We are planning to shoot on Friday, July 9th and Saturday, July 10th.

We also may potentially shoot on the following Friday and Saturday, July 16th & 17th.

Our schedule is dependent on the weather, and plans may have to be changed.

Filming is a time-consuming process, even for short scenes. You should plan on being on the set for the entire filming period, or until you are dismissed by the director. We will try to get all the crowd scenes done first in order to free up the greatest number of people, but depending on the scene, that may take up to several days of filming. Once you have been recorded on film, it is important that you participate until your portion of the scene is complete.

We will provide lunch and supper meals on the site for the time that you are with us. Please plan to eat a good breakfast before you come. If you have any special dietary needs, please feel free to bring something with you that will be compatible with your diet. Since meal times can sometimes be delayed because of filming needs, it is suggested that you bring a small snack with you in case you get hungry.

There is parking near the location. The filming site is a short walk from the parking area.

You will be asked to sign a release when you check in at the start of the filming day. This is a document that gives us your permission to use your image or property in our film. This must be signed before you will be able to participate.

What to bring:

Water in a clear bottle, sunscreen, insect repellent, snack (granola bar is suggested) and something to read or do during “down time.” Please be sure your name is on all items that belong to you.

What to wear – Men:

• Light (but not pure white) shirts without button-down collars. Band-collar or Henley shirts are good, too. Vertical stripes are okay, but no tiny check prints.
  Dark colors would not be appropriate, as it is summertime.
• Four-in-hand tie or bow tie.
• Suspenders, especially if they button onto the slacks you are wearing.
• Slacks of coarse-woven fabric or cotton pants
• Some could wear vest sweaters, especially Argyle or similar patterns.
• A few could wear suits with 3- or 4-button jackets. Vested suits are okay, or vests without jackets.
• Fedora hats or “Newsboy” caps (with 8-piece crowns and a snap fastening it to the bill).
• Leather tie shoes with thin soles (prefer that they not have rubber soles with deep grooves or lugs).
• Men could also wear overalls.
• Men’s hair – In the 1920s, hair was short around the ears and the back, but long on top.
• Men did not wear facial hair in the 20s, nor did they wear their hair long.

What to wear – Ladies:

• Straight dresses with short or cap sleeves and collars. Styles with a drop waist, off-center details, such as pleats or a long vertical row of buttons are especially good. One or two-color prints, especially geometric designs, and solid colors are best.
• Tunic-length blouses with a bottom band, collar, and ties. Solid pastel colors and cream or beige (no deep colors, as it is summertime).
• Straight or pleated skirts, or skirts with pleated sections, vertical rows of buttons. Some could have small patch pockets. No pants of any kind.
• Tunic-length cardigan (“boyfriend”) sweaters in light or medium colors are good.
• “Mary Jane” or T-strap shoes with low or squash heels in fabric or leather are good. Lighter colors would be best, as this is a day wear scene. No spike heels or open toe styles. Cut-work designs around the foot opening are especially nice.
• It would be wise for ladies to wear a full slip in case we need to provide one of our dresses for you to wear.

What to wear – Boys:

• Shirts–same as men (see above).
• Knickers with dark colored knee socks and suspenders. Pre-schoolers can wear shorts and knee socks.
• “Newsboy” caps, but no “baseball” style caps
• Sailor outfits are timeless.
• Leather shoes, same as men (see above).
• Boys could also wear overalls.
• Boy’s hair – In the 1920s, hair was short around the ears and the back, but long on top.

What to wear – Girls:

• Simple A-line dresses with a scoop neckline or small collar and short sleeves.
  Smocking was popular in the 20s–on the yoke and cuffs. Sailor dresses were also worn. Drop-waist styles with pleated skirts are also good for older girls. Light colors are best for summertime.
• White or off-white knee socks or anklets (no frills or lace on the cuff, please).
• “Mary Jane” or T-strap shoes.

Everyone should come dressed for filming. If you are unsure what to wear, bring a couple of choices for us to see. We may ask you exchange the costume you bring with some of our wardrobe items.

Men’s overalls
Older work boots/shoes
Ties – solid, striped or art deco, modern width or wider
Jewelry – pearls or beads
Newsboy caps and fedora hats
Collar bars and white shirts that use them
Small clasp purses, beaded or plain
Ladies white gloves

If you have such an item for us, please drop it off at Unusual Films or contact Fred Pachter at fpachter@bju.edu.

Momentum for shooting continues to increase, especially as we see spring blooms start to peek out and realize that it won’t be long before summer like weather and foliage will allow us to shoot our outdoor scenes.

One thing that filmmakers learn is that filmmaking is essentially like solving a series of problems.  In theory, once the problems are solved, you begin to have a film in your hands.  Currently, we are working on finalizing locations.  Taking on a period film (in this case, the Twenties) means that locations need to be chronologically right.  It turns out that a few things have changed since 1927!  For a film like this, it is crucial to find places that time has forgotten and that, ideally, are located within a reasonable distance of our home base in Greenville.

Potential finds:

The script calls for a mill exterior.  You would think that in this part of the country you’d just have to throw a rock from front campus and hit two or three, but actually that isn’t the case.  The textile industry has undergone great change in recent years and many mills have closed.  Most mills of the right vintage have burned down, been converted into other uses (such as condos), are too derelict to use without a lot of time and expense in repairs, or don’t meet the needs of the script.  We have looked at dozens and have narrowed down our possibilities to a few that aren’t too far away.   The mill building with the strongest possibilities may have some other issues, though, so we may still be on the hunt for this exterior.

It looks as if we’ve found a wonderful location for our auditorium scenes.  There is a school auditorium that was built during the right period and is not too far from Greenville.  The gentleman in charge of it is in the process of having the interior renovated to an authentic look, and we will probably be able to use it.  This building is fascinating—it still has a metal-lined projection booth that was originally used for projecting old nitrate-based films, which were very flammable.  Even though we won’t need the projection booth, we can probably use this building for interiors and exteriors.

We’ve also found a historic home with extensive grounds that will probably serve for some exteriors and interiors. This one took a while to locate, since most of the homes we have found that would work otherwise are located in busy urban areas.  Shooting interiors here will save us from having to build these on the sound stage, which will help with time and budget.

One great find is a vintage ball field in North Georgia with spectator stands that look appropriate for the 1920s.  The script calls for several ball fields, but this will probably serve as our main one.  It needs some work, which we have already begun, and it should give the film a good look.

Still looking:

The script also calls for a vintage railroad trestle.  Because of state and federal regulations, getting permission to be on a railroad track is nearly impossible; but the script calls for a lot of action to happen right on the track and trestle.  Our best bet is to find a railroad that is privately owned and out of use but still intact.  We’re still working on that one and are following some leads.

Another needed location is a mill village, or at least several houses in a row that would look “right.”  Mill villages are generally made of up of rows of small square houses that look similar to each other. The houses were originally built by the mills to be rented to the people who worked in the mills.  There are many mill villages in the area that have outlived the mills, but the homes have been too updated to use for our film.  What we need are mill houses that do NOT have added carports, vinyl or aluminum siding, chainlink fencing, or other modern updates.  On the other hand, they can’t look as if they are completely abandoned and falling to pieces.  That’s a tall order.  And to be picky and follow the script, we need at least one of the houses to have a front porch.

Some of the other spots still being hunted are a downtown “town” area, a building that could serve as a 20′s-era hospital exterior and a water tower.

All in all, the crew has spent many hours in the office and on the road researching the possibilities.  George Rogier has driven just about every back road in the upstate of South Carolina and in Western North Carolina while looking for possibilities, and larger groups have gone back to scout his main finds.  He thinks he may have driven enough miles to get to Alaska and back by now!  We’ve also discovered that Google Maps satellite and street views are our friends and have done a lot of preliminary searching that way.

As the locations are found one by one, the film continues to takes shape—and we look forward to shooting soon.

Well, at UNUSUAL FILMS, the seeds of the new 1920s Baseball Film are in the soil, and a lot has been going on under the surface.  Here’s just a sampling.

Researching. As Christian filmmakers it behooves us to strive for excellence in every aspect of production.  And just as that principle holds true for camera, sound, and lighting, it applies to the accurate representation of the time and location where our story takes place.  So the UNUSUAL FILMS staff, assisted by the students in the Department of Cinema and Video Production, has studied the clothing, hair styles, vehicles, architecture, home décor and furnishings, and textile baseball leagues of the 1920s.  They’ve gathered hundreds of period photographs, books, magazine and journal articles, attended conferences, visited museums, and interviewed experts on the subject.

Traveling. In particular, their investigation led them to the only period mill still operating in North America–at a museum in Lowell, Massachusetts.  It also led them to the other end of the East Coast, to Deerfield Beach, Florida, where a costume house with one of the largest inventories in the country has its headquarters.  Another costume rental outlet–one that specializes in historic baseball uniforms and equipment–was discovered on the West Coast.  They’ve also discovered an intact baseball stadium, where the textile teams actually played, and visited a number of mills, which, though no longer in operation, can be used for exteriors as well as interior shots of stairwells and entryways.

Creating. Since many things that were commonplace during the 1920s are no longer readily available, the staff and students are busy making props–those small personal items that the actors are called upon to handle.  One example is the lunch buckets that the mill workers typically carried.  Another is the hundreds of items that would appear in a general store of the period, complete with historical label designs.

Costuming. In connection with the staff of the Costume, Makeup and Wig Department at Rodeheaver Auditorium, a number of garments have been designed and created for the film.  Like the props above, these items are not readily available, or are in limited supply through rental outlets, so they need to be made–or what garments are available must be modified to depict 1920s fashion. This includes everything from period undergarments, to knickers, to “newsboy” style hats for men and cloche hats for ladies.

Casting. Nearly six hundred volunteers were interviewed, photographed, and measured for costumes during the two major cast calls in the summer and fall.  Screen tests are being conducted for the major roles in the film, and they will continue over the next several weeks.

Procuring. UNUSUAL FILMS was able to purchase a reproduction Model T Ford truck, and plans are in place to modify it so that it can be used in several scenes to represent more than one vehicle.  A new jib boom and doorway dolly are now available for the camera department’s use.  A number of antique dealers have been approached about loaning furniture and other items to the department when it is time to decorate sets on the sound stage.

Praying. Without the Lord’s blessing upon our efforts, all our work–no matter how excellent or well-planned or thoroughly researched it is–would be in vain.  We want to produce a vehicle that opens men’s hearts to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we are earnestly praying that the final product will be something God can use in the lives of real people, real souls, who “will live somewhere forever,” as the University’s Founder, Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. used to say.

Yes, a lot of preparation work is taking place around the UNUSUAL FILMS Studio, and, like the seedlings in the farmer’s garden, the much anticipated sprouts–the actual shooting of scenes–will soon appear.  Then comes the harvest, setting the table, and finally the banquet–showing the final product to audiences around the country.  Please join us in prayer that the fruit of our labor will feed souls for the Kingdom of God.

During the summer, several hundred people were screened, photographed, measured and interviewed for possible roles in the film. Some even got opportunities to demonstrate their baseball playing skills! Some have been called back for more extensive screentesting for various roles and final decisions for key parts will be made soon. Because of several scenes that involve large crowds, we anticipate that anyone who volunteered to be in the film will have an opportunity to participate.

New Producer – The Unusual Films crew welcomes our new producer, Dr. Darren Lawson, to the production team. Dr. Lawson is the Dean of the School of Fine Arts and Communication at BJU, and he will be a great asset in coordinating the film efforts with the many Fine Arts folks who will participate in the filming or the music elements in the film. Dr. Lawson has already made a location scouting trip to a working textile mill museum in Massachusetts to see if it will be suitable for shooting mill interiors.

Props/Costumes – Thanks to the committed efforts of the summer crew, we have made a great start on making and gathering needed costumes and props for the production. The local thrift shops probably know our costume department folks well by now, because we’re on the hunt for lots of pairs of worn overalls. The University’s costume department has begun making baseball uniforms, since the script calls for several mill teams to be outfitted, as well as knickers and other costume pieces for scenes with a kids’ team. The summer crew salvaged wood from a mill that was being demolished and have made many feet of fencing that will be used to give an authentic flavor to the ball fields. They also made a huge quantity of props and sculpted several ball fields for use as locations.

One real find for us was a 1920’s era Model T truck. The truck was purchased in Missouri and Steve Ross and John Murray drove there to pick it up. No doubt the truck will show up in several configurations in the film. In the meantime, it probably is getting more than a few second glances as it sits in its current berth in the University’s parking garage. Model T’s are not the usual student vehicle!

Research - One essential element of outfitting a period film is extensive research so that we can be sure that period details are authentic. Even small details such as the right number of buttons on a sleeve are important to check. Nothing can be assumed; everything has to be authenticated, preferably with photographs. Research sources for this film have included everything from 1920’s era Sears catalogs to online oral histories from mill workers.

Locations – We continue to look for locations that will be compatible with our 20s-era film. George Rogier has been covering the Upstate for months looking for exteriors that we can use. At present, our most urgent needs are for a large Victorian house in good condition that is not closely surrounded by other buildings or a neighborhood, and a mill exterior. The summer crew toured a number of mill sites but building decay or modern renovations have eliminated some of the local possibilities. Unfortunately, with the decline of the textile mill industry in South Carolina, many mills have closed and a lot of the buildings have been demolished, destroyed by fire, or have been converted to other uses that do not fit with the script.

However, most of our ball field locations have been selected, which has given the crew time to prepare them and groom them so that they can take on the mature look that they need before we use them for filming.

Campus help – As usual, the University community has already been very helpful and supportive of the film production. The Lord has blessed our productions with people with talents in many areas who contribute to the progress of the production. One group that always rises to the occasion is the Dining Common. Their cheerful willingness to accommodate our needs—and our peculiar schedule—makes the production go much more efficiently. A hungry crew is seldom productive.

This summer has been quite an adventure. I have not regretted volunteering for this film one bit. It has been trying but fun. Even though we are still in pre-production, there has been a lot to do. We have built 200 feet of period 1920’s fence. We have driven to many areas of the Carolinas to see what locations will work well for the film. We have also spent hours on casting going through hundreds of prospective actors and seeing who will fit for the film.

The one thing that’s really made this production enjoyable for me is the people. The volunteer crew is a lot of fun to work with. On top of that, the faculty and staff are amazing. You can tell that they truly care about the volunteer student crew. We have been getting together for meetings every day to keep us all up-to-date on where we are on production and, even more importantly, praying each morning before we start the day, even if it’s just a general cleanup day.  Working on this film has really brought us all together, and I have made some amazing friends.

If there is any lesson I have learned from this production, it is to stay close to God. I am never happier than when I am staying close to Him. The joy of knowing that He is right there by my side through the good and the bad is a real comfort in hard times.

This production has reminded me of the life of John the Baptist. It may seem like he did not accomplish much, but the truth is that his mission was one of the greatest that’s ever been done. He spent about 30 years in preparation for a ministry that only lasted for 6 months. In essence, he prepared for 30 years for a 6-month job! At first glance that may seem discouraging, but when you look at the big picture, John the Baptist was given one of the most important missions in history: preparing the way for the Lord. He was the herald for the Messiah and introduced Him to the world. He spent much time in preparation even though the actual moments of his mission were considerably small. His task was a great importance, and Jesus, the Lord of the universe, called him “the greatest of the prophets.”

We have literally spent hundreds of hours on research and design of period props for a country store. Each of the props has been designed in the computer and then created. This has taken both time and patience as the process has been repeated over and over. It occurred to me one day after working on these country store props for two months that all of the things we had been making would probably only appear in one scene for about five minutes. This realization was crazy to me. All that time for a few seconds! How much more work would it take for the rest of the film? This was discouraging to me at first, but I realized that I needed to look at the big picture. Like John the Baptist’s mission of introducing the Messiah, who is the most important being in the whole universe, this movie brings the most important message in the whole universe: salvation through Jesus Christ. That is why I must give my best as I work on this film.

Costumes are a challenge. Research, research and more research is a must when it comes to doing a period film. I have learned patience through the process of deciding what will be appropriate for a character to wear in order to be historically accurate. Many times we have had to double check and rethink a lot, and it has been stretching. It has been a temptation to get discouraged and to think that all the work is for nothing because tomorrow we will have to redo everything we did today. That is when I’ve had to refocus my thinking and realize that all the effort is for God. It doesn’t matter if everything I’ve worked on this summer is thrown out the window later on for something better. My job right now is to help move this project forward for the Lord. He has a purpose for everything and for putting this crew together this summer.

As I’ve worked with everyone, I’ve realized over and over again that people are the most important thing. The Lord never lost sight of the needs of those around Him because He was too busy. This truth has rebuked me, and I’ve realized that I should not get so focused on a project that I forget to look around and see the needs of those around me.

This summer has been one of the most exciting and educational of my life.  Not only have I had the opportunity to practically apply the concepts I have learned as a Cinema and Video Production student, but I have grown in my ability to work as a team player.  It is such an amazing experience to see 30 people working extremely hard for the same goal—creating a film that will glorify Him.  When things get difficult, the team is the one that keeps things going and makes sure the morale stays high. It’s easy to think that you can accomplish more on your own, but I have learned this summer that it takes the entire team to make filmmaking successful.

Working on the most recent Unusual Films production has been an amazing experience for me. Through the work that I have been doing on this production, such as building props, casting, and many other things, I have not only gained practical film-making experience, but I have also gained a deeper understanding of God. Since the very beginning of the summer, the guys on the crew have been meeting every night in the dorms to pray for this project specifically and anything related to it. We have seen answers to everything from just giving the crew strength to choosing the cast and locations and even acquiring a model TT Ford. We have seen many specific prayer requests answered and are always amazed at how God chooses to efficiently solve problems in His own timing and not in ours.

I’ve really enjoyed working on the production this summer. I’ve been working on building fences and scoreboards for the baseball fields, wagons for children, and building various other props needed. Recently, I’m working on coming up with a system to catalog all the clothing for the costume department.

Casting

Much of the film’s success will depend on the actors who are cast in the main roles.  Please pray for the production crew as these final decisions are made, and that the film might be a blessing to those who participate in the cast as well as the audience who eventually sees the finished product.

Direction

Pray for director Tim Rogers as he works with all the other departments, making the creative decisions for the film.

Production Management

Pray for Production Manager Steve Ross as he works with property owners and obtains permissions for renovation and shooting.   He is also working out the production shooting schedule, and must juggle weather, seasons (for exteriors), location availability, cast schedules, academic needs, etc.

Art Direction

Pray for Terry Davenport as he continues to work with the crew on designing props and sets for the film. Also please pray for them as they scout locations and work on costume designs.

Technical Effects

In order to expand the film visually, some of the shots will be augmented digitally.  Please pray for John Murray and David Rogers as they work on digital models and the compositing pipeline for the technical effects needed for the film.

Locations

Much of the film takes place in exterior locations.  Please pray that the Lord will open the doors we need for filming, and that he will guide George Rogier as he searches for the needed location sites.