Hit n Strum | Stunt Day (part 5)

Melissa October 13, 2009

There was an energy on set, sombre yet electric, nervous yet calm. It was the much anticipated stunt day, where Mike (played by Kirk) gets hit by a car in a hit and run. Best case scenario? We get the shot in one take with a high impact hit and a broken windshield.

Weyla and Suka wait while they rehearse the hit

A lot of prep goes into a one-take shot

Moments before the hit...

Witnessing someone get hit by a car 5 feet in front of you is hard to watch. Then add to noise of a body smashing a windshield and the fact that it's a friend and it's nearly impossible... the worst being the wait to see if he is able to move once hitting the ground. Stunts can go wrong... but this one didn't.

Only a few were missing from the crew shot. What an amazing group of people. I feel blessed to have met and worked with each and every one!

Shooting continues for another week with most of the filming behind them. From what I understand, everything went exceptionally well as a result of an amazing team pulling together. Re-writes, re-shoots, last minute changes and long days that turn into nights and long nights that turn into days. I think perhaps the most magical moments happened in the unscripted, in those where life collided with passion and art and humanity. This project inspired me. Changed me. Thank you.

Miss you all already! xo

Hit n' Strum | A Movie Experience (part 4)

Melissa October 9, 2009

This was a difficult day. It started out shooting in the pouring rain by the Georgia viaduct. At this point in the movie, Mike is very sick with TB. In real life, I see the toll this is taking on Kirk, and the crew... and yet they are all dedicated and passionate, staying positive and pushing through.

Danica (1st AD) and Mike Shore (Assoc. Producer)

Mike at this point in the movie, is very sick with TB.

In the scenes below, Mike is playing on the street, very sick with TB, and passes out. His friend, Apollo, played by Kelly Fennig, finds Mike and carries him away. The crew was set up across the street for the first take, and it was truly an eerie feeling to watch someone literally stage his death and see how people reacted (or didn't...). In the first take, Mike passes out just as a sweeper comes behind him. The man walks over to him, looking at the incredibly sick, homeless man, and continues sweeping around him. Moments like that just can't be scripted, and it leaves you with such an empty feeling. It was all too real. For the second take, someone actually stopped to help Apollo carry Mike away. We were so shocked... someone actually stopped to help two homeless men. Just when you stop believing, humanity swoops in...

Hit n' Strum | A Movie experience (part 3)

Melissa October 9, 2009

I walked into the recording studio, and I could hear Kirk singing, camera's were rolling. In these scenes, Mike, Apollo and Rasta are trying to record a cd, funded by Stephanie. Studio recording is an art form, and one very different from their loose ways of playing on the street corner. Frustrations of day 1 in the studio run high...

I might add that walking into the studio and hearing Kirk's voice gave me goosebumps. His voice, his lyrics... hauntingly beautiful and touched me to the core. The ironic part? Day 1 in the studio he is trying to play badly. I can't wait to witness the studio scenes when the music is flowing freely.

In between takes... off-camera hugs and Danica, our 1st AD doing a wonderful job, as always

Here, tensions run high when the recording process is going very badly.

To give you an idea of Kirk's sound, I posted a clip. Although he has some amazing finished music videos, I love this freestyle version.

Hit n' Strum | A Movie Experience (part 2)

Melissa October 6, 2009

And just when I thought wedding season was over...

In these scenes, Stephanie is marrying her fiance, Christopher, in an intimate beach wedding and a reception to follow. Their first song they dance to is one of Mike's, that Stephanie helped him record.

Our Director of Photography, the uber talented Pieter Stathis

Michelle, how are you this stunning all the time? Seriously!!!

Suka, always working hard behind the scenes. Here, keeping everyone warm with coffee...

Hit n' Strum | A Movie Experience (part 1)

Melissa October 5, 2009

When my good friend, Kirk, first told me he was writing a movie script, I didn't doubt it would be amazing. He is not one to do things half-hearted. Like his years of stunt work, like his music, like every project he takes on, he puts his heart and soul in everything he does... full throttle. Then I found out that he is also directing and starring in the movie. Okay cool... this is getting interesting. Then, I find out what the movie is about, and the lengths he is taking to make this project as real as possible. When he asked me to shoot the stills for the movie, of course I said yes, but I had no idea what I had signed on for...

In short, it is about the relationship that ensues between a homeless man (Mike) and a corporate woman (Stephanie) after she hits him with her car, initially leaving the scene, then coming back to find him. At first, it is her guilty conscience that makes her want to help him, with his music, with his life. But as the relationship develops, it becomes much more, and her inner struggles of her place in this world become apparent.

This was my first day on set. Having not read the script yet, I didn't quite know what I was walking into. Coming across this scene, of a homeless man, busking on the corner, is not an unusual one for Vancouver. But to sit and observe this was interesting. Most people took no notice, a few felt discomfort, and some, enthralled by his music reverberating off the cobblestone streets and brick walls, couldn't help but be drawn in.