I'm keeping the production journal of Abel Ferrara's new film, 4:44, starring Willem Dafoe and Shanyn Leigh (Public Enemies). All entries are on the 4:44 profile page. I'd appreciate any comments/feedback that you may have. So far, it has been a really exciting project, and I can't wait to report more! Take a look at the excerpts from the first three entries below:
Set Design for Abel Ferrara’s 4:44 – Day 1
"We get out of the cab with our cameras, tripods, and boom mike. It’s a rainy afternoon in New York City. The streets are somewhat empty, but in a couple hours, people are going to start to fill the blocks with their Friday night mojos. We run into Frank DeCurtis in front of the building where Abel Ferrara will be shooting his new film, 4:44. Frank is the production designer; he is creating the space that the crew and the cast will live and breathe in for the next several weeks. We have a quick chat with him, and then go upstairs to the 5th floor."
Pre-Lighting & Rehearsal - Day 2
"There has been a huge change on the set in terms of furniture and décor since the last time we visited. We are actually looking at a real apartment here! (See the pictures above). An apartment where Skye (Shanyn Leigh) and Cisco (Willem Dafoe) will be sharing on the last day on Earth! I think I just told you what the movie is about, but no spoilers here, because it’s part of the title: 4:44 – Last Day on Earth. If you read the first entry of the production journal, you will probably remember that there was nothing in the apartment. Set designers were actually still painting the walls and cleaning the floors. But now, we are in the middle of a 1970s inspired, Buddhist-scented, book-shelved, and painting-filled studio apartment in the heart of the Lower East Side."
How to Shoot a Skype Scene and Stay Calm at the Same Time
"A group of musicians and their groupies sit around in a sparsely furnished living room, jamming. It seems like they’ve been up since the previous night in the company of an ashtray filled with cigarette butts and half empty glasses of beer. There are also some coffee mugs on the table, and against the wall rests a large painting of a woman sporting a pearl necklace, her face painted lime green. One of the musicians picks up the ashtray, murmuring something along the lines of 'This is unacceptable,' only to be stopped by his groupie who tells him to put the ashtray down, because 'it’s a prop.'"
Read more on http://www.filmannex.com/444
Eren Gulfidan
Senior Editor
