We found the cabin we’ll use for Rose’s home in the film!
If you’re unfamiliar with the story, Rose is the protagonist of RECKONING. She’s our hero. The girl who has to stand up to a notorious outlaw.
And I needed a cabin that would sell for her home in the 19th century.
Without further delay, here it is:
The home of Rose Lawson in the movie RECKONING.
I’ve already told you about location scouting. So how did I find this cabin off a lone, gravel mountain road?
Real estate listings.
Yep. Stumbled on an old listing for a cabin and decided to just go for it.
Sandi and Journey, being the adventurous gals that they are, opted to go along for moral support.
You know, it could be the last time they see me. This is the mountains. I didn’t know who owned the cabin, whether they’d be in town, or meet us on the porch with a shotgun.
The kind owners of the cabin that will be used for Rose Lawson’s home.
Fortunately, the owners were there. And they were incredibly kind and gracious. And even better…they said YES! I literally gave the guy a hug. All I have to do is help him learn fly fishing. Done.
And do you want to hear something really cool? It’s so exciting I want to jump up and down: This cabin was built by Private David Rogers. A man who fought in the war of 1812!
The cabin was built by Private David Rogers, someone who fought in the War of 1812.
BOOYAH!!! Wait, did soldiers say that back then?
Man this is exciting. We’re shooting at a place that existed in 1883, the year RECKONING takes place.
So that’s all I wanted to share. Sure hope you have an incredible weekend. More exciting updates as we get closer to the shoot!
It’s 2022 and we’re getting closer to shooting the movie!
But first, I hope you had a relaxing Christmas.
It’s our first Christmas in North Carolina.
And it took me three times to get the right-sized sized Christmas tree.
THREE TIMES.
This wasn’t a “run to the local nursery” type of thing. Oh no, it was a “drive to the country and cut down a tree” type of thing.
Let’s hope I execute on the film better than Christmas trees.
Speaking of which, we’re testing gear and ordering costumes! As most of you know this is part of pre-production.
Yesterday, I told Journey’s school teacher (her mother) that the lead actress was needed on set for camera testing.
So Journey and I loaded up film gear and snacks from Mommy, and headed out. Stopping only for hot chocolate with whipped cream (gotta keep talent happy).
Journey and I in one of the cabins at the Cashier’s Historic Society.
At the Cashiers Historical Society, Journey explored a kitchen full of antiques while I tested camera and lenses.
Industry Note: If this were a studio film, I could never ask for the main actor to come to set for camera tests. Brad Pitt would be like, “Seriously?” But when the actress is your daughter, and it’s indie film, you can do things studio directors only dream about doing!
Testing exposure using false colors and a middle gray card.
One big item for me was testing exposure. Check out the image above — Journey holds a gray card. This card is “middle gray” (which sounds like a place in Lord of the Rings).
Middle gray is part of the Ansel Adams zone system. It’s one thing filmmakers use to set proper exposure. The colored screen on the back of the camera is called “false colors” and it assigns a color to certain exposure levels.
I’m shooting this film on the Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera using Sirui Anamorphic lenses. When we’re actually shooting the movie, the sets will be lit much better than a single light with no diffusion like I used for testing. But even with that, the resulting image is still pretty cool:
The actual shoot will involve detailed lighting with diffusion. But even without this image is pretty nice!
See how wide the image is? That’s a 2.4:1 aspect ratio. You get this by shooting with anamorphic lenses. Wide aspect ratios give the film a more epic feel than a normal 16×9 frame.
So that’s a wrap for this update!
In the last email I asked for ideas on how to define all of you — Busy people who care enough to get into behind the scenes info about my film (thank you!).
A few responded with great ideas, but one idea ruled them all:
Virtual Crew from Jerusha Emerson.
I love it! Thank you Jerusha.
So that’s it, you’re now virtual crew. And calling you crew means you’re literally a part of the film.
Hey, maybe there should be a virtual crew section in the credits?
And as crew, you’re the first to hear this update:
We’re planning production for February!
Originally it was planned for September of last year, but that’s just filmmaking. You push ahead, one step at a time. It’s the filmmakers who never give up that get stories told.
Thanks for cheering me on. I really appreciate it.
And thanks for sharing the film! If you know anyone who would like to see more, send them here:
