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Wednesday, January 24, 2001 - Filming at a small hobby shop in Theodore, Ala. After my daring night flight last Wednesday, I had been taken one of the movie production company's two planes home with me. It was the one I flew, the "No. 1 plane". The "No. 2 plane" - the backup plane - had been staying in the props truck. I keep No. 1 charged up at home. This morning it's dark and cold when I load up the plane and my flight box and head for the set on Bellingrath Road in Theodore, a small town southwest of Mobile. I know where the filming is going to be. At Gulf Mobile & Ohio Hobbies and Crafts, a hobby store mostly catering to the model railroader. They will be filming inside the store (which is really part of a garage), and in the driveway to the store. I find the props truck and look for Prop Master Scot Broadus and his assistant Tyler Q (no period or nothin'...) Rosen to see what's up. "Go get you some breakfast", Scot says. I go to the catering truck, get some coffee and let Chef Gary Miller and Assistant Chef Steve Zeiger load up my plate. I take the food to the props truck and eat it there. Then I get the No. 1 plane and transmitter and plug both up in the truck. I do the same with the No. 2 plane. I put the glow starter on charge too. I am not going to be caught with my pants down if they want me to fly again! "The Zero plays in the first scene this morning!" Scot says. "Make sure it's ready to go when it's called for." I look the plane over and patch it up here and there, using a hot glue gun, black tape and a black Sharpie permanent marker. It's not looking great, but no worse than what it looked like before... It's ready... In this scene Wilson, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, buys a brandnew plane, the Japanese Zero (the "black, sinister plane" called for in the script). And I told you before, movie people film things completely out of sequence. They may shoot scene 5 now and scene 112 next, followed by scene 48... Their counting system is based on some unknown, secretly kept system that us common folks just shouldn't even try to comprehend... Remember that this plane has already been through a dozen scenes, was handled by several people, dinged up and bruised by Philip Seymour Hoffman and drop-kicked by Tyler... Remember Scot was not able to buy a new Zero which would have played just fine in this scene. In this make-believe movie world, everyone will now pretend this poor, scarred, battered plane is NEW... After the first few takes, Tyler rushes the Zero to the truck and tells me "It's tight in there. They broke it again, dude... Fix it quick, they want it right back. We've got one minute!" I glue some loose panels with the hot glue. Then Scot sprays some fixative spray on it because Philip - the star - is complaining that the black Streaks & Tips paint is still rubbing off on his hands... "Gotto go! ... I've GOT TO GO NOW, dude!" Tyler is already tugging on the plane as I'm still trying to touch it up. Scot makes a final pass over the tail of the plane with the fixative as Tyler grabs the plane and rushes back to the set. During one of the breaks in the filming Jacky Morgan, the Line Producer walks by the props truck. "Morning, Frits," he says. "Morning, Jacky," I answer. I thank him for letting me hang out on his set and that I have been thoroughly enjoying it. During our chat he mentions that he's from New Orleans, but is thinking of moving to the Mobile area. "I likes it here," he says, "Mobile is a nice town." And then he mentions that he'd like to fly those radio controlled airplanes. "Oh, have you flown those before?" I ask. "No, but I'd like to. I have flown the real ones," he says. I invite him to come see us at our flying field if he ever moves to Mobile. They're setting up for another scene and now they need the transmitter. Tyler grabs one and starts out of the truck. "Tyler... how about the antenna?" I ask. We used it in a scene before, so... (I'm learning!...) "Oh yeah! Thanks, dude!" I get the antenna out of the styrafoam box, make sure the red frequency flag is on it, screw it into the transmitter and Tyler disappears. Sanford, the caterer, comes around with a large pan of soup. Oh... excuuuuse me, it's bouillabaisse, not soup! This bouillabaisse (it's SOUP...) has octopus, squid, clams, oysters, leeks, peppers, and onions in it. After some of the important people on the set have had a bowl, I go up to him and get one too. It's absolutely delicious! And spicy! Great on a cold morning! I stand to the side as they're getting set up. The cop car is in place. The fake cop waits to my right, rubber Glock pistol in his holster. The real cop is farther off to the side. Suddenly Jimi Woods, the Assistant Director, walks over to Scot and asks for a bubble light that has to go on the dash board of the police car. I see Scot's shoulders drop a bit. He doesn't have one! That's not good! I hear them talking that it would take more than 30 minutes to get one and everyone is busy and they may not know where Leo's is... Scot turns toward me and in his pleading voice asks: "Frits - do you mind...?" "No problem," I answer. He gives me $100. I run to the truck and head for Leo's Costumes. I make a note of the time on the dashboard clock... As I'm driving (rather fast...) I call my wife. "You never guess what I'm after now." I say. "A flashing light for a cop car. They're waiting for it. I'm heading for Leo's now." She asks if she should call Leo's and tell them I'm on the way and to get it ready. "Yeah! Good! Do that!" She calls me back after a few minutes and says they're busy. "Never mind", I say," I'm almost there." I get to the store, and Sue finds the light for me. As she's writing up the receipt I call Scot on my cell phone: "I've got it and I'm heading back." "Great!" he says. 15 minutes have passed... I race back to the set and when I get close I take the light out of the box and set it on the dash of my truck. Perhaps I should plug it into the cigarette lighter... Nah, better not!... When I get close Jimi waves me in. He walks over and takes the light. 32 minutes have passed... I had tried to make the trip under 30 minutes! While I was gone they must have rehearsed or filmed another scene... They don't waste time! Then, the Director, Todd Louiso, wants "Mobile Police Department" which is part of the emblem on the police car ,"greeked out". That means that they want it to be invisible or blotted out. Scot rushes over to the props cart which is always close to the set and gets a rope that has about eight different types of tape on it. All widths, all colors, all kinds... He asks me to get an Exacto knife from the truck. I run and look for it. It's nowhere to be found! %^&®†¥§¶•ª!!! Where is it? I go through some boxes and drawers but I can't find it! Then I see a razor blade stuck on the frame of the blackboard. I get it and I rush back to the set. The Director and Producer are looking over Scot's shoulder. He has just finished taping over the words to be greeked with sticky blue, paper tape. "Couldn't find the Exacto, but..." I say as I squat next to him hand over the razor blade. "Good!" he says. But this is close work, and he takes his glasses off. "Here - I'll hold them." I tell him. "Thanks!" he says and he hands them to me. He starts to trim the tape with the blade. The real policeman is beginning to look concerned now and he has a frown on his face... "He's watching you..." someone whispers to Scot. "I'm barely scoring the tape." Scot says. As he makes the final cut I grab the rope with all the rolls of tape and hold his glasses out to him. Before he's even finished cutting he reaches for them and puts them on. He picks up the pieces of tape he trimmed off. I quickly move out and he's right behind me. Team work! Awesome! "Nice work, Scot!" I hear someone important say. We barely get out of frame and ... "ACTION!" - they're filming again... In this scene the plane, the transmitter and a can of fuel will be carried by Wilson, the movie character, as he walks from the hobby store to his car. A cop inside a police car parked behind Wilson's has some dialog with him... Wilson then puts the fuel container on the roof of the car, opens the rear door, and puts the transmitter and plane on the seat of his car. I cringe as Philip does his thing, nonchalantly banging the Zero's wing up against the door frame of the car as he puts it in the car. I could hear it, loud and clear at least three times! Then, after one of the takes, Philip drops the transmitter on the asphalt drive way. I cringe some more... Good thing it's the No.2 transmitter!... Around noon the filming is finished here and the command is given to move out to the next location - the Westgate Hardware store on Airport Boulevard near HobbyTown USA. I go there mainly to find out if my flying session is still on for this afternoon or tomorrow. Before anything gets set up in the store, I have lunch. Grilled mahi mahi and a nice garden salad. Delicious! And a big piece of cake, too! I'm not going to hang around this set. I tell Scot I'm going home to catch up on my computer diary and I'm taking the No.1 plane with me to keep it charged up. I tell him to call me if I need to fly the No. 1 plane this evening. "I live 15 minutes from this location, and only 10 minutes from the flying field," I tell him. "Fine," he says. "Go home. I'll see you tomorrow." Filming will continue at Mobile Municipal Park tomorrow... More scenes will be filmed involving Philip Seymour Hoffman and his co-star Jack Kehler. And more scenes involving the radio controlled boats. The Zero will also play again, so it will have to be in good condition in the morning. There are plenty of glue sticks in the props truck... |
