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Thursday, 3/2/2006:
Truck for Halloween Stuff / Making Neck Seals
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The Halloween props are due Friday 3/3, so they send a truck to get Ken’s Halloween stuff Thursday. Also, the Stormtrooper neck seals are due tomorrow.
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Comments: Ken: Since the truck is here for the Halloween stuff, I also sent back the Stormtrooper armor that Matt Giese wore for the Dream Sequence, figuring it is all going to the same place (which caused some drama later). Melanie and I are going crazy trying to make a good neck seal. We finally hit on a good method, and made two, but they took like 6 hours.
Melanie:
Funny thing: now
that I think about it, Chris Marquette did not enjoy wearing his
seal, and seems to have it off during the filming. Sorry, Man!
was it too tight or just claustrophobic? |
Friday, 3/3/2006: Filming Day 6, Road Scenes for cross country road trip
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New Mexico gets to stand in as all of the states in between Ohio and California... Go NM!
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Comments: Ken: Yep, we have some pretty scenery here in New Mexico. Too bad it wasn't Spring yet, it would have looked a lot prettier. |
Saturday, 3/4/2006: Filming Day 7, Halloween Party Scenes
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Johanna
asked Jess and Ken to come to the shooting today as
consultants and to help dress the actors. Ken brought
the neck seals.
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Comments: Ken: Jess and I showed up at the Albuquerque Country Club parking lot at 9am. There was some minor drama when it was discovered that the box of Chris's Stormtrooper armor was not in the wardrobe trailer and that I did not have it with me (see 3/3 above). I told Johanna that I sent it in the truck with the Halloween decorations, so there was some excitement while they tried to track it down, trying to backtrack with the trucking crew (foreshadowing for Joseph's collectibles?). It was found and brought to the base camp. Jess and I had the interesting job of dressing Chris and Dan as Stormtroopers, making some last minute adjustments on the armor. I also dressed Jay as Darth Vader in Scott Mathena's Vader armor. It was cool, and we took some pix. That's me in the blue plaid shirt. Jay looked pretty good in it, but the owner of the Vader armor is about 6 inches taller and 50 pounds heavier, and fills it out better. But they couldn't alter it, so that's the way it had to stay. Then there was some drama about the blasters. Joe Arnold wasn't told he needed to get blasters, but Johanna knew we were not bringing any from previous emails where I told her about all of the stuff NOT included with Stormtrooper armor that she would need to provide (boots, gloves, black body suit and blasters). Ken called fellow Mos Alban Joseph Perez and he kindly agreed to go buy a few blasters at Target to lend to them for the shot (though I don't think he got them back). Then we went to the Halloween house locations. On one side of the street was the house used for the interior shots, and across the street was the house used for the exterior shots. The exterior house had a lot of my decorations outside, including my Flying Crank Ghost (thrown in a rose bush), 5 lighted jack o' lanterns, 13 grave stones (including the cool VanAtter one), and my 7' tall Scarecrow with the pumpkin head and yellow LED eyes and optional fog feature. Later, this whole scarecrow (except the head) and one jack'o'lantern would be stolen (but they compensated me). Gwyn had cast a bunch of 20 year old guys and hot chicks in different costumes for the interior party scenes. The house was decked out and decorated, and my Halloween oil paintings with the creepy lighted eyes that follow you were above the mantle, though I don't know if they were filmed. Joseph and Anita showed up with the blasters and Joe Arnold painted the orange end caps flat black. We got the guys armored up again, and watched them shoot for a while. By now everyone felt comfortable armoring and de-armoring without us, so around 3pm, we got the OK to leave. Cool day!
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Monday, 3/6/2006: Email from Cory
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We picked up some stuff from
Joseph for tomorrow and we realize we may need some
more. Can we borrow some of your collection for
tomorrow? We can pick it up in the morning and return it
the next morning. Thanks for all your help.
Cory
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Comments: Ken: They are wanting more of the 3.75" and 12" figures and vehicles for Linus and Window's rooms. They ended up borrowing about 140 peices. |
Thursday, 3/9/2006: Email from Johanna
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Got
your message. That's fine about the Ewok, we will
paint in the eye area. |
Comments: Ken: I had asked Johanna if we could paint around the Ewok actor's eyes with dark makeup if the Ewok mask eye holes were too big. They actually turned out to be so small, he could hardly see. But it looked cool! And heck yes we are going to the movie theater scenes! All 130 of us!
Melanie:
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Friday, 3/10/2006: Fanboys Promotion
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Gwyn had Jess and Yvonne Coffer and James McEldowney go to some TV
stations and the Buzzard radio station to promote
the theater scene and to ask for local extras.
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Comments: Ken: Jess and Yvonne got in the paper, and they all got on the channel 13 news!
Melanie:
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Saturday, 3/11/2006: Filming Day 10, Highland Movie Theater Scenes!
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The big Episode I midnight movie premier scenes! These were both the interior scenes and the exterior scenes of the Fanboys in line which wraps around the building.
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Comments: Ken: Never been colder. Ever. We showed up at 3pm, some at 2pm and got dressed up. Mos Alba had mustered 130 extras from members, friends and family, and Gwyn brought another 100 some people. Melanie helped her check them all in. My mom and Dave were there, and my friends Dana and Tim, but I barely saw them before they got wooshed away to go into the theater to sit for hours while waiting to be filmed. Channel 13 news interviewed Karen, Sean, Jenna and me for the news. Scott Greve and Colleen brought their Fett armor and dressed the two guest actors in the suits for these scenes. We were assured that all involved would take great care with their expensive armor.
Melanie:
Ken:
Melanie:
Ken:
Ken: |
Friday, 3/17/2006: Vacuforming the Skywalker Ranch THX Guard Masks
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Me, Jess Yvonne and Melanie
completed the rest of the THX Guard masks
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Comments: Ken: This was a lot of fun. Melanie: The first time our kids witness vacuforming! Ken doesn’t say much about the ordeal behind this one. We had to make a cast out of Jess’s mannequin head, fill that with plaster to make another head form, do some minor cosmetic tweaking with the plaster, sanding etc – our house was a dusty plaster mess! Remember how they said they needed the Ewok on the 28th? Well now they THINK they need it on the 20th! We have been messing with it for a while – but now we must finish it right away. We also start some other plaster/sculpy projects. We try a sculpy the face for the Ewok. It takes several days to get the face OK and then we vacuform it out of ABS since clay will be too heavy to wear. I have been sent Hugh’s measurements – the little person who will wear it – and we bought the fur and other costume items. I have never really made a costume for someone sight unseen and these measurements seem really crazy – but I keep remembering – it IS an Ewok. I get it sewn up and we spend quite awhile on the head and hands. We spend one evening weathering the head garment. The costume will be held together with pins and will have to be fit on Hugh at the shoot, and then sewn – I am embarrassed at the half-ass finish job but the Ewok looks cool! We take photos to show Johanna. |
Saturday, 3/18/2006: Santa Ana Casino Trekkie scenes, met Ernie the creator of Fanboys!
 Jess Coffer and KenVanLyssel as Trekkies
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Comments: Ken: This was a fun day. Indoors, not cold, and a comfortable costume! Santa Ana Casino was doubling as the Stratosphere Casino in Las Vegas. The hotel room scenes were shot on the soundstage in a fake room that they mocked up. We arrived at 7am, gathered in the casino's arena to fill out our payment vouchers, and then off to get our Trekkie costumes! Jess, Yvonne, me, Sean and Roy were called for this. We got in line and got our costumes... Sean and I had greenish-yellow, Jess had orange, Yvonne had orange. In line for hair check I met a guy in a purple Trek uniform who introduced himself as Ernie Cline. Hmm, his name sounded familiar... Hey, this is the guy who created Fanboys! He wrote the story and the screenplay 8 years ago! Wow! I get to be a Trekkie with the creator! Kyle came into the hallway and picked people for Admiral Seasholtz's Posse. These are the guys who have been fighting with the Fanboys. He picked Ernie, Ernie's friend Shappy (also in orange), Kevin Mann's brother John, Kyle's school chum Doug (who was made up like Data from Star Trek the Next Generation) and an actor named Thom to play Gruvok, the Vulcan. Seasholtz (named for Ernie's friend Shappy) is played by Seth Rogan, who also plays the pimp named Roach, and a Klingon-type door guard at the convention entrance. Chuck Borden is the stuntman who plays Roach and Seasholtz when Seth is playing the other one, because he has to fight himself. Sean, Roy, James, Yvonne and Paula are background Trekkies, along with a bunch of people I didn't meet. When we get to the set, it is down a hallway of the casino, by the smoke shop. It is supposed to be a scene of Seasholtz meeting Hutch and Windows and facing off again, after chasing Linus and Eric through the casino, (which gets filmed later; these events happen after the altercation in the Trekkie town square in Riverside, Iowa). So Seasholtz's Posse chase Linus and Eric, who run into Hutch, Windows and Zoe, who are being chased by the Star Wars Lovin' Pimp, Roach. Hutch and Seasholtz square off again, Roach catches up to the group, Seasholtz calls Han Solo a bitch again, and Roach jumps on Seasholtz for it... then we all jump on Roach, then he throws us all off and we all fall down. Most of the Trekkies are in the arena holding pen for this part, including James and Yvonne. Roy and Sean are playing slot machines in this scene. Then we take a break... the funny thing is, they have the snack table for the cast and crew, and a separate one for the extras, which is OK, but what they put on it is hilarious. A half of a loaf of bread, a half jar of peanut butter and an 1/8 full jar of jelly. Now that is just crazy!
Melanie:
Melanie:
Melanie: |
Sunday, 3/19/2006: Santa Ana Casino Trekkie scenes Trekkies, met William Shatner!
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Comments: Ken: The next day, we arrive at 7am again, get our Trek costumes, change, have our hair looked at...and this time Seasholtz Posse sits around in the holding pen all morning. Melanie made a nice tray of brownies and she also brought cookies for the extras, since the snacks were so crappy on Saturday. We have a good time listening to Ernie and Shappy and Doug tell stories. Then, we have lunch, then we film us chasing Eric and Linus through the back halls of the hotel. They throw some balloons towers in our path that we have to hurdle. Then they film the start of the chase, where Seasholtz notices them and chases them through a mingling throng of Trekkies, and the Posse fall in. Then we have dinner, and then we film the line to the convention entrance, where they try to get admitted with a secret password (Scruffy Nerf-herder), and the Klingon drags them into the convention rooms. Melanie: What a fun day – I get to be an observer all day! They graciously let me be a guest on the set and I got to meet such charming, funny guys! Doug is a friend of Kyle’s from school and he works in IT management – he was very smart and funny and they had him made up like Data – though he did nothing vaguely android-ish all day. Ernie’s a peach – not only is he very humble and down to earth – but he is obviously uber-geeky smart and genuinely interested in people. The rest of the guys from Mos Alba (and my husband) are always fun to talk to and we talked about everything and tried to pump Ernie for as much geek trivia as possible! I think Shappy was filming cause I didn’t see him much. For lunch we actually ate the same thing as everyone else – a nice selection of salads – except on paper plates. After lunch I actually got to see Ken in a scene and I could barely take a picture I was laughing so hard. They had to burst out of a door running after Eric/Linus. Throwing the balloons in their path was the boy’s idea – they had to do something to slow the whole scene down cause those 20 something boys run fast and those 30 plus something guys chasing can’t EVEN keep up. To see my husband try to LEAP over 3 feet of balloon pillar is hilarious – plus he is the very last one out the door – so I don’t think he will even make it in the scene. But he was the cutest one! Oh and a funny thing – the Ewok scene will definitely be filmed Tuesday. Johanna asked Ken if we had a spear for it to hold – Ken said, I thought you were getting the spear? Johanna says – OK, I’ll take care of it. No shit – 5 minutes later Joe the Prop Master comes up to Ken and asks him – do you know where I could get an Ewok spear? Thinking that yes, the Ewok should have a spear, that night Ken appropriated a broom handle and some ABS plastic into a cool looking spear. BTW we find out today that the other little person is in Chicago and unable to take the part – go forward as planned with the original measurements! |
Monday,
3/20/2006:
Sushi
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Went and got Sushi with Jess, Yvonne, Ernie, Susan and Ken and Melanie. |
Comments: Melanie: My Dad has the boys tonight – we are running out of babysitters! I love Sushi and Sake and we got to talk more to Ernie and his lovely wife Susan. Last night I thoroughly checked out both their websites – I mean I have never met a person whose website is basically….THEM. It’s fascinating. Susan is (I’m sure) a well loved Professor and Poetess. Ernie is a famous Slam Poet. These are things I NEVER EVER thought about! Not to mention – they are very nice and gracious and make good conversation and I had a great time! Ken: Had a blast at dinner, we really enjoy hanging out with Ernie, Susan, Jess and Yvonne. |
Tuesday, 3/21/2006: Ewok scene in Cedar Crest at the Turquoise Trail 5pm - 1am
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Comments: Ken: This scene was pretty cold, too, 30 degrees again. Johanna and Cory were so desperate for an Ewok, and a spear, and then they filmed it for all of 5 minutes! And it will probably be cut from the final film, to boot! Anyway, Melanie and Ken arrived at base camp at 5pm to do a test fitting of the recently completed Ewok costume on Hugh. Hugh doesn't arrive until about 6 because he got pulled over. We fit him, and then we waited. Dinner rolled around, and we all went to the tent and ate. Then Hugh put the suit on and we went to the campfire to watch the filming and wait. These were the scenes where the boys meet the Chief and he serves them his famous peyote guacamole. Then they hallucinate, and Windows imagines he sees an Ewok humping Hutch's leg. Our big scene comes around midnight. Hugh has been wearing the Ewok suit without the head for hours. We go to put the head on. Joe (the assistant director) says, "Quickly!" which kind of pisses us off, because we have been waiting for hours, and they aren't behind due to US. But at any rate, we have to get the mask on securely, so we do. Then they want Hugh to climb over a log, and we are all on pins because his visibility in the mask is so bad. But, he makes it, avoids falling into the fire, and they film the scene. You know what was
cool? The Chief is played by Danny Trejo! We love this guy! And
he gives us a nice compliment. He asks where they got the Ewok
costume, and they tell him Melanie and I made it. We meet him
and he shakes our hand and says it looks good and that he was
impressed it came from some regular schlubs off the street.
So, that was cool!
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Friday, 3/24/2006: THX Guard Masks due
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Comments: Ken: We brings the THX Guard masks, and Ken and Scott take their Stormtrooper and Fett Helmets (and Scott's Vader helmet) to the soundstage for the photographer to use for the production photos. We wait around, but it doesn't happen. We think we are going to be able to set up our collectibles for the Skywalker Ranch display room scenes, but the set isn't ready yet. The 501st guys Cal, Wes and Azman arrive from CO with their R2, Jim Shima's C-3PO, (which he charged Fanboys $600 to use), and various other artifacts, like an Imperial Royal guard costume and some Indiana Jones items (whip, hat, Idol) and Willow spellbook. They have drinks with Ray Park at the hotel bar, but we can't go. Melanie: I rode with Ken to drop off the THX masks and finally got to see the soundstage. That is just amazing that they can just create a room which looks perfectly real on the inside but outside, there is utter garbage and chaos everywhere – along with cables and lights and boxes of junk and probably all of Mos Alba’s valuable collectibles strewn everywhere. The display room will look pretty cool – but they will have to work all night to get it looking ready and there is about an inch of dust on everything! As we walked by I saw Kristen Bell giving a TV interview with someone I thought I recognized – so Access Hollywood! Movies are amazing! BTW I walked past the lunch tent and lunch was White Fish with Mango Salsa and Thai Shrimp – looked good! |
Saturday, 3/25/2006: Skywalker Ranch Display Room scenes at soundstage
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Scott and Ken return with the helmets early Saturday morning, but they still don't get used yet. We leave them there at about 2pm, and then they finally use them. They STILL are not ready for us to dress the Skywalker Ranch display room.
The pix they took with our
helmets and the cast:
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Comments: Ken: The sets were so cool! Melanie: 
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Sunday, 3/26/2006: Skywalker Ranch Display Room scenes at the soundstage
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We finally can dress the Skywalker Ranch
Display Room with our costumes and props.
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Comments: Ken: I got to meet Ray Park! Nice guy! While we prepare, Matt Giese, William Katt and Ray Park are on the soundstage filming their THX1138 scenes (which later get re-filmed and cut out of the movie). Jess has his Sandtrooper and Tie Fighter Pilot. Scott has his Fett. Ken has his Stormtrooper, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Vader, though we put Scott's armor on the Vader mannequin. We also brought an X-wing pilot (which they displayed on a shelf) and Tusken Raider, which was on a mannequin. Joseph has several collectible items for the shelves, like Yoda and a Thermal Detonator. Linda has an Imperial Royal guard, but they just used the helmet on the shelf, since Cal and Chet from Farmington brought theirs. When filming was over, we began to take our items, but they said they needed them the next morning, could we leave them. The Display Room looked really cool, it would be a collector's dream to have a room like this! Melanie: I didn’t go back to the soundstage – but we did not see Ken for at least 30 hours this weekend. The kids wonder where their Daddy is?  Jess with everyone's favorite droids! |
Monday, 3/27/2006:
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Filming on the soundstage ends. |
Comments: Melanie: It was not a good scene at the soundstage. They were breaking down the Display Room scene and Kevin Spacey was on the set. We were told not to approach him. We went to the back of the set and we talked to some of the construction guys. They were going to film the scene where the gang jumps into the Lucas trash compactor, which I didn’t think was scheduled because Kristen had left for the week. From what they said it was kind of a last minute scene for someone’s benefit…who, I wonder? Everyone I could hear on the crew was grumbling and did not have nice things to say about the Hollywoods – I guess everyone bitches about HR. The place was a WRECK. Ken’s stuff he lent was everywhere and we basically had to go through and find everything ourselves. Didn’t the crew know these pre 1997 SW collectibles were priceless! There was one big box we were missing and we were standing outside and we saw them move our box out of the prop truck – our box! It was Ken’s 12” figures and they looked like someone had put them in a rock tumbler – the boxes were all scratched and generally were beat up. Most of the Halloween stuff had just been stuffed in a box, some of it was broken and the cool Mr. Skeleton and Scarecrow were stolen. At least we may get a last glimpse of it in the movie! sniff! As we were backing out of the lot – Kevin Spacey glanced over at us – My brakes were squeaking REALLY bad and I thought we would get yelled at for ruining the shot they were filming – but we escaped OK. Mr. Spacey looked very jaunty in his leather cap!
Ken:
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Tuesday, 3/28/2006: Email to Kim and Cory
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Hi, Kim and Cory I have now picked up almost everything I lent, with the exception of the missing or damaged stuff, listed below. I know you guys know the value of these items and were very careful, but as soon as the crew has to move or pack them... they don't know (or care).
Thanks _________________
Kim replies: |
Comments: Ken: Kind of a nightmare when you lend your treasures and they get mistreated! Melanie: |
Thursday, 3/30/2006: Travel to Las Vegas, NM
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Arrived at 9pm in Las Vegas, NM. |
Comments: Ken: Just hung around the hotel, went to bed. Have to be up early tomorrow. Melanie: I have arranged every last detail I could including both Grandmas to keep the kids so we could swing this last movie hurrah in LV. It is our last chance to live vicariously through these movie people and I wouldn’t trade it for the world – though I’ll be glad when it’s over. |
Friday, 3/31/2006: Las Vegas, NM Trekkie scenes in square near plaza hotel 8am-8pm
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The Historic Toqn Square in Las Vegas, NM. All done up as Riverside, Iowa, future birthplace to Captain James T. Kirk.
Funny Fake signs for the
stores around the town square:
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Comments: Ken: Met Shappy's "Nerd Thug" Girlfriend Cristin. She is cool. Matt Giese and Jabba Joe are extras on the Trekkie Tour. It is nice to see Ernie and Shappy again. Admiral
Seasholtz's posse is ready to do battle with those crass Fanboys
for the first time! Friday morning, we show up early for our call. I think I am just going to be an extra in the crowd – but I get to wear my spacey Trekkie dress that Johanna made for me! I get to be a blonde Trekkie Fangirl with crazy Trekkie hair – done by an actual movie makeup artist! WOW! I was a little nervous that the dress was short and a little tight – but I got over it. What the heck!
We got to see the entire Trekkie posse again from the Casino scene. Doug – still not very Data-ish in action, but very much in appearance – but they sure made him really white this time! His friend Steve – the butt double in the van for the "pressed ham" scene, Kevin’s Brother, John. I finally meet Shappy and his girl Cristin – too cute. Ernie is back! and then Matt and Joe get to stand in the tourist group with us. They also had a bunch of other local jerk extras who were too young and I plainly heard them say they thought Star Wars AND Star Trek were stupid. Retards.
I felt really cool for about 10 minutes and then it was old by 6 hours later. Lunch was Thai Beef Salad and other various stir-fry and salads – quite good! The guys had quite a workout – they had to stage the fight scene – and with the addition of two real stuntmen (when you see the movie, can you figure out who they are?) they looked pretty crazy. I guess it will look like a real fight on film? There was dirt and flying straw everywhere and everyone got terrible sunburn. I got to stand next to Cristin and my action was to give her the shrugging eyebrow a lot and then look horrified as the Fanboys dissed Trek. It was a little stretch for me. Seth was so funny and made us laugh, though we had to be all serious like we totally agreed with him.
The drama of the day was the Khan statue – I think it was something about the paint used on the foam was dissolving the glue in the pre-made cracks and then there was some wind – but the arm fell off and it had to be propped up precariously. The budget couldn’t afford full time statue guys to be around to watch it – so it was iffy for a while. We have now learned like everyone else to ignore Joe and his YELLING though.
It wasn’t really fun until most of the crew left to film another scene and we got to film the crazy stunt driving scene with Chuck and Kevin at the helm. That is the scene where Eric is driving the Bucephalus van and comes in to rescue the boys from the Trekkies and then peels out and the Trekkies chase after it down the street. Because of a missed cue, one of the stunt men diving in front of the van narrowly missed getting run over – that was one scary stunt driver!
We also got to talk as much as we wanted while they were setting up the shot. We marveled at how the crew, AD, etc would refer to us, but not by name. Hey you, “Kevin’s brother” and you “White faced Idiot” come over here and stand. “You big Trekkie and little Trekkie, run here while Purple Shirt gets kicked on the ground.” It was our own private joke; a little exaggerated– but it sure was funny!
I have not laughed so hard in a long time – all I can hope is that a bunch of not-so-young-Trekkies running after this van is funny cause it sure looked funny. I also cannot run like a madman without flailing my arms. I tried. Since all the transport vans were off at the other set, there was no way for us to get back to base except to pile into the empty stunt van. Cool! I was horrified to return the sweaty costume to wardrobe and I wore the funky hair all night!
Ken:
Melanie:
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