Well I’m back home in Raleigh even though I left a small part of my “Hollywood heart” in Milwaukee. My feet are not entirely back on the ground yet…I’m still floating from those 3 days of movie making magic. Movie: "NO GOD, NO MASTER"
FIRST DAY ON SET (Friday)
How to begin. On Friday I walked on the perimeter of the set for the first time and lo and behold before me sitting in those classic Hollywood set chairs were none other than 2 of the stars of the movie…David Strathairn and Sam Witwer. I thought I had died and gone to movie heaven. And that was just the beginning. Also on set that afternoon was the lead actress Mariano Klaveno who is doing her first movie ( she has a prominent role recently on “True Blood”, the HBO vampire series as a vampire who is the “maker” of Bill, the lead vampire). She’s a lovely young actress whom I chatted with that day. I told her she looked lovely, especially without the vampire teeth…she chuckled.
They were filming on a street next to the beautifully renovated Milwaukee Town Hall during the afternoon then moved inside for 2 courtroom scenes, one of which I was in as a non-speaking lawyer extra. I sat immediately behind the Sacco and Vanzetti characters. Let me tell you , Alessandro Mario, who plays Vanzetti, is a genuine Italian from south of Sicily . He a very popular Italian TV star but this is his first American movie. And he is hot and intense. You ladies are going to like this guy. Sacco is played by James Madio, an Italian/American actor who you’ll recognize from some movies but especially from the HBO series, “Band of Brothers”. I chatted with both of them and they were nice and charming.
Also, during a break between the 2 courtroom scenes being filmed, we were introduced to David Strathairn and Sam Witwer and had a chance for pictures and chatting. I spoke briefly to Witwer but spent some fascinating time chatting with Strathairn. Mainly we talked about the book I had just read, “Julie and Julia” which is coming out as a movie this weekend. I mentioned that he was referred to in the book by Julie as an actor she had a crush on before she got married…that she had even cooked him a cake to try to get his attention…then after she was married and doing the Julia Child cooking thing, she sent him cookies when he was performing again in NYC. Well, Strathairn did not know that he was in the book and said he’d have to read the book….that was very interesting.
To finish the first day/night on the set, I was a non-speaking lawyer-extra for the big courtroom scene where Sacco and Vanzetti give their final statements before being sentenced. I will be in the scene as I am sitting on the first row behind S & V.
SECOND DAY ON SET (Saturday)
On the next day they starting filming around 1 PM and went until 11 Pm. It included several Wall Street scenes with an explosion, old 20’s style cars (gorgeous preserved authentic cars), and all 4 of the lead male actors. I met and talked with Witwer’s best friends, his Godson and his Dad, who is also a lawyer. I went to supper with everyone…it was catered in a nearby Church and everyone..ALL cast, crew, extras and visitors go together and eat together for the meals…good food.
THIRD DAY ON SET ( MONDAY)
My last day on set was Monday. It started around 1 PM and went to 1:15 AM…these people really work hard. By the way the last take of the day/night is call “the martini” ..I don’t know why, but it is kinda neat. The location was at the old Pabst Brewery Co site which shut down in the 90s when the company moved its operations to California. The filming included another bomb explosion of a boy on a bicycle and then several night scenes with Strathairn, Witwer and Mario.
GENERAL COMMENTS/OBSERVATIONS
I was given as much free reign on the set as is possible because I was a ‘VIP” investor guest. I was savvy enough to learn quickly so by the second day on set I knew where to be and not be and how to blend in with the crew. My only distinguishing item was my UNC Tar Heel hat that I wore proudly and also for protection from the sun.
This was truly a unique experience due to the friendly attitude of everyone and the fact that they treated their VIPs so very well. The Director’s wife, Anna Marie, and her assistants, Janice and Gayla, were super hostesses and did all they could to make the visit truly memorable. However, I don’t think they had met anyone quite as enthusiastic and in love with movies as I. They could tell that I was in movie heaven and loving EVERY minute of it.
I talked with cast and crew ( from the Director, Terry Green, right down to the assistant to the assistant) as well as the extras and family and friends of the cast, crew and extras, and the other VIP guests.
The shooting of the movie will continue until around August 15-20…all in and about Milwaukee. Then it goes to musical and sound enhancement, other fine tuning and editing. It should be “in the can” by late fall for presentation to film festivals such as Montreal and Sun Dance..even the Berlin festival and hopefully will be in the theatres by mid 2010.
As you can tell this was a dream come true for me and exceeded my greatest expectations by a country mile. My sweet wife, Sara, was uniquely understanding and wise in her decision to let me go do this on my own so I could flit around to my heart’s content without a care in the world. That’s why I love her so.
Well, I could go on and on, and if I have rambled too long it’s because I can’t contain the joy of the experience and wanted to share it with you while it was still so fresh and vivid. At some point I’ll have pictures to share but I must first get clearance and it may not come until the picture is out. I do hope to have at least a couple of pictures of me in my 1920’s suit and tie with buck shoes for my “scene”…I think I look rather dapper.
I’ll keep you posted on the progress of the film.

Clark

: