Ana's Playground

Day 4

admin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:44:28 +0000

More amazing footage today. This is a wonderful group of people. Each participant is completely committed to making this film extraordinary.

My brain is fried.

Day 3

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:11:13 +0000

Ugggg.

Very cold today. This day was the absolute toughest day I’ve ever had on set. And - I think we got some phenomenal footage. According to my shot list - we’ve got everything we need up to this point.

Tomorrow the weather looks terrible. Our cast and crew will need to face into the wind to get this done. Send us your good vibes - all of your support has been truly inspiring and is what keeps many of us going through this.

On to day 4 - our last day outside.

Day 2

admin — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:34:18 +0000

Another great day. Got a little behind due to the constant avoidance of direct sunlight. We need to make up some time on Wednesday. Everything is looking beautiful.

Day 1

admin — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:04:19 +0000

A great day. We got some BEAUTIFUL stuff. I love our crew. I love our cast.

I’m going to bed. Keep us in your thoughts.

Do a little dance.

admin — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:40:12 +0000

Five years ago - maybe a bit more - I wrote “Ana’s Playground”. I can’t even begin to count the blessings and the hurdles that I’ve experienced to get the project to this point. I’ve been embraced by so many generous people who have done everything in their power to make this film a reality. I am in awe of them. I’ve also been duped by a few cons and unsavory types. I never imagined how difficult it would be to get to this point. Do I feel excited? Yes. But most of my excitement will come next Sunday when I wake up and we’ve wrapped on principle photography. Right now it is my turn to deliver a film. To give my all to everyone on this project that have given so much to get it to this point.

To anyone reading this, please say a prayer, cross your fingers, or do your little dance for this production. Keep our talented cast and crew safe from harm, keep them happy and well fed, keep them inspired and passionate. Keep the film from scratching, the locals from getting upset with us, and our sets from blowing over. Keep the coffee hot, the stuntmen diligent, and the producers alert. Keep the cameras in focus, the props from breaking, and the special effects realistic. Get us all through the next six days with smiles on our faces and a sense of pride in our hearts. And don’t let me mess it up.

6:30 AM call time. November 17, 2008. Day 1 of Principle Photography for “Ana’s Playground”.

Camera Prep

admin — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:52:50 +0000

Everything got VERY real today. Our gear from Panavision arrived and our camera crew prepped the 2 35mm cameras that we will film with. It was quite impressive to walk into the office and see everything set up. Our 2nd Camera & Crane operator Craig Peterschmidt noticed that one of our lenses was quite old and most of the finish had been worn off the focus ring. It made us take pause to wonder what moments in cinema history that lens had captured. A close up of Paul Newman in “The Sting”? Maybe DeNiro in ‘Goodfellas”. I wonder…..

A vintage lens.

Craig tinkering.

My pal Sampson trying to help.

Camera Banter.

Learning from the pros.

admin — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:59:30 +0000

We are so honored to have a Leo Gibson as our soccer coach for “Ana’s Playground”. Our cast was really excited to meet Leo as most of them had seem him play professionally. It was quite fun to watch him coach these kids. He is one of those soft spoken, gentle souls that moves with grace. He has phenomenal footwork and can place a soccer ball effortlessly on any mark. A real joy to watch. I think the kids had a blast.

Thank you to the Minnesota Thunder & Lightning for their official endorsement of our film and to Leo Gibson for donating his time to teach our kids. Incidentally, Leo is from the country of Liberia and lived through the tyranny of Charles Taylor.

Leo Gibson coaching the cast of Ana's Playground.

Surprise! We built you a tank.

admin — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:53:17 +0000

Very early on our Production Designer David Weiberg came to me and said “Nothing says war-zone like a destroyed tank”. He showed me a photograph, and I agreed. I then told him - “There is no way we could do that on this budget”.

6 weeks later (yesterday) Dave invited me to his shop. The sound you are hearing right now is me chewing on my foot. Take a look at the beginnings of our tank. The entire art department kept this little nugget as a secret from me. The guys at Minnefex continue to amaze me.

Our tank. Pre-paint.

The big guns!

Made of styrofoam and wood. Can you believe it!?

Final Prep Week

admin — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 03:41:49 +0000

We launched our final prep week with a full production meeting. Every department head gathered at our production office and we went through our shooting schedule line-by-line. Many questions came up, answers were found - and everyone left to finish off the final preparations before production begins on Monday the 17th.

Final Production Meeting

Need Magazine

admin — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 02:49:49 +0000

Hey - Make sure to go to your nearest Barnes & Noble to buy a copy of Need Magazine. They are our official media sponsor and have been an amazing supporter of our efforts. You will be amazed at this publication - the stories and the photographs are stunning. Please support them.
Check out the FULL PAGE ad they donated to us in their latest publication: ana002-ad-layout-proof