Inside an indy film set

A couple days ago, I mentioned that well-known indy actors Paul Dano and Olivia Thirlby are in Massena shooting a film, For Ellen.

What I didn’t know is that NCPR has eyes on the inside. Our very own web assistant, Chelsea Ross, is interning with the film crew (where does she find all the time to do all this?). She says her job is to find props, bring them to Massena, and dress the set prior to filming. Here’s her report back:

My first day on set I got to meet Paul Dano and the film crew of about 10 people. Even knowing

that it was a small production, I was surprised by just how small it was, just a few people standing in the cold and a small woman holding a huge camera on her shoulder surrounded by a small truckload of props.

Another memorable day I spent helping to set up the bar scene. Armed with a roll of black tape,

I went around covering up any brands that hadn’t been cleared for use in the film. After everything had been set up, I got to watch Paul Dano and Jon Heder argue over drinks.

It was amazing to watch how well they got into character. Each take was different, the actors

playing out the scene according to their own interpretations and cues from the each other.