We were having problems even before the police showed up The Filming of Cement Suitcase' J. Rick Castaneda August 8, 2022
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The car we were filming broke down in the morning, so we had to tow it to set, which set us back a couple hours. It was hot, and dirty. Just as we started filming our first scene in the middle of a corn field, a pickup truck turned off the highway and raced towards us, honking. The truck slammed on its brakes, and the driver jumped out. His face was red, and he was furious.
The movie we were filming, CEMENT SUITCASE, was filmed in 14 days. On each one of those days, it felt like the whole film was going to come apart. One day our golf course location which we'd confirmed pulled out because of a golf tournament. On another, the lift on our camera truck broke, and all of our camera equipment locked inside. No camera, no filming.
The adversity we faced making the film is one reason I am SO pleased to announce that we've signed a new distribution deal for Cement Suitcase! It will now be free to watch on Redbox and Vudu. You can even see it for free with Hoopla, if you have a library card. And if you don't want to see it with ads, you can of course rent and purchase it on Amazon.
But back to the cornfield
What the f are you doing on my uncle's land? shouted the driver. He stormed up to our camera crew and got in my Assistant Director's face. We have permission to film here, said my AD.
That's bull-s ! said the driver. I knew my sister had gotten permission to film there the day before was it possible we were in the wrong field?
This is when my friend's dad, Mike Wyknenko, saved the day. Billy? he asked. Well, it turns out that Mike used to be Billy's Jr. High teacher, and that helped calm everyone down right away. Mike had ridden his bicycle to watch us film that day, and thank goodness for that! We explained that we did get permission, but somehow that wasn't communicated to the nephew. Then the uncle showed up on set and signed our release and everything was kosher.
Until, of course, the police showed up. One Sunnyside police car and one State Patrol car drove up with their sirens on, and then after that, a fire truck! We'd been filming with our lead actor on the side of the road he was pretending to be unconscious and someone had called 911 thinking it we were trying to give him CPR!
Everything turned out to be fine, but we learned a lot of lessons that day. 1, you should probably have some backup ideas in case your car breaks down, especially if this is your picture car:
2, always remember to inform the proper authorities and farmers about your filming plans!
I never would have guessed that anyone would still be watching this movie 9 years later, or that it would end up getting rated 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. But people are still finding this movie, and it's really all about the amazing people who came together to make it, including the farmer, his nephew, the Sunnyside Police Department, the owner of an alternate golf course, and the guy who fixed our camera truck.
If you haven't seen Cement Suitcase yet, I hope this convinces you to give it a chance. And if you were with us on that dusty highway back in 2011, I hope this reminds you of some good memories. Keep on keepin' on,
Rick
*Note: Billy is not his real name, which I've changed to respect his privacy and also because I can't remember what his name was.
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