Last week I told you about an upcoming film shoot at my house; well, it happened this week, and there was drama on-screen as well as a little bit off.
On Sunday night, the crew arrived to shoot some scenes inside and needed them to be night shots so waited for the sun to go down. I’m used to lights, camera, cables, and action in my house with all the TV segments I do, but the scale of this production was much larger, so there were many more people, lights, and cables. Not having any role – other than to stay out of the way and provide the house! – I was able to watch how professionally everyone worked, and how well they took care of their temporary space, moving furniture and items with care.
On Monday they were here for the day, doing more filming inside and also outside under the pergola. I can’t give any plot points away, but it certainly looked romantic. They filmed until late in the night. Wardrobe, food stylists, sound people – you name it, everyone was camped out at Rosebrook Gardens, and because of the intermittent rain showers, they were often camped all over the house. The easiest thing? To re-locate me to the neighbor’s house. Violet was also kept next door all day so she wouldn’t bark and ruin takes. If only she was the only problem!
An hour before the crew arrived on Monday, the gas company arrived and began tearing up the road to extend the line to a neighbor’s house! The poor neighbors didn’t even know it was happening, as they had not been contacted to confirm a date, so weren’t even home. Jackhammers, workmen, and even a policeman were on hand – and completely blocking the place where the film crew needed to park. Luckily, they were done by 11, but then construction work began at another adjacent property – the whine of a band-saw occasionally ruining the sound. And when the team finally got a break, the extra lights and equipment blew the fuses in the house.
Neither the group nor I were freaked out by any of it – it was such fun, and with such lovely people. But filming is rarely a smooth-sailing proposition. After all, beauty often comes not only as a result of hard work but patience; isn’t being calm and working through it the art of making art?
