Day 01 - Fort Qu'Appelle (Part 1)

It's finally here! The shoot has begun! We started out the day meeting everyone at the university to load up props, equipment and snacks. We'll have to stop by C's studio every morning to load up before heading out to the different locations, then come back afterwards to store everything again overnight.

C's studio packed full of filmmaking goodness.

We had to be packed up and in Fort Qu'Appelle (an hour drive east) by noon.

Careful with that camera, Andrew!

Kristine hauls her fake rock prop through the food court.

While we were loading up the car and trailer, we ran into Chris St. Amand in the woodshop working on the ship's wheel prop. This thing is going to be awesome!

Looks good so far.

Thank God (and Jackie) for this trailer. We don't know what we would've done without it!

Whoa! Andrew's on fire already!

Go-o-o-o-o-o-o-o Sisu!

After an hour's drive east, we reached Fort Qu'Appelle and the home of The Hardings, who are friends of our previous art director, Brette, and who agreed to let us shoot on their property. Thanks The Hardings!

The weather was gusty and cold with a few sprinkles here and there. We were all willing the rain to stay away.

Let's do this thing!

The Hardings had a small cabin which we were allowed to use as a staging area for our equipment, costumes and food. The first order of business was getting Don into his costume and then having a little snack.


Then it was time to start shooting. The first shot of the production was a simple shot of Tom walking which will be part of a larger walking montage.

It may not look like Minnesota in the 1910's, but it'll work.

Like I mentioned, this is all supposed to be part of a montage of Tom walking from Minnesota to Saskatchewan, so C had to get a lot of shots of Don walking through different terrain and backdrops.


After a few shots of Don walking, it was time to head up the hill behind the Hardings house. There's a nice flat prairie-looking spread up there, plus a nice shot of the lake which we'll use as a Minnesota lake.

It may not look it, but that hill was tall and STEEP. It was quite a bit of huffing to get all the equipment and sandbags up there. The gusty winds didn't help much either.

"Push on to the summit!"

It was even colder and windier up on top of the hill. We managed to get a few shots off before a menacing-looking storm front started bearing down on us from across the lake. We had to scramble back down the hill and waited out the rain back in the cabin.

C and Kristine and Dauminique hang out while the camera is set up.

Don stands out in the grass so we can focus the camera on him.

D chats with Tom Sukanen between takes.

"Here comes the rain! Hurry up and get the shot!"

The storm front ended up being just a heavy sprinkle and it only lasted a few minutes, but it did give us a chance to regroup and enjoy more snacks.

Day 01 - Fort Qu'Appelle (Part 2)