Demonic Rituals Are Tiring...
So, we successfully wrapped on the first of the "big scenes." For this film, a "big scene" is considered anything that requires two or more actors and is absolutely vital to the plot of the film. Major studios might have a different definition?
We shot for six hours straight with basically no breaks because our lead actress is going back to Germany in a few days and if we miss anything or have to do pick-ups, well, she'll have to Skype her scenes from Europe. Which is not really a workable solution!
That said, the shoot went remarkably well. I was able to focus entirely on directing my actress. Although, my weakness as a DP / Gaffer really shone through. I learned a lot about shooting in low light conditions (like light everything and then lower the levels in post, duh!). Both my actors did an outstanding job and worked really hard to help get the right feel and look for the scene.
The most challenging part for Franzi was all the Lovecraftian dialogue I threw at her. Fortunately, she had plenty of time between takes to practice the proper pronunications of the names of the god-demons. Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, and Nyarlathotep are not words that come easily to most english-speaking tongues, so she had double difficulty because she's German! But the entire chant / ritual I crafted for her sounded truly mysterious with her German accent. I think Lovecraft's fans will be impressed to hear her recite the Call of Cthulhu in proper form and diction (for a cultist, at least...).
Dinny, as the demon Nyarlathotep only made a brief appearance at the very end of the scene, but it's really his grand entrance and the first technically challenging aspect of the entire scene. I had to make him appear in the room, then disappear again all in one shot while the camera is moving, before, during, and after the effect occurs. It took a few takes, but we finally got a decent effect, one that can still be touched up a little in post.
By the time we finished, everyone was so tired, I couldn't convince them to go out to dinner (especially because Franzi and I are shooting early tomorrow morning), so we cleaned up the remains of the ritual from Dinny's living room and I set off to prepare for tomorrow.
