A Behind The Scenes Look At The Making Of A Movie

Episode #1 } Behind The Scenes - The Making Of A Western Movie

-
Action!

-
Follow along on your trusty steed as I bring you a behind the scenes look at the making of an epic western movie. You'll track the trail of the Justice Riders as they ride into the sunset of their latest feature film, Canyon Trail!
-
I will use the Enid Buzz blog as a diary of events, photos and video from a behind the scenes look at film making. Filming begins on April 11th and the world premiere will be in early November. I'll follow the production, filming, editing and showing of this great family western.
-
When I became involved in the making of this film there had already been months of preparation completed. Making a movie begins with an idea and a story. After the story is thought out, a screenplay has to be written. The screenplay is the script or guide to the scenes and the dialogue of the movie.
-

-
Each actor with a speaking part gets a copy of the script. This is my script and has my part written on it. I will be playing the ticket taker.
-
Even before the actors are contacted, the director and producer must scout out locations based on scenes in the screenplay. Rick and Larry Simpson, who produce these westerns, hire people to help them find the best locations for shooting. The Simpson's traveled to Kansas, New Mexico and Colorado to make sure the locations were correct.
-

-
Many of the inside scenes are actually filmed on location inside the Simpsons Old Time Museum in Enid, Oklahoma. The brothers have spent decades creating the sets and have added many little details over the years. The sets are not only used for filming but are part of the museum tour and have even been used for a wedding.
-

-
Once the preliminary process is complete the Skeleton Creek Production Company must hire a company to shoot the movie and then find the actors that will play the parts. KJ Filmworks out of Enid was chosen to film the movie. Jack Quirk has filmed with the Simpsons on prior movies so they have learned to work together without the usual story boards and stacks of notes. Rick Simpson likes to shoot from the hip as he directs his films.
-
After the crew was assembled there were production meetings to assign tasks. Enid Buzz was asked to handle social media and crowd sourcing. Friesen Design took over the web and graphic designing. You can see the website at www.canyontrailmovie.com. The Facebook page is located at www.facebook.com/canyontrailmovie/.
-

-
At this point there is a screenplay, crew, locations, logo, website and social media. Next comes the actors! I was lucky enough to snag a speaking part. Once I read over my lines and accepted my part I was asked to sign a release. I was now on my way to stardom!
-
My part will be filmed in Colorado so I will be traveling with the crew. Many of the non-speaking parts will be performed by locals in the area of filming. This cuts down on travel costs. The main characters of the film have all played their same roles in prior movies.
-
The next step in production is wardrobe. Each actor is fitted with the appropriate clothing from that time period. The Simpsons have turned an entire upstairs floor of their museum into wardrobe storage. Cowboy hats, pants, shirts and dresses fill the room. Each actor comes in for a fitting and is then assigned their outfit.
-

Episode #2 } Filming Has Begun!
-
Back To The Beginning