PART SIX - "Remembering AMNESIA": Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker Shot an Apacolyptic Thiller for $6,000 and Gained the Attention of Media Outlets."

PART SIX

Like Sand in an Hour Glass...

Time was running out.  The job that was suppose to end in two weeks stretch out to 2 months... and then I got a call from my mom that my grandmother was going to give me my inheritance early... so I could buy my equipment.  I was suppose to call her, but I got busy, so I put it off till the next Friday... that's when I received the call.  My grandmother had had a stroke.  I went with my mom down to the hospital.  My grandmother was alive, but she didn't fully recover.  To make a long story short, a couple months later she died.

I was suppose to get my inheritance  just before the September 1st date that we had scheduled for the shoot.  But somethings happened with the company that had the money in an annuity.  I wasn't suppose to get the money until the middle of September, when it would be too late.  Then my brother had to back out of his participation in the project.  I contact one of the actors who was suppose to play a minor role and asked him to play my brother's part.  He agreed.

I had no money for equipment and still no lead actress.  I also could not find a waterfall for the one scene.  I ended up heading up to Northern Maine to meet my mentor/teacher from years before, Brenda Jepson. 

While waiting for Brenda Jepson to show up at the store we were going to meet in, I decided to venture in.  I thought, "maybe she is already inside".  She wasn't, but on a postcard rack I saw a postcard with the photo of a place called Moxie Falls... a waterfall in Maine.  And not just a waterfall, but one of the tallest in New England.  When she did show up, I asked her if she had ever heard of the place.  She hadn't.  But it was someplace in Maine.

A couple weeks from the day of the shoot I found myself with a delemia.  Should I back out?  It seemed all the odds were against me...  I felt a sense of fear overtake me.  If I back out, this is it.  No one will ever take me serious.  On the other hand, if I continue with the schedule and the necessary peices of the puzzle don't come together than no one will take me serious either.  It seemed like a no win situation.  But I decided I'd rather be seen as a fool than a quiter.  I grabbed the phone number to the church building we needed to use for that one scene in the film.  I dialed.  I left a message...

About an hour later I received a phone call.  It was the pastor's wife of the church that owned the building.  At first I just asked to use the building for exterior shots.  I didn't know them, they didn't know me.  If I could atleast shoot the exterior of the building I would get creative for the interior shots.  She said, "You don't have to just shoot the outside of the building, but the inside... and you can shoot in the cemetary".  All I had to do was tell them what days I wanted to shoot at the building.  She was excited about the idea... Then she said, "Are you looking for any actresses?"

I was a bit taken back.  To be offered the use of the building was one thing... but an actress too?  She told me her daughter would like to be an actress in the film.  I said, "sure, we can do an audition".  I didn't really know what I was getting myself into, but I figured I should atleast audition her.

Andrew and I visited the church building.  We checked out everything in the place.  I found out it was the oldest wooden building in Bangor.  I also found out that several years earlier it was set to be demolished by the city, but the Pastor and those in his church adopted the building, saving it from destruction.  I also found out that they had built in a small, still under construction, balcony section within the sanctuary of the church building.  I needed a balcony section so I could shoot the widest shot for the scene in this part of the building.

I chit-chatted with the Pastor's wife while Andrew chit-chatted with the Pastor.  If you are going to using a location you need to get to know the people that own the property or are in charge of it, especially in a state like Maine. Maine is like a big "small town".  You need to acquire their trust. 

The Pastor's wife asked me about the film, I explained the basic idea.  She thought it was interesting.  Then she said, "you know you should shoot some scenes up at Moxie Falls".  I was surprised. 

"You know Moxie Falls?", I asked her.

"Oh, yeah, I grew up there when I was a kid"... I explained that I was looking for Moxie Falls.  She said she would place a phone call with a connection up there to give us directions on how to find the place.  She also asked if I was still interested in her daughter as an actress.  I told her we could do an audition on Monday, two day from then.

We auditioned Jennifer Dickinson, for the part of "Sandra".  Every actress we auditioned for the part always seemed to find a reason why they couldn't do it at the end.  Honestly, it was the worst audition I had done before.  She was extremely nervous.  I didn't know what to do... Andrew and I went to Walmart to get something.... I kept thinking about the delemia.  Jenny was available the entire month of September, which was the schedule for shoot... but she hadn't convinced me that she could pull off the part.  On the way out of Walmart I was inspired.  I knew that if we didn't go with her the movie was over... but if we went with her, and the movie was great but her performance wasn't then the worst case scenario we could use it to inspire others to get involved in making a remake.

I placed a phone call to her house.  I told her she had the part and that the next day, Tuesday,  we would give her a copy of the script..  It was exaclty one week for the shoot date. 

Then I got a call that my brother's replacement quit.  But then his two band members, (he was in a band with two other guys), wanted to do it.  I told them I would audition both of them on Tuesday, and one would play the larger part while the other played the smaller part.  They told me they could do Monday/Tuesday of the first week and Monday/Tuesday of the second week.  This ment that I would have to adjust my schedule.

I got home and found out my inheritance money had showed up, two weeks ahead of schedule, just in time.  We cashed the check, and started searching for the equipment.  My budget was really time.... REALLY tight!... I would have about 3,500 to buy the camera, microphone and pay a few expenses. 

I found a camera on B&H Photo that fit what I needed, but it would eliminate our ability to buy the microphone.  My wife took a shot at eBay.  She found the camera at around 3,000 but we were taking a risk.  If we bought it, it might not work... but we needed it for 3,000.  We took the risk.  We purchased the camera and then bought the microphone from a company in New Hampshire.  Both were to arrive on Saturday, two days before shoot day.

Leading up to all of this I found out that the friend from Michigan wasn't going to be showing up and my old "Maine friends" were going to be available.  I now lost extras and my crew... now the crew consisted of one person... Me.

We  auditioned the two guys from the band and chose Michael Gomez as "Paul" and Jon Lowry as "Matt".  That Saturday the camera and microphone showed up.  I had less equipment than the first attempt to shoot the film, but I was determined that make it happen this time.  I figured if everything fell apart, if everyone quit I would be the last one to quit.  I had come to far to fail this time... but in the back of my mind I was wondering.... how long can this crazy adventure last until it falls to pieces?... Will I actually make this happen, or will something end production again?... only time would tell.