08/24/2016
IN INDEPENDENT FEATURE FILM “BAKERSFIELD,” THE ALABAMA HILLS PLAY AN ARCHAELOGICAL SITE
The text message was clear about the need.
“Hello, is this Chris Langley? My name is Nour and I’m making an art film out here. I have a situation where one of my actresses from LA got sick and dropped out for our shoot tomorrow morning. I’m looking for any woman 37-65 who might be interested and interesting!”
It was Friday at 4:39. The chicken was nearly ready for the Barbecue, but the Film Commission is 24/7 and I was off and running. Producer Nour Mobarak was standing in front of Gardner’s True Value and it was hot. We needed to talk and to do that we needed to get out of the heat. The shade of the Chamber down the street was perfect.
Nour explained the problem in more detail, and because ATT was down, I was reduced to texting or emailing everyone who fit the description who I thought had an adventurous enough personality to take on the chore. The “call” or time, the actor needed to be up in the Alabamas was early, before dawn. They also had to be willing to travel to Los Angeles for one day. Nobody is getting paid at this point.
Jael Hoffmann answered the call and we were in business. I met several of the crew members and actors and I realized they were a fun, yet serious group of young filmmakers. Passion for art and no challenge was insurmountable. Nour wanted to explain the film which she remarked off-handedly was a comedy about an archaeologist loosing her mind and struggling with reality.
The film named “Bakersfield” after the city was written and being directed by Ella Andersson. The production company is Rogue Iniki Productions. She is a graduate of Berkeley Film School and this is her first film. Her vision of the film is an unstable archaeologist who wanders through the industrial city of Bakersfield. It stars Kate Adams, described as a “Shakespearean actress with a Shelly Duval-style magnetism.” Nour is the producer and is “a Venice Film Festival-approved actress and internationally accoladed multi-disciplinary artist.” The cinematographer taking on the role of Director of Photography is Brett Milspaw. He has “DP credits for films featured at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.” He was flown in by the production for this shoot. “Milspaw will be using his artistic eye and highest quality red camera to shoot ‘Bakersfield.’”
What is exciting perhaps, it is not too late to get involved and get a taste of filmmaking. The production returns tomorrow Sunday, August 15 to shoot a big party gathering at 1:30 pm above the Forum Theater in Lone Pine.
Nour explains, Wandering the streets in her mental breakdown, “she comes upon all kinds of people. It is a psychological comedy if you will. In this scene a group of people who call themselves The Children of Spice are congregating. The Children of Spice believe it their divine duty to cook the first meal to feed their Lord, who is prophesied to return to earth somewhere around the Alabama Hills.”
The word is THE MORE THE MERRIER and the production is hoping for upwards of fifty people. “People should wear the closest thing they have to khaki pants and a red velvet vest if at all possible. Otherwise they should come as they are. It will take more than two hours but there will be some snacks available. Producer Mobarak adds, “Then, we will need 3-4 actors to come with us back into the Alabama Hills where we will be shooting a sunset scene.” If you are available for the final dusk scene, let the producer know at [email protected]
It has been a very busy several months this summer. A very large Nissen commercial with fully 120 people shot in Mammoth, Horseshoe Meadow Road, Lubken and on Mustang Mesa north of Bishop. They operated at the Lone Pine Airport and had a basecamp at Boulder Creek. The art director was tasked with making snow at over one hundred degrees, and they created a dust storm with a giant wind machine. She asked me not to laugh about her challenges.
This past Thursday night a video game commercial was shot in the Alabamas and in the burn area north of the Portal Road. It is not known at this time what game they are promoting.
The Film Commissioner took a meeting at the Lone Pine Bistro with David Kabbe who his producing a feature film about immigration, militia, and violence on the border between Mexico and the United States. Brother Drew Kabbe has written and is directing. They are hoping to get “A Poor Man’s War” into production in October because immigration, legal or illegal is a hot button subject these days. Undoubtedly they will be casting militia extras, so get your “mean” on and get ready. Finally a large studio production is looking to work here in the winter and are completing scouting now.
