Location Scouting IV
May 4th, 2006 : by Will MooreThis weekend will mark the fourth time I have traveled to Fagan’s Ranch and gone location scouting. I will spend Friday night at his ranch, then Saturday and most of Sunday we will travel around the small town of Tivoli – which is where we will be shooting the majority of the movie – looking for the remainder of locations as well as meeting with business owners to ask permission to shoot in their establishments.
Just a nugget… but Tivoli is at the intersection of State highways 35 and 239, near the mouth of the Guadalupe River in northeastern Refugio County. It was founded by rancher and entrepreneur Preston R. Austin in 1907 and named after his Tivoli Ranch. It is the definition of a one light town and I fell in love with the place while shooting Wesley Cash. The cast and crew would frequently have breakfast tacos at Cannales Café on Sunday mornings and many a night were spent at the Neon Moon, a double wide trailer that’s been converted into a bar – complete with disco ball and dance floor.
I am almost finished with script analysis. Once done I will begin making a shot list and begin my poor excuse for story boarding – mostly stick figures. Fagan and I have decided; time permitting, that we will do video storyboarding as well. Video storyboarding is where you actually go out to your locations and shoot, on video, the entire movie. Should be extremely helpful in that video storyboarding will allow me to see which shots work and which shots do not.
May 4th, 2006 at 11:21 am
When you get to casting, Don’t forget to invite: A Texas Star Talent Agency.
We would like to introduce you to our talent, and possibly have them audition for a part in this exciting film.
Thanks!
Hope
May 8th, 2006 at 9:24 am
Speaking of Location Scouting the 1986 feature film and box office hit, “Dirty Dancing” was filmed at Mountain Lake about twenty five miles from my home in Giles County Virginia. Situated at 4,000 feet above sea level, Mountain Lake is one of only two natural lakes in Virginia, and is the highest East of the Mississippi. Mountain Lake covers about 55 acres and has a water depth of 113 feet. Mountain Lake Hotel was the site for much of the on-location filming of the 1987 hit movie Dirty Dancing. The Mountain Lake Stone Lodge stood in for “Kellerman’s Resort”, a fictional mountain retreat in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. Movie makers chose the nearby Mountain Lake resort as the on-location filming site for the hit movie partly because it had an upstate New York feel to it. At the time of the filming it was the beginning of fall and the green leaves on the trees had not yet started to change. During the filming the crew had to spray paint the changing leaves green. The location is beautiful, but its sad to say that the lake has a hole in the bottom and is dramatically shrinking. However, this does not stop the warm weather vacationers from visiting the resort. The Hotel is closed during the winter. Susan
May 8th, 2006 at 6:40 pm
Greetings from across the river: If this drought continues, you might be able to use the river for a canyon shot (or “Dry Gulch”). It should dry up after this last rise passes. Inasmuchas there are no small parts, am I missing something with all these character developement activities? I put on my Red Wings; but, my pistol has a 7 inch barrel, and I’m afraid I might shoot my como-se-llama if I try to quick draw the thing.
June 3rd, 2006 at 11:44 am
Howdy:
I am 61 years of age, semi-retired Commercial Pilot/Flight Instructor and am listeed with extrasoncall.com. Unfortunately, at this time , the extras people have not posted any of my photos (headshots)..
Please do let me know if I can be an extra in your movie.
Kindest regards,
Carl Bentley 409-762-4278