Serena B. Miller's Blog, page 10

Day ten: (9-26) movie set of LFY Sugarcreek Ohio

Back in Sugarcreek–this time without my son Jacob, who, when I tried to talk him into coming back with me reminded me that he really does have a job…..and would like to keep it! I had to go home for a couple days to wash clothes, repack, pay bills, and check in with my family.

There is no reason that I need to be on set–the crew certainly doesn’t need me there. It’s just that I want to see everything and the producer and director are kind enough to let me watch.

The big news today (for me) was that Kelly McGillis is in town. She didn’t have a scene today, so I didn’t get to meet her yet, but I have admired her work for years. It’s going to be difficult not to stutter when I do meet her.

While I was gone, they did a scene where Aunt Bertha (Kelly) is holding a sick little boy late at night, and there is an intense conversation between her and the little boy’s daddy. One of the crew told me that while watching that scene they completely forgot that a movie was being made–and just got completely caught up in the emotion. Kelly really is that good!

Today, we worked on the Steinstossen scene from the annual Swiss Festival (men compete in throwing a 138 lb. stone.) And we had lots of movie extras in the stands cheering them on. The stone is hard to handle, very heavy, and feet have been broken in the past when the stone slipped out of the men’s hands. Fortunately, we didn’t have any accidents today–but I know there will be plenty of sore muscles. I’m pretty sure it was the real-life Steinstossen champion throwing against my hero, Joe, today….but I’m afraid the game was rigged. Joe won!

Sarah Lancaster was playing the part of a Sugarcreek cop again today. There was a scene when she has to tear out of the parking lot in a squad car (she’s taking Joe’s little boy to the hospital) and was supposed to screech her tires. She nailed it every time. That Sarah can drive!

And then after the filming was over for the day, the Swiss Festival got into full swing. Oh my! The food! There’s a tent just for apple fritters, and another one for fried pies.The excellent local Trail bologna made into sandwiches with local Swiss cheese. Roasted, glazed pecans and almonds. Steak sandwiches smothered with sauteed peppers and onions. Kettle corn–made on the spot–so fresh. All while the best cheese in the world is being judged, auctioned, and sampled.

And down through the middle of it all—here comes the Garraway marching band.

I’m having more fun than any one person has any right to have! Can’t wait til tomorrow.

-Serena

Wikipedia link for more information on Steinstossen

(On set. Shot from the stands overlooking the Steinstossen event)

(On set. Cleaning up the pit to accept the falling stone!)

(On set. Some contestants getting ready to throw the stone!)

 (In Switzerland at a Steinstossen event. This is Peter Michel, a champion of the event for multiple years. This is just a reference to show how big and how serious this event is taken)

FREE Book Giveaway!

My advanced author copies of Under a Blackberry Moon just came in yesterday and I wanted to give away a few copies for FREE! I’ll be shipping them out the first week of October, so if you win, you’ll be getting your copy well before the launch date of Under a Blackberry Moon (Oct 15) I can’t give them all away so I’ll be running a random drawing for three (3) copies. I’ll even personalize them however you want

Contest Info/Rules: Only one (1) book per person. Anyone can sign up. You’ll get more chances to win if you complete the steps.

Permalink to Under a Blackberry Moon’s Contest Page

Day five pt 2 & Day six: movie set of LFY Sugarcreek Ohio

Day five did feel like it started to drag towards the end, partly because we (the extras) were put on standby and were ushered out of the stands. This gave us the opportunity to catch up with one another and groove on what a cool experience we were having. The fire fighters baseball team in the scene truly was the volunteer fire fighters of Sugarcreek. One of Mom’s fans came up to her afterwards asking her to sign his book, but also to thank her for putting Joe on their team, exclaiming “I’m so glad you wrote it with him being on our team, we’d never won otherwise!” It was also a little disheartening to be cheering in the stands knowing exactly which team was going to win! My brother Derek kept trying to be the bookie, taking bets on the game claiming that the game wasn’t rigged… Dad summoned his inner pee-wee baseball coaching and started shouting for the players to start hustling and getting their butts down to catch the ball. This was not your typical ball game. At one point they needed to get some close-ups of a real player hitting a real ball being pitched. With one camera at the pitchers mound, behind safety glass and barricaded with protection, and the other camera on a stead-cam armature attached to the main camera guy five feet away from the batter, this poor high school batter was supposed to swing away at the first pitch. Wouldn’t you know it, he hits it, foul tips it, right…into…the camera five feet away from him. To which the guy holding the camera said, “Well, I knew that was gonna happen…” After we all released our grips on our seats from cringing, we realized that luckily, the ball had just hit the frame, and hadn’t done any real damage. Crisis narrowly averted! Tom was definitely his happy-go-lucky self that day, from goofing around in-between takes to making the crowd laugh, he helped keep everyone’s morale up, and made it that much more enjoyable for everyone. Thomas was very energetic, from playing in the gravel, to swinging Sarah’s purse around his neck, he kept busy being a little boy. After we were dismissed from the set because they were done filming and were starting to pack up, we started the long trek home. The journey home takes almost exactly 3.5 hours, and we were five minutes away from being home when one of Dad’s tires just blew up completely. Luckily both Derek and I were driving other cars and we were able to make a safe cautionary barricade around Dad, and we quickly got his doughnut spare on. That’s the whole Friday in a nutshell.

Now as for Saturday, we weren’t there but I have an extended schedule and I can clue you in on what was supposed to happen. From what the schedule shows, they started to shoot the Sugar Haus Inn scenes. They will continue to be shooting a lot of those scenes in the coming days and we won’t really have any new and exciting information about it, so I’m going to put the “Keeping up with The Movie” posts on a short hiatus until we change scenes or something exciting happens. Once again this crew is an amazing group of people and the stories we’re getting to hear about everyone’s adventures into the film industry are truly fascinating.

Best wishes,

-Jacob

(Just a nice view of our Sugarcreek High School baseball team coming to grips with their imminent defeat…)

Day five: movie set of Love Finds You in Sugarcreek Ohio pt 1

So Friday we moved the production office, base camp and set to the Garaway Athletic Fields (Baseball field) (Google Maps Link) to shoot the incredible scene from the book where Joe gives away his identity during the ball game. The day started off early with people coming in from all over the place. We had extras coming from Columbus, Cleveland, the local surrounding areas and even from Scioto county down south! We had a nice size crowd to fill the stands (to give the illusion that we were there to cheer for the teams) The weather was just amazing, and perfect for an outdoors shoot. About 90% of the day consisted of a high-in-the sky thick fog. Some people would think “How in the world could a foggy day be perfect conditions for a bright and sunny game day scene?” When the lighting crew sets up for a shot, they have to put up diffusers, to diffuse or scatter the light so that we don’t have spot/harsh/concentrated lights being cast on the actors/actresses or scenes which can create unwanted shadows. So instead of having to constantly setup diffusers and reflects to get the light where we wanted it, we were blessed with a natural full sky diffuser. Next thing on the check list, crowd placement. Once you’re placed, its imperative for you to stay locked to that spot till told otherwise. If you start moving around to different seats during the different takes/camera angles, you’ll look like those tires tracks you spot in the background when watching an old western…something just isn’t right and can sometimes distract the audience from the story and feel of the intended emotion of the scene. Now comes the waiting part… you sit when you’re told, you stand when you’re told, you cheer and shout when you’re told, and you pantomime when you’re told…which is a lot harder than you think. Trying to clap and cheer without actually making any noise is quite the challenge. So the main characters of the story come onto set and are placed directly in front of, none other than our very own Kerri D., Annie D., Simon D., Eli C., Adam C., and Kara Jo M. So when you watch the movie for the 4th, 5th, or 6th time make sure to look behind Elise, Rachel and Bobby and you’ll see our very own budding superstars! We had more friends in the stands and I’ll let you play where’s waldo when the movie comes out On a side note I’m still not sure what my character was doing, I was wearing a Garaway Pirates shirt, but I was cheering for the Fire Fighters. Not by choice, but I think my character may have been suffering from identity issues. I think all our voices were shot and hoarse by the end of the day. I’ll post more later.

Best wishes,-Jacob

(Broad view of what the extras saw most of the day)

(Annie demanded hair and makeup, what a diva… just joking, everyone had a great time and everyone was a great sport about everything!)

Day four: movie set of Love Finds You in Sugarcreek Ohio

Today was catch-up day… for Mom and I. She had edits due on her next Amish Book Fearless Hope, and I needed to take care of some much needed computer work. But the film crew waits for no man! Well, except for maybe the main character, they’re kind of crucial to the whole story thing, who knew? I can however fill everyone in on the events that did take place today. So a lot of today’s scenes revolved around Joe and Bobby driving in their truck, before it breaks down, while it breaks down, and after it breaks down. We also introduced another character to the story, Eli (Ken) As most of you already know, Eli was the Amish man who helped Joe and Bobby in their many predicaments. Today we got to film Eli picking Joe and Bobby up, a lot of dialogue between Eli and Joe, and just some general Eli driving around in a buggy. Our Eli was an actor and although I did not get to witness it first hand, many of the film crew said he played a very convincing Amish man, and was stopped by a few tourists asking if he was Amish. (I’m sure the real Old Order Amish would have been able to spot him a mile away as an imposter, but for all intents and purposes, he did his part well) So after all the filming was finished, edits were wrapped up and computer work was accomplished, we got to help fulfill a veteran-wardrobe-expert’s dream. Christine, our resident wardrobe expert and master seamstress, had never seen a treadle sewing machine in action and had been wanting to for years. Since we’re in Amish country, and since Mom has an uncanny ability to befriend anyone with ears, we just so happened to have some Amish friends near by who happen to have a couple treadle machines (if you don’t know what one is, its basically a sewing machine powered by your feet, instead of a motor) We met up with Christine after the filming was done today and took her over to our Amish friend’s house. We ended up outside on lawn chairs in the pitch black for about 45 minutes waiting for our Amish friends to return from a wedding. Now I could go into detail about why we had to wait so long and why Thursday’s are reserved for weddings, instead of the traditional English Saturdays, and why the wedding starts at 8 in the morning and why the celebration doesn’t end till… well whenever people start leaving… but that would be too interesting and you would learn too much. So instead download Mom’s first hand account of a real Amish wedding and learn it that way: An Amish Wedding Invitation; An eShort Account of a Real Amish Wedding

Anyways, our Amish friends made it home, welcomed us in, and showed Christine how a non-electric treadle sewing machine works. You would’ve thought Christine had just opened the best Christmas present she’d ever seen, and was squealing over the experience. Our Amish friends were grinning from ear to ear from seeing someone so excited over something they took for granted. All and all, a good day, and its time to get my beauty rest for tomorrow’s big baseball game scene!

Best wishes,

-Jacob

(This is a traditional treadle sewing machine if anyone was wondering, not the one Christine used)

(Christine enjoying the treadle sewing machine immensely!)

Day three: movie set of Love Finds You in Sugarcreek Ohio

Day three started off with Amish boys chasing after a runaway horse and buggy barreling down Main street at 8:30 in the morning. The locals didn’t think much of it till they noticed no one was driving the buggy… for whatever reason the camera crew tracking along in the camera van wasn’t a dead give away… A majority of the scenes were shot on Main street today, utilizing the local Police dept. who helped block off and detour traffic. Watching Rachel (Sarah) driving the police cruiser around town with a massive camera rig attached to it was very interesting to witness. We also shot Joe (Tom) and Bobby (Thomas) at the mechanic’s garage when their truck breaks down. That shot was going great until the Worlds Largest Cuckoo Clock (click for more details) (which is right next to the garage) decided it was 12:30 and time to do what it does best… Play Polka music! (needless to say, the microphones were picking up the music a little too well) After that we moved to the local family medical center where Joe takes Bobby to be checked out. Then came the moment we all had been waiting for, Serena’s big role as the Cashier at the convenient mart! Let’s just say she needs to stick to writing… No, but seriously, she did just fine, minus the cash register not cooperating, noisy grocery bagging, and watching the thief blatantly steal Joe’s wallet… through the magic of editing… Voila! A perfectly executed scene! She was a nervous wreck, but she didn’t forget her line, not even once! Normally the crew doesn’t applaud after the final take, but this time they did, not sure if they were just happy to be done… or just so proud of her that she made it through Tom did an awesome job today playing Joe and is a pleasure to work with. He helped Mom get through her part and was cracking jokes all the time to help her feel at ease. He also made it a point to came over and inform me that I got a little too much sun yesterday. Thanks Tom!

Best wishes,

-Jacob

(This is starting to happen a lot around here, people from the crew and locals are seeking out the Author and getting her signature)

(Connie was back today to play an Amish woman in the background, shh, don’t tell her that her dress is on backwards… cause she already knows!)

(The crew setting up lighting and props to make being the cashier easier for Mom)

(Back behind the cameras and director’s monitors, we got to see on the sound booth’s monitors what was being captured)

Day two: movie set of Love Finds You in Sugarcreek Ohio

So day two was amazing as well. We shot the indoor/outdoor church scenes, the buggy ride to the picnic, and the picnic by the pond today. Weather was awesome and the talent was even better. Sarah and Tom are doing a great job bringing the characters to life and at one point during the picnic scene, Mom started to cry from happiness over Sarah’s ability to capture Rachel’s emotional telling of her father’s murder. (quote from Mom: “I never dreamed my words would ever be spoken as if they were real!”) Here are a couple photo’s that can’t even begin to explain what Mom is getting to experience here and a picture of Connie Troyer who edited the book and was thrilled she got to be an extra in the movie. (Go Connie!)  As for me, I’m on informational overload and loving every minute of it, and best thing of all, I’m not responsible for any of the technical stuff!

Kind regards

-Jacob

(Outside the church doing close-ups of the excitement over getting to go on a picnic)

(After capturing the footage of the buggy connected to the horse, and being driven by Tom (Joe), we needed footage of their faces while ridding in the buggy, this is part of the movie magic, by hitching the buggy to the van!)

(Connie Troyer and Serena)

 

First day on the movie set of Love Finds You in Sugarcreek Ohio

First off, all I can say is Wow! We arrived around noon, Monday, at “Base Camp” and were immediately whisked away to the filming location for that day. The sound manager (who has a Doctorate in sound!) handed us some headphones and we started to watch this chaotic organism come to life. The whole crew was just buzzing around us, knowing exactly what equipment to get, exactly where to set up, and rarely questioning the managers in charge of the different areas. They were all working extremely fast, efficient, and safely, trying to take the vision of the director and make it a reality. Everyone we’ve met has been very friendly and very excited to see Serena. Mom is a little overwhelmed and just received another assignment of edits for Fearless Hope, so I’ll be trying to keep everyone in the loop and will try to post pictures when I can.

Kind Regards

-Jacob

Free eBook! One day only!

The Measure of Katie Calloway is FREE all day Sunday (9/15) on Kindle (Amazon’s eBook service)

If you haven’t gotten a chance to experience the first book in this Michigan Lumber Camp Historical series or just want a digital copy of this award winning novel to call your own, come check it out and spread the word!

Here’s the link to the Amazon Kindle page: http://amzn.com/B005HF2V3W

Kind regards! -Jacob

P.S. You don’t need a “Kindle” to read Amazon’s digital eBooks, there is a Kindle App for Android devices and iPhones / iPads / iPods! (or you can even read it on your computer by downloading the Kindle App)

Attention Bargain Shoppers!!

A Promise To Love is normally listed at $14.99.

For August only, A Promise To Love has been chosen to be part of Kindle’s 100 promotion, which is 100 e-books they choose each month to sell for $3.99 (or less.) .

Other retailers, like Apple, Barnes & Noble, and CBD, (see links below)  have also chosen to put it on sale. This promotion ends 8/31/2013.

So–if anyone has been hesitating to download A Promise To Love–this is the month to get it!

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / CBD / iTunes