Written within a month of filming The Fighting Preacher:
I was so nervous before the first day of filming. The night before, I had a dream where the Savior was on the set. I felt like the Lord's hand was in the making of this film all along. There were little miracles that happened here and there throughout.
Now it is months past this and I had totally forgotten about that dream. But I must say there were sweet moments that reminded me that there was a reason this movie needed to be made here and now. I'm not sure why--but I think the reason will become apparent as time passes.
For the first three days of filming at an undisclosed location in Provo, Utah; I got to be a Production Assistant or a PA. I learned all the lingo that is associated with filming and how to properly manage a walkie-talkie. Yes!
I had my own fanny pack equipped with ibuprofen, tissues, baby wipes (can't stop being a mom! So helpful!), a permanent marker, tape, a pen, a small notebook, lip balm, sunglasses, a cooling rag, etc.
Something that I learned on set was how pivotal a bottle of water was. For example, one day one of the people on set, not T.C., had not had any water one day. I was worried because it was in the 90's and this one man would not take any liquid beverage. One of the main priorities of a PA is to keep everyone hydrated. After offering it to him multiple times and getting a don't-ask-me-again-vibe I talked to the nurse--she understood my worried stance and had seen me offer it to him--not too many words were involved. She took a bottle of water from me and talked to him for thirty seconds. He was laughing and took the water and glugged it down. I'm not sure what she said, but boy was I grateful. Mission accomplished, even if it wasn't by me. Whew!
I glamorously kept my water bottle in my back pocket. I know, you're jealous! [Insert smirky-just-kidding-emoticon here].
I was still working on finding extras at this time. My goal of having all the extras scheduled on day-one felt like a ridiculously over-simplistic goal. I spent half the day on the set PAing and the rest of the day in the office making phone calls madly. There were certain days they needed mainly men and let me tell you, in Utah men were a challenge to get during a weekday--all day. Usually, I'd get, "If I could do it on a weekend I could make it."
In my head, I was baffled. How could they
not want to make this historic film with us?! They could tell their grandchildren all about it someday. They would be doing family history work--in a caliber not often seen these days. Why not?! So the pay was a DVD--but, but, the reward of the memory and joy of the service is immeasurable!
Alas, we do not all see things the same way and that's the way it is. I'm good with that. But it was a bit of a challenge when scheduling background artists.
Nonetheless, I was glad to be there and was doing all I could to learn everything I could.
Education is yours to obtain. No one else can gain it for you. Wherever you are, develop a deep desire to learn. ~Russell M. Nelson
