July 10th, 11:00-2:00
Next up for me was the scene where I introduce Brooke to the rest of the crew. Brooke and Sephera had a scene before that, an emotional scene where Ruby (Sephera) invites Nicole (Brooke) to live with us, after the orgy. (Oh, so now I have your attention, do I?) Sephera was an enigma to this whole production. Greg knew her as a fellow writer and horror enthusiast. She’s a member of the Horror Writers Association, and received a Stoker Award for promoting horror in Toronto. But apart from non-professional theater, she’s not acted before. Greg took a chance in casting her because she looks the part. Well, I’m here to say, the gamble paid off. I don’t know if she’s the most believable Ruby, but she’s easily the weirdest. She has an incredibly voluptuous physique, with breasts that are nothing short of awe-inspiring. (She wore a very low cut Goth gown to the Stokers this year, and the slack-jawed attendees will confirm what I am telling you now. Half the crowd was scared she was going to spill out of her top, and the other half were hopeful she was going to spill out of her top.) She wears a permanent smile that seems warm, if a little demented, and her eyes get wide when she speaks, in this sing-song voice, like she’s talking to a retarded puppy. They shot the scene on some metal stairs behind a church. I couldn’t hear it all that well, but once in a while I’d hear Sephera’s lilting cadence, “Nothing is impossible. That’s why I’m here…” It sounded so nice, supportive, and evil at the same time. Finally, the end of the scene, where Brooke bursts into grateful tears and hugs Sephera. The tears were real. I think the crew was taken by surprise, to see actors of this caliber bringing it to the set on the first day. Bravo, Brooke and Sephera!
Now we get to move indoors. I know I said in a previous posting that Buffalo seemed a little depressed, economically. But that does NOT extend to its automobiles, especially trucks and buses and loud motors in general. Jesus! We even closed off the street, and we still couldn’t get it quiet out there. And it was summer, right? Why are there so many school busses rumbling around? Are the child molesters working in bulk?
The introduction scene was Michael’s first in front of the camera, and he did a fine job. Cast this man in your movies—just don’t let him drive. He was appropriately lecherous and pretentious as Roman, the resident poet. The night before during rehearsal, we had come up with some new lines to throw in, that add a little levity to the scene. Roman gets the last laugh as he leads Brooke off. Now all of us flashback actors have been in front of the camera, and we’re starting to find our groove. This scene felt better for me then the first, as I had more of an ensemble to play with. There is a subtext to the scene, and Sephera and I played with it a lot. Also, there’s a huge eyeball painting behind us, which adds to the general sense of weirdness. (As I think on it now, the eyeball will probably be more of a character in the scene than me. Damn you, Eyeball!)
Tags: Horror, Low-budget filming, Slime City
