March 26th - Scouting with the Star of "Solid"
We slept too late on Friday to make our way North to the land of Tallgrass. Fae and I glistened in the cool and tranquil day, and I reserved Saturday for a trip that would now include the film's star, Matthew Truelove.
I met Matthew and together, we headed north on 75 toward Bartlesville, east toward Pawhuska, and then north again into Tallgrass Prairie. The trip took about an hour and a half, and we arrived at this mystic place that was tainted only by our incursion and the distant and visible presence of power lines. Our first stop was a hill that we both climbed in frigid wind and spitting rain. On top of this hill, we could see everywhere! The only sound was the wind and the birds...no highways, no street noise, no traffic. This hill would be perfect for two scenes, the new scene, The Waiting Room, and the object of the mission, the scene for Mother.
We circled through the expanse of the Reserve. Buffalo roam here, and there presence was everywhere. Matthew is a gardner and a nature boy; his bohemian style is very, shall we say, organic! Upon arriving at a scenic lookout, we noticed a minefield of bison chips scattered over the ground before us. Matthew immediately sprang forth to grab the nearest chip, break it open and inhale deeply. He then proceeds to retrieve his backpack and stuff it full of bison manure! We smuggled this out of the Prairie!
Our tour took us to many places, including a dangerous trek where our walking about made the Ranger nervous, and the mighty Phoenix faced off with statuesque buffalo sentries.
A quick lunch in the dying and conservative town of Pawhuska ended our stay. The secondary objective was to find one of three known salvage yards on Highway 75. I stopped at one, acquiring a phone number. The number was called and the older gentleman is very open to the idea of allowing us to shoot a scene in his junkyard!
A very prosperous day of location scouting was had by all.
I met Matthew and together, we headed north on 75 toward Bartlesville, east toward Pawhuska, and then north again into Tallgrass Prairie. The trip took about an hour and a half, and we arrived at this mystic place that was tainted only by our incursion and the distant and visible presence of power lines. Our first stop was a hill that we both climbed in frigid wind and spitting rain. On top of this hill, we could see everywhere! The only sound was the wind and the birds...no highways, no street noise, no traffic. This hill would be perfect for two scenes, the new scene, The Waiting Room, and the object of the mission, the scene for Mother.
We circled through the expanse of the Reserve. Buffalo roam here, and there presence was everywhere. Matthew is a gardner and a nature boy; his bohemian style is very, shall we say, organic! Upon arriving at a scenic lookout, we noticed a minefield of bison chips scattered over the ground before us. Matthew immediately sprang forth to grab the nearest chip, break it open and inhale deeply. He then proceeds to retrieve his backpack and stuff it full of bison manure! We smuggled this out of the Prairie!
Our tour took us to many places, including a dangerous trek where our walking about made the Ranger nervous, and the mighty Phoenix faced off with statuesque buffalo sentries.
A quick lunch in the dying and conservative town of Pawhuska ended our stay. The secondary objective was to find one of three known salvage yards on Highway 75. I stopped at one, acquiring a phone number. The number was called and the older gentleman is very open to the idea of allowing us to shoot a scene in his junkyard!
A very prosperous day of location scouting was had by all.
