What Do I Know?

Greetings and Salutations!

It’s been just over a month and a half since my last blog, during which I posted a few set photos from Raymond Did It. Since that blog, I have completed filming and begun the long road of postproduction. Don’t let the radio silence fool you, it’s been plenty o busy around the Plastic Age Productions offices. Here’s a little recap of how things have been progressing.

I MADE A MOVIE!

Paige (Elissa Dowling), Simon (Ty Yaeger), Jayme (Jessica Palette), and Tim (Steven Lee Edwards) gather at Jayme's house to discuss the plan.

First and foremost I have filmed my first feature (try saying THAT five times fast when you’re drunk!) Working with a truly amazing cast and an incredibly competent and skilled crew, we were able to complete principal photography on Raymond Did It in a mere 12 days! The movie is “in the can” as they say in the biz, and our truly badass editor Robert J. Williams is hard at work cracking out trailers, rough cuts, and making sure that this will be the best horror film of the year!

Working with such talented performers as Kyle Hoskins, Lindsay Felton, Elissa Dowling, Jessica Palette, Ty Yaeger, Steven Lee Edwards, Jake Skiba, Valerie Meachum, and Linda Cieslik was a treat and a joy. We were able to make our ambitious shooting schedule because each performer was utterly prepared and totally professional every single day. The performances were beyond my expectations and if I’d had a million dollars (which we most certainly did not), I would have made exactly the same choices.

I don’t have the words to describe the charge I felt every day coming onto set and knowing that great actors and actresses were going to be looking to me for guidance and direction. Even better were the rare moments when the hectic pace of the set calmed down and the shock of the situation faded away and I realized that I was up to the task and we were making it happen together! This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life and I CANNOT WAIT to get onto the next one!

Tammy (Lindsay Felton) hears a noise outside her home.

Beyond the incredible cast we had, our crew were indispensable. Kim Brown and Josh Young did an admirable job trying to keep our runaway train on something resembling a schedule. Kelly Weisheit got us AMAZING source audio in less than amazing conditions. Neil Bloom stepped up to the plate to kick a little 2nd unit tail. Eric Steiner, Jake Skiba, Sam Narum, Jose Galarza, Brian Shelton, Shawndra Bateson, Ariel Griffith, Stephanie Nissen, Tyler Edwards, Rachel Huffman, and Mandy Abbott formed an AMAZING crew support system, often delivering the impossible in inconcievable timeframes.

Our makeup department led by Joey Grimmett and Mikey Hallgren for FX did a SUPERB job and gave us gore the likes of which has caused several people physical illness to behold! These guys know their guts!

Art Director (and all purpose Swiss Army crew) Raven Burleson not only gave us pretty places to film in, but ran around patching holes and bailing water every time the boat started to threaten to sink.

Jake Schumaker, Tyler Edwards, and Gary Lake remodeled a house for us in the middle of production. Even a tree falling upon it couldn’t slow these cats down, and their efforts were herculean. Fortunately, I feel it shows in the film!

Gary Lake also made the infamous blood cannon…

…so to say his services were indispensable is an understatement.

Of course, we would have had naught but a stage play before a captive crew audience if not for the astonishing camera work of Tim Stotz, our DP who masterfully took a few words I scratched out on paper and turned it into a visual masterpiece.

Sarah Honchar took a break from documentary work to wrangle gigs upon gigs of video data for us, and still had the gusto to do a little cage dancing for our party scene. I won’t spoil it for you, but it earned her the nickname “boots.”

Our talent was kept well fed and their hair beautifully styled by Octane Interlounge and Fuzz Salon owner Daniel Minick. Incidentally, Dan’s magical tea also kept me alive and sane, and I cannot possibly speak highly enough of his involvement in keeping our production going!

Lastly, fellow Rockfordian filmmaker Chris Engler came out to lend a hand and hold up the world for Tim while he had to step away from set on other business. Fortunately for chriss, we were shooting one of the coolest exteriors of the film, IMHO that day.

Tammy (lindsay Felton) seeks out her stalker.

We were even lucky enough to score a visit to set from TILT’s Phil Holbrook, Jessica King and Julie Keck! Julie even stopped to interview me, which made me feel all special and fuzzy on the inside.

So many people put in so much hard work on making this film happen. I am pleased to say that I am incredibly proud of everyone’s hard work and that I have faith that the final product will floor audiences! So from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

Unfortunately, the 500 things on my todo list must cut this blog a bit short. Coming soon: What I Did On My Summer Vacation Part 2: I Need A Hero!

Thanks,

Travis