'Cuz I got uber-busy in the past week, but still wanna live up to my promises, here's my barely-altered personal notes for your consumption; I'll answer questions from here.
Day three: Call time 6:30am
- Reported in, got dressed as usual. Makeup and hair was extra-dirty this time as we were filming the finishing of the railroad. Breakfast was eggs, hash browns, corned beef, OJ.
- Bussed to set by 8:00am – didn’t spend much time in the holding tent today, but they had even more candies and cookies and stuff.
- Three principal scenes to shoot, each with many components.
o “A” scene seems to be a montage of Chinese and Cullen building like crazy.
o “B” scene has exhausted Asian workers rescued by Freedmen, who have defected from Durant’s side, joining with Cullen’s team to get them moving again.
o Final scene of the final push to complete the railway, culminating in the final spike being driven by Cullen.
- Reporting to set, they just started handing out tools. I hesitated at getting a rail lifter and got a tie lifter instead. Partnered with a frequent background performer who was a retired SAP implementer. He was in the scene in 5.04 where they were selecting the man to go kill the Irish guys.
- General direction was to show how much energy we had in “A”, looking exhausted in “B” until the Freedmen appear, and maintaining that through to the end.
- Shot the master of “B” first – cameras in distance beyond weeds and up on a crane (this was the wide shot we see at the beginning of the telegraph sequence). I was on the right side of Jupiter locomotive at first. Cullen collapses at the front of the ties, looks to see the Freedmen passing us and confronting him.
- After a break, the Freedmen leave and we go to work shooting “A” stuff for the rest of the morning. Basically repeating the same actions while camera shoots from different angles, Cullen looking desperate and at his pocket watch, Collis in the distance.
o Likely see my legs as a tie is dropped into frame – focus will be on Cullen in the middle distance.
o Once good shot has me and Dennis starting with just dropping a tie, going back to get another as Cullen works in foreground
o Some of the extras were NOT good at getting coordinated at their ties!
o Ate sandwich for –pre-lunch in here somewhere.
- Final shot was setting up “B”. I was on the tie next to the Asian foreman actor. We did one rehearsal take with the Freedmen.
- Lunchtime – all bussed back. Had lasagna (other choice was sole on rice) with salad, etc. Lots of great desserts: pudding, cake, ice cream even in the cold!
- All the other extras sat around holding all this time. Irish and fancy folks had a later call time. Came back and hopped right to set.
- Set up for closer shots of “B”. Boss Freedman turns, shouts half on rails, half on spikes. Asians directed to be suddenly energized and head right back to working.
o I was next to foreman actor, stumbled off to see Freedmen pass. Zealous background performer next to me poking me and pointing me to see them. Then jumped up at Foreman’s call to grab more ties. I'm not clearly visible in these sequences.
- After that sequence was done, break while they set up the final building sequence. Brought in two huge inflatable green screens and got eight of us (who were not on the rail / hammer team as they had most of the visibility to that point) to sit exhausted on a section of track while the cameras shoot over us and past us to see the Freedmen approaching in “B”.
o I will be closest to the camera on the left.
- Next sequence has us already finishing the ties and then celebrating as the teams drop the final rails at the finish post. Everyone cheers but then Cullen quiets everyone and gets them to keep going to meet the other side. Durant was working the rails on the Irish side and as the final spike is driven, everyone cheers and he walks off into the distance.
o I pass by Cullen’s left (camera right) at the top of the wider shots, then loop back to cheer with everyone. When Cullen calls out, we RUN down to grab the final three ties and drop them in, then across to the other side to see Cullen drive the final spike.
o Over several takes, there's a great progression of how Cullen’s motivational line was spoken:
§ We’re not done! We still have to join the two lines!
§ What say we join this sum-bitch!
§ Simply singing: Won’t you swing your hammer (hammering)!
- Final sequence are close ups of Cullen driving the final spike, followed by silence.
o I’m in the background near Jennifer (Louise). MIGHT be partially in the shot.
- Last takes of the sequence was on the Irish looking despondent as we finish our work and cheer. Final takes were tight on Durant as he walks off.
o I’m not visible here as we are miming our actions to set the atmosphere for the Irish side.
- By those final takes it was sunset, and the very last couple had a giant light with yellow gels to give them a little more sunlight time.
- Done and gone by 8:00pm!
Funny you should mention Kung Fu, because I was imagining a situation well before the finale in which Cullen and Mei would have a kid, who would be raised in China, growing up in a Shao Lin monastery, to eventually travel to the American West (of the 1880s or so) in search of his half-brother, William.
