On Location: "Awake O' Sleeper"

i have a confession to make: i'm not what you may think i am. yes, by day i may be a mild-mannered photographer. but by... well, also by day... i work in the film industry. and, no, that does not mean i work for blockbuster of des moines, iowa. (see the video here: "awake o' sleeper.")

actually, i've been acting since i discovered fake tears could get me coca-cola instead of milk in my bottle. that progressed to lots of stage roles throughout my school days. my career has since taken a back seat to my photographic pursuits, dwindling to an occasional film set.

this time it was the set of "awake o' sleeper" produced by whitestone motion pictures, a tremendously talented group of young filmmakers who, i might add, are more fun than a barrel of monkeys to work with. more importantly, in return for our blood, sweat and tears over three days of shooting, director brandon mcCormick and his posse kept us all supplied with the one thing i still require as an actor: plenty of ice cold coca-cola (even if it wasn't in a baby bottle).

as you may guess, making movies isn't so glamorous as the finished product makes it seem. the last three days of shooting have begun with very early and very muggy mornings. fortunately, we were blessed with a crack team of effects artists led by veteran bill johnson who kept the makeup looking... well, disgusting, not to put too fine a point on it.

here, director brandon mcCormick explains the acting process to the film's hero, played by jackson walker. "you're not actually a cowboy," he explained. "you're only pretending. just repeat the words i wrote for you in the script. and, for heaven's sake, don't bring the script on set again while we're filming!"

how 'bout them wheels, huh? after months of searching online, the whitestone crew found this perfectly suited chevy apache rotting in someone's yard. a real bargain at $5.

you couldn't hope to meet a nicer villain than this guy. on screen he's a holy terror. on set he's a saint -- a gentle giant, always encouraging, and with a great sense of humor to boot. but, as seen below, he can pack a mean punch, too.

before...

...after

the actors portraying prisoners, including me and mark ashworth (above), got more than we bargained for, too. the authentic shackles we wore for what seemed hours on end dug into ankles and caused lots of authentic pain and swelling. no makeup required! (above is one of the lion's head belt loops worn to chain prisoners together.)

above, from beneath a shady umbrella, brandon mcCormick enjoys watching our suffering on his monitor. to get a first-hand look at his vision, check out www.whitestonemotionpictures.com.