"They finally have a military response to the coyote problem."

We kicked off shooting of "The Search for Kennyboy" this last Saturday. The quote above is one passerby's comment on the proceedings. Our first day was in Discovery Park in Seattle and unfortunately was rather chaotic. Things didn't quite come together the day before the shoot and that translated into a rocky start to the whole affair. Everyone was really patient given the circumstances and we got some sweet footage from the day. The Seattle film office and the Parks department deserve notice for getting us set up to film in the park, and Officer Davenport was really great to work with.

Saturday focused on the military sequences and they really wouldn't have been possible without the help of Jason and his battlesim crew. They were absolutely amazing-friendly, professional and looked great. They also brought along matching uniforms for Kathy and Broadus which really added to the overall look of the scene. We can't thank them enough for their help. Just a warning though...don't get in the way of them and their cigarettes.

Sunday we had what will probably be our most complicated shoot. Thanks to Gregg, we were able to shoot at a private hangar in an airpark which gave us the freedom to get the shots we needed. We had multiple vehicles, a ton of actors and more rain than was really necessary. Things were going well until I suggested they were perhaps going "too well". After that it began to rain ceaselessly. Perhaps that is the price of a ridiculously beautiful day in Seattle on Saturday. (Another price is sunburn. Oops.)

We got creative and were able to get some protection to pull off the last shots but overall it was pretty disappointing that the weather moved in like that. I have yet to see the footage but I think it's going to be pretty cool. I mark this as the first time that weather really affected one of our shooting days (unless you want to count high winds in a certain scene from Kingmaker).

We had lots of excellent help on the weekend and everyone who came out really made an impact on the project. Despite the various troubles we encountered, the weekend was still really productive. Nicholas, our Director of Photography, has been fantastic and his efficient shooting helped keep things moving. Here is hard at work with Dr. Mike. Okay, the back of him, but you see how he's with the camera?

Dang old Patrick even came out on Sunday and got way raw on sound, which was awesome. It's too bad that dude is so busy being a rock star because he is missed on set.

Allan also offered his driving skills for the weekend to help cart around the various vehicles for the shoot. For those of you who know him, you're probably quite aware that he is not the type to drive around in a Hummer. Of course, that's exactly what I had him do. How did he respond to this opportunity to experience the thrills of a gas-guzzling icon such as this? I'll let him tell it:

"I let a Prius cut ahead of me onI-5, so I feel like I may have started something really special. I say the symbolism of that rates right up there with the dude in Tiananmen square, butI guess history will judge."