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SAM - Demon Hunter

Happy Saturdays logo
HAPPY SATURDAYS
On Set Photos
Day 1
August 1st, 2004
HapSatFilm-couch
So here we go.  Whaddaya say we take a look at the set we're working with for this little shindig.  Not a large stage, but that doesn't really matter.  I'd much rather work with a small stage and keep everybody huddled together in order to get some nice shots.  What we have right here is the "big ol' couch" (not a technical term) where a lot of the action will be taking place.  Funny thing is that the design of the couch is exactly the same design as the original Happy Saturdays shirts worn by the first cast over 2 years ago.  We'll file that under "Happy Accidents." 
HapSatFilm-full stage




HapSatFilm-getting ready
Here we have our lovely ladies Susan and Holly getting ready for the shoot.  One of the benefits of shooting in a playhouse is that we have a dressing room.   This gives everyone a place to hang out, get ready, or just hide in the corner for a while. 
HapSatFilm-Holly mirror
 
 
 
Two Holly's? Nope, just one in front of a really big mirror. 
Holly (who plays Kay) is getting ready for her big entrance.



HapSatFilm-Steve Directs
Co-Directors Steve Strangio (in the white shirt) and Brian Bielanksi (in the red shirt) go over some last minute details with the actors.   Lots of shots were mapped out ahead of time, but that usually gets thrown out when the actual filming begins.  You usually see shots during the camera rehearsal and that inspires you to make it happen.   Here, Steve is telling the troops to be prepared for a long night.
HapSatFilm-Jason waiting
HapSatFilm-Keith and Sue
Keith and Sue (Rusty and Gabrielle)
get ready for the night's filming.
What exactly is Keith showing to
Sue that seems to be creeping her out? 
I don't even wanna guess.

As you can tell by Jason Pape's
(aka Mr. Jonez) expression,
it's gonna be a long night.



A quick break in the action as we set up our next shot. 
Can you spot the "Boom Guy" located at the top right?
He had to stand in this makeshift small room for the entire shoot. 

HapSatFilm-Steve2
HapSatFilm-Boom Guy
HapSatFilm-Keith and Sue2
Keith and Sue hanging out and waiting for the next shot. Yeah, it's true. We like to keep things casual on the set.



HapSatFilm-Group Shot
Most of the Happy Saturdays castmembers acting out a scene.  The limited space on the stage was a challenge, but we got the camera right up there in order to get some great shots.  Most of the blocking was created during the first camera rehearsal for each scene.  So basically, all those hours of creating camera shots in the script kinda got tossed.  But hey, we got a talented crew who stepped up and created some great camera angles for the actors.


HapSatFilm-RGJ
It's the opening shot. Brother and sister Gabrielle and Johnny (Susan Tromans and Charlie Connolly) enter arguing (as all brothers and sisters seem to do).  Meanwhile, Rusty (Keith Sontag) is sleeping off his latest hangover. 

HapSatFilm-Marker-Mike
Mark that shot!
Mike the Marker Guy
keeps our editor happy
by making sure we know
where the hell we are in
the screenplay

 
 
 
 
 
DAY 1 - IT BEGINS 
July 25th, 2004
 
Location: AUTHORS' PLAYHOUSE
 
                “Happy Saturdays is the story of a group of friends trying to survive their jobs and their relationships while working at a theme restaurant on Long Island.”
 
        Got the premise?
 
        Cool.
 
        We (meaning myself, Brian Bielanski, and Leslie Bielanski) held our pre-production meeting at the world famous “Authors Playhouse” in beautiful downtown Bay Shore. Brian and Leslie own a production company named LNB Productions.  The main reason of this little shindig was to make sure that everybody knew what the hell was going on and we didn’t bump into each other during the shoot.
 
        Don’t ya hate it when that happens?  Boom operators slamming into Gaffers who careen into the occasional Best Boy.  It ain’t pretty.
 
THE BEGINNING
 
        We gathered together all of our actors with the main goal of answering questions and preparing them for the road ahead. That road consists of exactly 3 shooting days for a 1-hour film. 
 
        Are we crazy? Can it be done? Who invented liquid soap and why?
 
        No, we’re not crazy.  Yes, it can be done.  A man named William Shepphard first patented liquid soap on August 22, 1865.  I don’t know why, that still remains a mystery.
 
        Photos of the actors can be found on this site by clicking the link on the top of the page.  For now, here they are in all of their alphabetical glory … Charlie Connolly, Holly Hunt, Jason Pape, Keith Sontag, Susan Tromans, and Keith Sontag. 
 
        These crazy kids performed in our latest Happy Saturdays production at Carolines on Broadway. 
 
IT CONTINUES ….
 
        Now here’s one of the main rules when it comes to producing a project … always roll with the punches and be ready to solve problems.  
 
        Problem #1 – Our meeting is at 5pm, but the playhouse we choose to have it in has a play going on until 5:30pm.
 
        Solution #1 – Hang outside and make sure that nobody goes in and causes a ruckus (ain’t “ruckus” a fun word?)
 
        Problem #2 – The majority of the production people we invited to come to this meeting couldn’t make the meeting.
 
        Solution #2 – Interview anyone who shows up and contact the other production people via the magical device known as “The Internet.”
 
        Problem #3 – We still don’t know how we’re gonna feed everyone during the shoot.  Do we buy a pizza and cut it up into 43 slices?  Do we grow our own food in the alley?  Do we find out if there’s any Soylent Green left in the fridge?
 
        Solution #3 – We send in our secret weapon Leslie “The Negotiator” Bielanski.  Thanks to an intro from Authors’ Playhouse head honcho Marcalan Glassberg, Leslie struck a deal with a nearby eatery and got us one of those famous “Food in Exchange for Name Display” deals.  More info about that place will be in our next installment.
 
 SO WHAT ABOUT THE MEETING?
 
        I wanted to keep this meeting short and sweet, so Brian and I told everyone what’s going down.  Our goal is to utilize the stage at Authors’ Playhouse as our filming stage.  We hit the ground running on this, because all of our actors are rehearsed, the production crew knows the material, and everybody wants to make this a great experience.
 
        One thing that is great about this cast and crew is that we’re comfortable with each other.  Like a family?  Well, more like a group of people who’ve been trapped on an island.  We know each other, we like each other, but we’re looking forward to that rescue boat. 
 
        “That Rescue Boat” equals recognition for the amount of work we’ve done over the past couple of years.  Everybody knows that we have something good here and we’re ready to share it with the world. 
 
        For those that don’t know, “Happy Saturdays” started as a stage play and was produced at several venues over the past couple of years.  We’re just moving to the next level. 
 
STEVE! THE MEETING?!
       
        Basically, just your standard pre-production meeting.  Give lots of info, prepare people for the journey ahead, and pre-solve any potential problems.
 
        You’ll be reading about scheduling conflicts and how we handle them.  I’m saving that for future installments.  For now, I just toss out the info and ask for questions.  Naturally, I got a sea of blank stares when it was question time.  Hell, it was Sunday afternoon.  People wanted to go home and catch the Simpsons.
 
SO WHAT’S AHEAD OF US?

        An adventure.  Plain and simple.  My goal is to continually update as the weeks progress.  Look for new installments during this process.  I’ll be giving all of you a heads up on the LI Film email list.  Don’t get the list?  You can either join at http://www.longislandfilm.com or just keep checking back here for updates.
 
        I’ll talk to you guys later.
 
        Steve