Casting call – We are still looking for additional cast in all age groups, but particularly men who are 17 – 30 years old. Check the “Casting” page for more details and other cast news.
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.