ok, and tentatively agreed to letting us film there.  We were confident that there wouldn't be any problems.  We set off on the search for the other locations.  The Pawn Shop and the the Diner.

The pawn shop has proven to be a problem, because none of the ones we contacts were interested in having us film in front of their establishment; so we will have to figure out another location or method for filming that scene.

Tip? Guerilla vs Creativity
The guerilla indie film making consensus says that when you can't legally get the shot, find another method.  This could be a hidden camera, or filming barebones with only the basics, while nobody notices.  The creative method would be to use 3D or stock photo stills and a bit of composting to work something out.  Either one can work for you.  If you are in this situation then you will need to figure out which method is best, and those aren't the only ones.

The Diner was much easier.  The owner (insert name) was a kind lady, and agreed to let us use her lovely establishment (and it was quite lovely, you should see like the main eating area).  She would stay a little later after the restaurant was closed to let us film there.  We wouldn't need much time, only enough for a few takes; and we'd be done.

Tip?  Keep your word.
When you promise someone something, make sure it is attainable and within your means.  Yeah, keep your word.  You will be known for it.  Remember you are asking a lot of people.  Access to their homes, their businesses, their money, their time.  If you promise someone something, keep your word and then some.  People will remember that, and when you ask them for another favor, the results might be favorable to you.  Why? because you kept your word.

Help Where You Can Find It.
At this point we were just about ready for shooting, but we were still without our main location.  The hotel room, that's when Matt came up with an idea.  His aunt Karen (who without knowing me; shared the same name as the character she would be playing.) would be willing to let her use her house for the scenes.  So this would require a bit of last minute rewriting and tweaking, but the best part was that; we didn't have to pay for it.  Of course we would clean up behind ourselves and not make a mess, so this really worked out.

Tip?  Don't be afraid to ask family for help.
Besides myself, Matt and Victoria; our crew consist of Matt's brother Nathan, who serves as my
assistant director and boom operator.  Matt's aunt who is our only other speaking character, Matt's mother and father who served as a liason between the owner of the diner and us.  When people believe in you they will go that extra mile.  Don't be afraid to ask them for a favor.  When you are accepting your Oscar, they will be the first on the list when you start thanking people in your acceptance speech.