Day Two

Getting right down to business this morning, the cast and crew completed the the second to last scene in the film. All the main characters were present to lend their talent to the screen. The crew work extremely hard today as we finished the scenes in the house location's kitchen and eating area. Tomorrow is the big Thanksgiving dinner scene, which looks to be very entertaining and emotional.

The cast sat down at the end of lunch to rehearse the dinner scene for tomorrow. I am very excited to see this scene play out on screen. We have a lot of coverage to take in the third day, and I know we are up for the task.

I wanted to say a special thanks to the crew today for working extra hard today to put a great look into the film and get us done on time. We raced the clock down to the last minute today, but managed to walk away with the days shots in the bag, and looking great. Another big thanks to the crew who came out with their lines prepared and ready to get to work. We had a lot of setups to get through today, but their preparedness was extremely helpful in making out day.

Tomorrow we wrap at the house before our short day on this weekend, and then picking up on Monday morning. Thanks again everyone for a great second day. See everyone bright and early tomorrow.

-DK

Day One

Wow! That was fun!

Today we began principle photography. We got a little bit of a late start, but once the crew got into a rhythm everything went smoothly.The cast and crew got along great as we covered a lot of ground with our little family. Debra (who plays Caroline) gave a great performance as the mother of two wayward children, and together with her on-screen husband, Bruce, the two really brought the characters to life. Our children Chloe and Devin, played by Ian and Kathrynn, had a wonderful horsing around as brother and sister. Kathrynn kept the crew busy during downtime with tales from her book on sexual positions. They are arranged by date so you could see what posistion represented your birthday. Mine is apparently "Asking the Girlfriend to leave" and I'm not evening going to try and exaplain it.

Our DP Søren Viuf, and his crew, continue to be some of the most efficent people I've worked with. Our crew from the NYFA put a lot of hard work and effort today to help us get all the shots we needed. Tomorrow we start again at the house location for some more family fun. Thanks again to everyone who pitched in today and I hope we can make everyday just like this one. Now get some sleep and I'll see you on set tomorrow, bright and early.

-DK

Final Prep Day

So the truck is full of equipment, the actors are rehearsed, the house is dressed, the food is ordered and the shot list checked twice. I think we are prepared a we can be (Knock on wood) and are ready to begin. Tomorrow morning we begin principal photography. The house looks great thanks to our Producer Katie. While we worked out the movements for the the next three days of shooting, she decorated the home with photographs and personal items. The crew did a great job organizing the truck and getting the equipment ready. Mucho thanks to all of you for working so quickly and efficiently today. And thank you to the NYFA team for helping to get us out the door in a timely manner. Now lets get out there and have fun!

-DK

One Week Out

So this week the cast had their final read through and rundown of the shooting schedule. The Assistant Director and myself will have crew meeting at the end of the week, and then I get to sit back in and worry until Tuesday morning when we set out to gather all the final material and begin pre-lighting for the shoot. I must say I am feeling a lot better about this shoot than any before it. Could be that I'm just getting used to the stress, but I would like to think we're just more prepared. Someone once told me that the more comfortable you feel with the stress the more worried you should be. I'm still on the verge of pulling hairs, so I think I'm at a good compromise to the alternative.

Right now the only real downside to all this is that I will miss the opening night of Transformers, but these are the prices we pay to be in the film business ha ha. At least I know what I'm doing the day after we wrap.

I'm looking forward to the stress and satisfaction that comes with making a film. It's always that sense of calm created out of total chaos. I think that is the one truly good feeling about being a storyteller. Making some sense out of something born from the mind and given shape by so many talented and hard working people. Of course even the hard working need sleep. Until next week everyone. Goodnight!

-DK

Family Picture Day

Less than two weeks out, the cast spent the day taking their family pictures to be used in the set design and promotional material for the film. First we headed out to Griffith park and got the traditional family park outing. The June gloom here in Los Angeles provided a nice overcast for the photos. We got group and individual photos of all the cast members in the wooded and picnic areas around Griffith, and had a lot of fun joking around with setups before moving on to the next location and wardrobe change.

Bringing the family out to California, we headed up to a close scenic location near the Hollywood sign. Joining up with several other guest of L.A. as we took photos in front of the sign and with the L.A. reservoir. To my surprise the location was new to some of our actors, and now they have a spot to bring their real family when they come to visit.

Finally on the final wardrobe change the family headed to Universal Studios City Walk. Here we got photos in front of the big sign and Globe out in front of the park. Then to end the day we all sat down as a family and has some great Italian food, and took a few more pictures. The cast was very creative in their photo choices, and had some great facial expressions for the different scenarios we came up with on the fly. I can already tell that after several weeks of rehearsals they are really getting to know one another.


I can't wait until June 24th when the production really gets to come alive. Locations and set design are on schedule, and our crew is ready to go. Check back during production week for on-set reports and daily photos. Thank again to our wonderful cast. You guys are great. And a big thanks to Kathrynn for helping with the driving. See everyone soon.

-DK

4 Weeks Out

The cast and I sat down this past Wed. night for the second cast rehearsal, and I am very excited about the project. Our family is coming together very nicely and I can really feel a great rhythm between the actors. I have to hold back laughing loudly in the read through.

In a few weeks we'll be finalizing wardrobe and taking a day to get some family pictures done of the family. I'm really trying to think of all the cheesy family photos I've sat through over the years. We of course have to have the family vacation with matching outfits. I think I've had too many of those. We'll also being doing things like graduation photos, pictures with friends, and we'll be putting old photos of everyone around the home to make our house location our own.

The film's Cinematographer, J. Søren Viuf, and I will be sitting down next week to start talking about overall look and finalizing the crew positions. Søren was also the cinematographer for "The Cypherian." I'm looking forward to seeing his take on things as we get closer to principle photography.

This project will be one of the larger productions our group has taken on, in terms of Short Films. We've got great indoor locations, all pre-dressed, and only needing a few personal touches.

The cast is super excited to get to work, and their performances are growing with every rehearsal. We're very fortunate to be working with such dedicated actors. I think we are all looking forward to the next reading. Be sure to check back for further updates as we get closer to the shoot.

Thanks again everyone!

-DK

Casting Complete

This past week we, after several sessions of readings and callbacks, "Cause for Divorce" has its cast. Bruce Eckelman, Debra Olson-Tolar, Ian Lockhart, Kathrynn Cobbs and Amelia Pawlak join the Tri-Seven crew for the production taking place in Late June. A special thanks to all who helped to put our little family togther over the past few weeks.

The crew here at Tri-Seven are hard at work putting the final touches on pre-production as we head into rehearsals, and finalize the script and schedule. Be on the look out for more updates as we head into principle photography next month.

-DK