Today, April 25th, I shot new scenes for Before The Memories Fade. The shoot was in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky. Mt. Sterling is a very nice city which has the feel and architecture of the 1960s.It was an extremely windy and cloudy day with a T-Storm forecast. The rain held off, but I think the fear of it kept my extras away. This was both bad and good. It was bad because I did not have enough people to shoot a protest march. It was good, though, because one of my extras, Darren Simms, is a professional dog trainer, and he had two dogs and their owners meet us at the site. I wasn't originally planning on shooting scenes with the dogs today.
With Darren's help, I was able to shoot some very intense scenes involving the dogs. One scene was so intense that a passer-by in a truck stopped to help, not realizing it was part of a film.
The viciousness of the dogs, although leashed and tethered to their owners who controlled them using commands, caused everyone on site to do some reflecting of their own. "How could you stand there and take that," one extra said. "That's a whole other level of commitment."
The dogs weren't really in full attack mode but presented a ferocious sight. I cannot imagine having to suffer attacks by police dogs while being a non-violent protester. We felt the intensity as the dogs barked and foamed at the mouth trying to attack. All I can say is that I give even more respect to those who faced the violence during the movement.
We were able to shoot other set-ups involving protesters and signs before the rains ended the shoot day.
I'd like to thank the Mt. Sterling department of tourism for all of their help. I also hope to shoot a large protest there in May.
Some of the protesters take a minute to pose for the camera after the shoot.
From left to right: Willie, Jared, Darren, and Andrea.
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