Braving Rapids Filming - Day 4

 Sunshine, Movie Cameras and Crafty Food!

It’s Day 4 of filming Braving Rapids in Utah and we haven’t been without a few glitches, but things are going really well. I think. It’s my first time producing a movie so what do I know?

Our director, Erich is very well organized and has meticulously mapped out the filming days and what’s needed for every scene, with his attention to detail touching my heart in a special way. To have someone spend so much effort and time to bring my sweet story to a screen is gobsmackingly incredible. I hadn’t given it that much though before, but a director must have to LOVE the story and have a vision in order to spend this much time and talent to figuring out scenes and angles and lighting and what the shot will look like on camera. Everyone keeps asking me if it’s surreal to have my words spoken by actors and it is but having Erich so invested in this story of mine is the most surreal.

I’m producing this film with Erich and Melanie, who is a little powerhouse of efficiency. She’s acting in the movie in the next weeks as one of the bad guys but for now we both run around with radios wearing our sun hats, and often toting a script as we rush back and forth from the set to our RV headquarters where makeup is located. Today’s set is beside the Provo River at a park called Vivian Park which is about 20 minutes from our Orem Air B&B. It’s a busy little park for rafters and fly fishermen today. We’ve taken up 4 parking spots with our RV and a good part of the grass with our equipment. Our leading man missed his flight from LA last night and flies in this morning so will be late for filming and Erich has already adjusted the schedule. He’s a pro!

It's interesting how a movie is shot. In my tiny pea brain as an audience, I assume the whole scene is shot continuously but no. Little bits are shot (filmed) all over the place. One day might be shots of the puppy playing, then before they find the puppy, Grace looking mad in the car on her way to the river, then shots of Haley bandaging Jake's foot before we even shot the scene where he cuts his foot. Movie magic, I keep saying to myself!

Everyone keeps asking when the puppy will be here and as the arrival of our tiniest star, a Siberian Husky puppy named Seyka, gets closer, excitement is mounting. Seyka and her handler, Tawnii are coming from Idaho, the state that borders Utah north of Salt Lake and we couldn’t be more grateful to have a young puppy play our wolf and have Tawnii so eager to be a part of this. We even have her driving her truck up and playing the wolf sanctuary worker at one point! Yea Tawnii!

My duties are mostly paperwork, permits, schedules, emails, fetching the food, toting equipment, being on hand for anything Erich needs. Today, I loaded my rental car with stuff and followed Erich in the RV to Vivian park where I figured out how to engage our RV’s pop out section, got the generator and A/C going, helped set up crafty (snacks and drinks) at our tent near the river, reordered a canceled lunch order for tomorrow from EZ CATER, (my new best friend), and am now stuck in the RV guarding all the stuff while they shoot the scene where Haley the river guide, instructs the family on how to paddle. I just heard on my walkie talkie Erich’s voice say “Picture up and roll camera.” So I guess they’re doing the first take of the day!

                                                                       Producer Melanie

I love our cast. Everyone looks so much like I pictured them it’s strange and wonderful. Everyone is professional, happy to be here, and excited to hope that Braving Rapids will be available next year. I keep saying that with the WGA and  SAG strikes and no new content being sold to streamers and studios, our little Indie movie might slip into a niche market and get great distribution when channels are crying for content to air next year.

I'm off to get our catered meal for 1:30 pm -- An Applebee's buffet of chicken strips, boneless ribs, salads and brownies. We set up everything on a picnic table and let everyone go to it! Drinks are always cold and plentiful in this 97 degree heat. Luckily there is a slightly cooler breeze by the river where we're shooting on this hot Utah weekend (and the weather reports say it's about to cool off)

While lunch is served, I will head  across the river to scout out a house we might use for the final scene when the river guide has everyone stay over and they find out that the "wolf" is part husky and the little girl has the opportunity to adopt him after all. This guy, Dave, owns a cabin-like house on the rive that would be perfect for Nick's place. 

Sound Guy - Adam

Amy and Nate playing Grace and Jake (staying cool in the RV)

The RV taking up 4 precious spots at the park

Megan playing Marka the mom of the kids and kick ass person!

                                                                                 Me!

That’s it for now. This experience is unique, strange, interesting, not exactly fun yet but I can see that like summer camp, by the end of my time here, I might be wishing I could be on set again and again and again. 

We'll see.