With the rumor that Supernatural would be filming an episode in Season 11 all around and in the 1967 Chevrolet Impala that has come to be known affectionately as "Baby", I got pretty damn excited. First, that's AWESOME. Second, an episode shot exclusively in the car means location shooting. LOTS of locations. A car can't be in a hotel, or a restaurant (well, I guess it COULD, but they don't want to ruin her), so this would mean exteriors. Exteriors mean potential set finds. I set a goal for myself to see some of the Baby episode filming just because I have the feeling this is going to be one of those iconic ones in the series.
A friend in Chilliwack had tipped me that another friend of hers (and fellow GISH-er) had heard that Supernatural would be filming at the Royal Hotel in Chilliwack the Wednesday and Thursday. That worked out to be during the Baby episode. Awesome. She's a good friend and I like to hang out so we made plans for me to stay at her place Wednesday night and do some set checking. She is one of the main reasons that I'm a fan of this show and I was excited to get a chance for her to see some filming. I had visited a set with her before I watched the show and she had really wanted to meet Misha. Although we came within five feet of him that day, we didn't talk to him because he was between takes and we didn't want to bug him. We had watched them film late into the night but ultimately left because it was a miserable, long and rainy night and we didn't want him to feel like he had to come over and talk to us. He'd seen us, but we left late in the night.
So, two evenings before I was set to go to Chilliwack, a friend, the one that we bought (surprise) VanCon tickets for, texted me, "What's JMATWB again?" He's always talked about going to sets but never managed to make it there. I sent him back an excited text demanding to know exactly where this was. He told me it was in Langley. He had been driving by on the way home from work and seen the signs. I knew I was heading out that general direction two mornings later so that was a good sign (literally). Then, the next day (Tuesday) I heard from another Twitter friend that she had heard they were in Langley as well. Okay, I started thinking. How could they be in two places at once? Supernatural hasn't been known to use two units all that much since I've been following filming. Never know though. I figured I'd sort it out in the morning.
Wednesday rolled around and I left around noon to head out to Chilliwack. I had heard that there wasn't a whole lot happening there so I took my time. I headed down 16th Ave instead of taking the route I would usually take so I could see if there was any indication of the filming. Sure enough, not far off of the highway I came across signs. Following them they led me first to a church where they had the circus set up. I stopped nearby and messaged the friend who had tipped me the day before and then kept driving to find the actual filming. I ended up at the intersection of 200th and 24th Ave in Langley. I drove by seeing all kinds of stuff set up, a hotel turned into "Aunt Mel's Steakhouse" as well as a gas station across the street that had un-subtly been changed into a "Gas & Sip". Well if that's not a giant, flashing, beacon screaming "Supernatural is here" I don't know what is. The gas station was closed and it looked pretty much like it could be open for business with the exception of the American flag on the door and the altered signs. I headed past and pulled off to a side road for a few minutes to send some messages and then doubled back to the IGA Grocery Store that was situated between the pub/motel and the gas station. It was open for business and I pulled in the parking lot and just watched for a few minutes. Not a whole lot going on and it looked like some setting up. I decided I'd stick around for a while and jetted off to go and pick up my friend that lived nearby. As I drove by on the way out I saw the unmistakable form of Jared standing near the Impala. You just can't miss the moose.
We came back and parked across the street not wanting to take a spot in the IGA lot since they still had customers that needed to park. We wandered by the "Gas & Sip" since they weren't filming there yet. We saw lots of people moving gear towards the station but the main action was happening at the pub across the street still which had been renamed "Aunt Mel's Steak House".
Heading back to the IGA which was between the pub and the gas station we were looking for a place to set up and watch. We could see a shot where the boys were waiting outside the "Steak House" and the Impala gets pulled up being driven by a girl with dark hair. They were waiting at a valet stand and she was wearing a red jacket making her look like she was a worker delivering the car to them. Outside the grocery store we were making friends chatting with the workers who were coming out to see what was going on. I was enjoying watching the Impala parked between takes with the trunk wide open in the parking lot, sigil painted clear as day facing us. Also, they were setting up the cameras on the car. Not around the car, but ON the car. The Impala episode will be shot pretty much exclusively inside the car from what I can tell. As I learned over the times I saw them film it, this caused some unique issues in the filming of the episode, including that the camera picks up EVERYTHING around it as the car moves.
Soon, once the car was rigged up and ready to roll they loaded the boys in it and had Jensen pull it out around the block and back towards the IGA/Gas station. The Steak House was an L shaped driveway with another gas station on the corner that they weren't using so it worked out to be a nice little circuit where they pulled the Impala out of the Steak House onto the road, made a right and came around the corner, paused and set up the shot and then pulled back into the driveway. They were rehearsing the scenes they were filming and so we saw the boys come around in the car and also the possible valet driving around and around. I'm not sure if there was another girl or just the same one in and out of costume but there may have been two girls driving at different times. There must have been a car show in the area as well since there seemed to be a lot of classic cars hanging around the parking lot.
We had taken refuge under the awning of the IGA trying to get out of the sun. It had to be more than 30 degrees Celsius that day and we were cooking. Soon, though, a PA came over and asked us if we could move down into the parking lot away from the store front as, the way the cameras were set up on the car, we were going to be in the shot if we stayed where we were. We happily moved down to where they pointed us, between a truck and a car across from where they were starting the shot from. Almost immediately after we got to the location they sent us the Impala backed out of the parking lot to the starting position, Jensen in the drivers seat just across the narrow road. We had a great view of the Impala all covered in cameras and we could see both the boys in there as well as two people in the back, one with a camera. Even though the windows were down they had to be cooking in there.
There were people milling around, including Clif as well as a couple of people dressed for the weather... sort of. It was short-short Wednesday on the production, apparently. A few of them took it to heart and dressed in all kinds of hilarious outfits, including one guy that was jogging around everywhere in his short shorts and cut off t shirt. I couldn't help but stare and at one point he waved at us.
We were just enjoying watching them set up and get ready when Jensen looked at us across the street and smiled and waved from the car. We waved back but didn't say anything. Didn't want to disturb him or overstep our bounds. They sat there a few more minutes waiting for the 'go' and Jensen starts waving his jacket around, he turns to us and says "It's HOT!" flattening his 'o' out so that it sounded like 'haaaaaht'. We called back, "We know!" He answered, "I'm wearing three layers!" as we stood there in t-shirts and shorts. Unashamedly, we kindly invited him to remove a few of those pesky layers (did I just say that? I'm getting brave, apparently.)
Quickly after that they were finally called into action and they pulled the Impala into the driveway. We stayed where we were requested and couldn't see a whole lot of the action that was happening but we managed to find shade next to the truck of one of the workers who was out watching when she was on her breaks. We were hanging out waiting for something to happen when the SUV carrying the boys sauntered out of the lot where they were filming and backed in directly across the street from us in the gas station that they weren't using. We were very obvious and very un-subtle standing there just across the road but there wasn't a whole lot we could do about it. We were told to stay there, so we did, as much as it was awkward with us trying not to watch them sitting in the car right in front of us. Without staring it looked like Jared was pretty wrapped up in his phone. My friend and I briefly thought maybe they were going to come over and chat since they were between takes and were positioned right in front of us. Nothing happened, though and they took off after about 10 minutes of sitting there. By this time, my day already felt pretty complete as I'd gotten to see Jensen drive the Impala. Always a win on set when that happens.
Seeing that the shot had changed we were given the green light to move back up to the IGA. Better shade, we were cooking. I felt bad for the boys in their heavy coats, that's for sure.
In the driveway, the Impala was sitting again with the trunk wide open. The girl playing the part of what we thought was the valet came back with the car again from around the half block, pulled it around the corner and into the set, got out and the boys got in and drove away. They drove the car back around and parked it again and switched drivers back for the girl. They did this switch quite a few times driving the Impala around and around in a circle in front of us. The valet girl seemed to have more trouble controlling the torque of the car and one time she sailed around the corner and very nearly missed a parked car that was sitting there. Jensen came in hard one time and ripped her fast over the speed bumps that were there. May or may not have been for the benefit of the people in the back seat. It was really neat watching this episode be shot, I could already see that being only inside the car poses all kinds of new and different challenges. Sometimes there were camera guys in the back, different crew for other things and I swear at least once either Jared was holding the camera or someone was sitting in the passenger seat holding it while they drove around while Jared was not in the car. As we waited and watched the shooting we kept thinking we were hearing the Impala but because there were a number of old cars in the area, we were frequently turning to look at what wasn't actually the Impala.
As we were hanging around outside the IGA grocery store there were crew members coming over to hang out and chat with us. While we were talking with one of them, a customer of the IGA came and stood with us for a minute. He was an older man an asked what was filming. With an obvious crew member standing there, radio and everything, we answered that it was Supernatural. Mr. No Class commented full of attitude, "That show should have been cancelled a long time ago." Dick. I mean, everyone is entitled to their opinions but who says that to someone on the crew of a show? Any show? Whether you like it or not, show some class. Dick. Thankfully the guy left quickly after that. While the crew member took it well us fans were pretty unhappy with this particular gawker and we didn't have a lot to say to him. Of note, he did come back after he had done his shopping so it can't be that bad. He probably is a closet fan.
We continued to see them do a variety of shots in the car from different angles. We could see the boys goofing around while they waited to shoot, often times shedding layers as often as they could out of their coats and in just the flannel and t-shirts. A few more shots were lined up where I could have sworn I saw Jared with the camera again, focused on Jensen as he was driving. I thought for sure I saw him get in the car one time and then when they came around the corner right away and the front seat had someone with a camera. They looped the car around and around, the boys waiting at the valet stand, getting in the car, driving, and then returning it and allowing the woman to drive it back around again.
Soon they wrapped this half of the location and started moving items across the street, through the IGA lot and in behind the closed gas station that was to be the "Gas & Sip". I always feel useless when everyone is moving stuff and we can't help. They all have jobs to do and I wouldn't even think of setting hands on any of the expensive gear, but I'd totally carry a chair or something! They have rules, of course, so we just tried to stay out of the way.
We moved over and sat down on the curb between the IGA and the gas station. They were driving the blood-covered car into the gas station with the boys in the front and the woman in the back seat, unconscious. There could be dialogue first but ultimately Sam gets out of the car and goes into the station and Dean stays in the vehicle with the woman. With the Impala parked with its back to us and we saw Dean get out of the car, open the back door and grab the green cooler we've seen so many times on the show. He angrily slams the cooler to the ground and gets back in. We hear her yelling asking where he put 'it' and where 'it is'. Soon, a fight ensues. INSIDE the Impala. The window was uncovered for rehearsal so we had a pretty good view of what was going on. Basically she pulls him over the back of the drivers seat, they struggle with Dean on top punching (and I think kicking into the foot well) first and then she gets the better of him in the end, punching and knocking him out.
And then it was lunch. We grabbed sandwiches from the IGA and pulled up some curb watching the crew work meticulously on set up, getting the Impala all set up and painted up with blood on the 'Sam' window. They were putting it on the outside and Sam seemed okay at this point so hopefully they killed some 'evil sons of bitches' before this in the episode.
After lunch the boys returned and we moved to the corner where the driveway of the Gas & Sip meets the road. We were pretty much right next to the car as they rolled film on the boys starting in the car at the driveway and pulling into the gas station. Close enough to see that the blood on the car was gross and there was a whole lot of it. Also we could see the unconscious woman in the back seat. Between takes the guys were getting out of the car and trying to stay cool in their many layers. At one point Jared's door was having trouble and the car guy had to come over and open and slam it a few times while playing with the handle to get it to work. Poor Baby. They had the cameras set up on the trunk with the back window out so we were good where we were, even though it was close, because we weren't in the shot.
Once they had the Impala in the gas station, Jared was getting out and going inside leaving Jensen in the car. Time for the fight scene. They set up a white tarp on where the back window would be and I guess used it to create the right lighting. I wish I knew more about the hows and whys of the process. They also had a camera set right on the drivers side back window for another angle. We moved back further so we were parallel with the car and sat on the curb. The crew was near us too trying to find some shade on the sweltering day. We ended up creeping forward by invite because of the sun. Crew kept telling us to move forward to try and stay cool which also got us closer to the action.
The fight in the car was awesome to see them do. We could see little bits as they worked out the side of the white tarp but we didn't take any photos while they were filming since they don't like us to do that. There was lots of screaming and grunting in the back and if I hadn't seen them rehearse a fight I might have guessed they were doing something else back there. Soon the car starts and I was guessing that it was her since we saw her win in rehearsal. Poor Dean. They did it all in one take from the time the flighting started until the car started. Wild.
The production had a portable A/C unit that they were using to pump cool air into the car when they could and at one point I saw Jensen hold the hose right up into his jacket. Did I mention it was hot out?
The woman in the Impala must be a strong some kind of being since she was like a 90 pound woman and managed to get the best of Dean. Also, VFX was on set so it made me wonder about that as well. I was chatting with Adam, the awesome VFX guy. It's awesome and fun that he never gives anything away. Ever. He asked us if the girl was human (just yanking our chains) and we discuss that she's gotta be pretty strong for a little girl so not likely.
They shot the fight again picking up from the Impala being parked. We had trouble not laughing when we heard Dean slamming his foot into the wheel well as part of the fight. They would work through the fight part way, hold the cameras and then Jensen and the woman would get out of the car and they'd paint on make-up for their cuts. Then they'd keep going and pause again to add more.
After they cut, Jared came out of the Gas & Sip as Jensen rolled himself out of the Impala huffing and puffing and looking pretty rough. Jared must have said something smart ass to him because Jensen yells back "You do it!" while laughing with a smile.
Because of the change in camera angle we were moved to the front of the car, so across the gas station to a property with trees and grass. We would have been in the shot if we had stayed where we were. As it turns out this was a better angle to see the fight scene.
This time we saw Dean get out of the car and put the cooler in the trunk of the Impala. We saw an out-take/mistake once when Jensen got out of the car and immediately turned around to try again laughing for whatever mistake he had made.
We saw the fight scene again only from the front and we had a great view of her coming up behind Dean and choking him from behind before pulling him over the bench seat. There was no stunt double for Jensen here and we could see him 'helping' her get his body up to the tipping point in the car on the seat by pushing with his feet. But eventually gravity works and he would fall back on her. Once he was in the back she hit him but he got over top quickly and held her down on the seat hitting her a few times. At one point mid-fight they hold the cameras so she could leave the car and Jensen stomped HARD in the foot well. She got back in and they kept fighting and she eventually overtook him, getting the best of Dean and knocking him out. She clambered over the seat and got herself behind the wheel with an evil grin before starting the car, starting to creep it forward before they called cut.
Around this time my friend that had texted asking 'What's JMATWB' and had been a fan forever showed up. As it turned out he had great timing because he got to see the best part of the day.
They moved on to the next shot and they told us that Jensen had wrapped. I figured that we're about to see Sam come out of the convenience store as the woman drives off with his incapacitated brother in the back seat. Figured it might be him giving chase and calling for Dean or maybe just watching and looking lost. We watched as they set up with the stunt and VFX guys and I started to get excited wondering what exactly we are going to get to see here. This seemed a lot more involved than Sam standing. Soon Jared came out and stood pretty near us, closer than the front of the Impala had been, and formed his hands as a gun, making shooting motions with the Impala parked a little ways up the driveway. No. Way. We had noticed there was a company that deals with filming industry glass around earlier, their truck was painted with their logos, but I figured it was just because they were removing the front and rear glass from the Impala. Now I started to wonder if something else was going to happen.
As they continued to set up the cameras and whatever else they were doing on the car, Jared causally sauntered over to us gaggle of fans that were only about 15 feet away from where he had been rehearsing with his non-gun a minute ago. He said hi to us and high fived a fan in an Always Keep Fighting t-shirt. He told us about this episode, saying it is a novelty episode that they do every year or few where they try and do something unusual. He explained that this one was about the car. I sensed most of the fans that were there were a little awe-struck and no one really said anything. I had my Sam Funko that I didn't ask for him to sign at the airport and I really wanted to ask him to sign it but for some reason it just didn't feel like the right time. He was between set ups and was really quite casual with us, just chatting. I had just kind of gotten the resolve to ask when he left, which was fine. I was happy he came and chatted with us. I kind of got the feeling he might come back when he was wrapped, but I definitely wasn't expecting that.
Around this time the PA's asked us not to take any photos. I was happy to oblige and this is why I don't have any pictures of this scene being shot. They also warned us that we were about to hear loud gunfire but it wasn't real. It was set up so that the gun would sound like it was letting a bullet go and then at the same time they were going to blow out the glass in the back of the Impala. VFX would later put in the actual bullet.
We were close enough to hear Jared given instructions to shoot and then run after the car. He went back into the convenience store as the woman got behind the wheel of the Impala. They called rehearsal and Jared came running out of the store in these silly, sparkly, small, red sunglasses. He 'shot' the prop gun without any sound and the woman drove the car just up to the top of the driveway. They didn't block traffic for rehearsal so she didn't keep going. They cut that and Jared looked to us fans with the silly shades on and an inquisitive expression giving us three choices, thumbs up, middle or down. We all enthusiastically gave a thumbs up back to him and he smiled.
Jared disappeared again while they set up the shot but he quickly returned, silly shades and all, toting a rather large cooler full of bottled water. We were grateful since it was so hot and he started pulling out bottles and handing them out to us apologizing that it's not cold. What a sweet guy. This runs all the way through this crew as on this day we were asked repeatedly if we were keeping cool and we were allowed to migrate to places where there was shade instead of standing in the beating sunshine. We were right near a black Porsche on the edge of the property and as Jared was handing out water he rested the cooler down on it. The PA nearby quickly tried to get him to pick the cooler back up saying, "This car isn't ours, Jared!". It sure looked like a picture car so I get Jared thinking it was part of the set. I can't wait to look for it in the show. We thanked Jared profusely for the water and he headed back to get ready.
Before they rolled we are warned at least two more times that the gunfire was going to be loud. I guess they didn't want anyone shrieking and ruining the shot.
We waited while Jared started inside the Gas & Sip and the woman started the car. It's interesting how you could almost feel the tension ramp up on set as everyone just got a little quieter between takes and a little less silly before they filmed this sequence. There were two guys in the back of the Impala, neither of them were Jensen but they were both down out of the shot. Traffic was stopped on the street so no one could get through. We heard action and she gunned the car while Jared came running out of the store. He stopped and fired two shots as they blew the glass on the back window of the car. They were indeed LOUD and I couldn't help but jump a bit. She pulled out of the parking lot a little quicker and more uncontrolled than I think she would have liked and disappeared with the car. After firing Jared stopped but then seemed to remember he was supposed to run and gave a few haphazard steps in the direction of the car, problem being the camera had left with the Impala. They decided to reset the shot and do it again.
The production paused for the Impala to return and it felt like it took forever for the car to come back. We started to joke that maybe she stole it for real. When it did finally return it was being driven by one of the two guys that were in it but it came back from the same direction. I guess they switched somewhere.
It didn't take nearly as long to reset the glass as I thought. They swept up all the little pieces on the back dash and replaced the glass before getting ready again to do the same thing.
This time I was a little better prepared for the sounds and they set up and called action. Jared came running out and the woman moved a little slower in the car this time, possibly a little gun shy after the last take. Sam stops and took two shots but from our angle I could see that the gun misfired on the first shot. He pulled it again and actually ended up getting three trigger pulls away for two 'shots'. The glass shattered on the second shot. This time he gave chase a little too emphatically and probably could have reached out and touched the car as it pulled out of the driveway. He chased it all the way to and up onto the road (thankfully traffic was stopped), pausing like he was going to fire again. I noticed this time too that the woman driving was wearing earplugs.
Jared walked back towards us and Clif's car and gave us the thumbs up or down choice again. Only a few people were watching but I made sure to give him two thumbs up, waaay up. Awesome. That was a wrap on that day.
I headed back to my car and out to my friend's place in Chilliwack much later than I originally intended.
(Since writing this out I have seen the episodes from Season 11 and found that this footage is the first scenes of 11x02 even though it was filmed at the same time as 11x04)
2015.08.13 - Chilliwack.
My friend had been working recon out in Chilliwack and found that they were to be starting early (9am) at the Royal Hotel but it didn't seem to be too big. They hadn't shot at all from what I was able to understand the previous day even though they were scheduled to.
We arrived around 11 and found a street full of dead bodies. We'd heard something about zombies, but ones that were 'weird'. There was no Impala in sight where they were rolling a man staggering up the street with one shoe on looking all dishevelled in a tie and a half tucked shirt. The lack of the Impala made me suspicious if they were doing clean up shots for a different episode since my understanding of 04 was that it was solely in and around the car. I thought I heard lines being thrown out by the crew off camera and the man was reacting to it. There was no filming in the direction the non-zombie-man was going but we did notice that he was pale and had black lines running up his neck. My friends and I thought maybe he was channelling leviathans. He seemed to enjoy working this as he would walk to the cameras and sometimes stagger to a gaggle of fans sitting on the side of the road with a laugh.
There were numerous dead bodies lying on the road and also a woman in a purple Chrysler near him. Not a bad day, lying around on the road playing dead.
They ran the shot numerous times, meanwhile the locations manager, Russ was trying to convince a couple of girls near us to re-enact the Laverne and Shirley introduction through the middle of the set. He was willing to pay them even ($50 each!) but they never got brave enough.
We heard that the old Safeway nearby was housing the circus and that there was an Impala sighted there. We walked over and found not much of a circus, just really a food tent and a couple of trucks but also, parked a little ways away, two Impalas. They weren't in the middle of everything so we felt okay about getting close. We asked a PA standing there if we could take some photos of the car. He said sure, just don't touch them. In the mean time while we were deciding to go over there we found Russ had headed there as well. I felt bad like he might have thought we were following him so I told him we were there for the car. I didn't want to creep him out.
After we all took a bunch of photos in and around the car, we headed back over to Russ who was with someone else. We waited for an appropriate time and bugged him to get a group shot with him. He was happy to oblige and we took a nice photo with him.
When we got to chatting we found out that Chlliwack is a different 'zone' than the rest of Vancouver so it costs them a lot more money to come out there. They brought no main cast and a skeleton crew. They were doing the morning on the streets and then the afternoon driving around small communities in the are taking stock footage of the Impalas driving. Very very interesting. I know a lot of the areas out there quite well having worked everywhere from Abbotsford to Hope so I can't wait to see what transpires in the future episodes!
I drove home later that night, well after dark, and I took the same road home through the back roads of Langley to see if the production might still be around somewhere. No luck, though. I got home, logged onto Twitter and saw photos surfacing from the production crew over the coming days revealing that they were under the Patullo Bridge that night, they had built a road house out there. I would have driven right by there (on BC HWY 17) if I had gone the way I would normally go. Gah!
2015.08.14 - Burnaby
We heard through twitter about this shoot. Someone tweeted about road closures starting as early as 9am and going to 10pm somewhere near 22nd Street Skytrain. I headed up there to meet some friends. They were at the circus and as I got there there were two Baby's there being offloaded from the transport truck. Definitely the right place.
Two younger children arrived with their parent while we were waiting. They should be in a shot somewhere and I start to wonder more about the plot of this episode. I don't generally like to be at the circus so we drove around until we found the set nearby. They were down a long road, a baby already stashed up the hill behind an old dilapidated farm house. This one was beat UP. They had a tarp over the top of it and same blood on the window from the previous day. This was obviously after the scene from the Gas & Sip.
We were hanging out and Doug, the set carpenter came down and changed the road signs to one with bullet holes in it. Must be a re-used one. He makes it look so easy, and tosses the city ones in a ditch. From where we were we could see the front fender and grill of the Impala on the hill have been smashed in. Obviously something happened in between Dean being knocked out and now.
We watch them all get set up, lighting and cameras and they pull Baby forward just a bit and we can see less. We hung out and chatted, there were a few fans around checking out the action. We were put at a park a little ways down the road. There was a swing set and a nice comfy giant rock to sit on. PA's entertained us and we had a pretty good vantage point.
The boys showed up a little while later and we see them head to the back of the building. The actress that beat Dean up the other day is also there. They're ready to go so Jensen gets behind the wheel, the girl in the passenger side. Obviously Dean has recovered enough to drive. He backs the car down away from the rear of the farm house and runs it back up once action is called, dirty smoke clouds billowing. Dean throws it in park, jumps out as she does and he hustles to the front finding Sam standing on the back end of the barn. Dean hugs him quickly and helps him around the passenger side, the woman forgotten. It looks like Sam maybe shakes Dean off in impatience as he slides in the passenger side, Dean gets back in and they drive up the other side of the barn, not hitting the road before they call cut.
They only do the take twice and from where we were we could see them doing makeup on both the boys for the cuts they've encountered during the episode. I hope that those cuts and bruises and obvious injuries on Sam and the state of the front of the Impala are not connected but I'm starting to really think that there's a limited amount of things that can be done from the car. Here's hoping we hear about Sam getting beat up as some kind of ransom exchange or something and not that he created those dents in the car from his moose-like form. However, that would make sense if Dean witnessed Sam being hit or in an accident why he is angst-filled enough to hug him when they meet again.
Meanwhile, they had asked us not to take high-quality photos (after I had already taken the few I have) after some other fans showed up, one of them with a professional zoom lens, way better than mine (camera envy). Even after they asked not to, this guy kept snapping photos, even when they were rolling. I was really scared they were going to boot us all off the set but thankfully we were allowed to stay and the group of offenders left on their own accord.
They were going to do a setup on the road and we would be in the shot where we were so the PA's move us up to the top of the hill. There were probably 8 or 9 of us hanging around and so they walked us right through the middle of the road. They were between takes and Jared was standing in the driveway of the home, his back to us playing on his phone. Jensen was in Clif's car. I could hear the girls that were with us whispers rising as we got closer to Jared but he didn't know we were coming and didn't turn around, which is good, because that would have been awkward. Jensen was in the passenger side of the vehicle and was distracted with a tissue as we passed. No one took photos, we didn't have to be asked not to. This is their personal time and we don't need photos of Jensen blowing his nose anyway. We were lucky to be walked through the heart of the action and get to see what was happening on set up close. By the time we got to the top of the hill, though, a safe distance away from the boys, the girls with us started having a pretty good freak out, one of them unable to stop the tears at the proximity we were to the guys. She was just really, really excited. And shaking. I can definitely relate to the shakes, but not on a walk by. Everyone is different though. We were now at the top of the hill but definitely in the sight line of the SUV that Jensen was sitting in. If the boys didn't know there were fans there before, they definitely would now.
We hung out up there for a while and as the boys sat in Clif's truck I mused that these guys must really, really, REALLY like each other. I know that they are really good friends and I've said before that if I spent 10 months of the year working 12 to 16 hour days with the same person, I don't think I'd want to hang out with them on my time off, but the boys do hang out in Texas judging from the photos they share. And here we are again, waiting in between takes. It's nice enough out that they could be outside and not too hot, be hanging around doing whatever, but they stay together. They chat and laugh and have fun in Clif's car. I don't know how you can not be sick of each other.
We were sitting and waiting and the setup was taking a long time, Clif jumps in the car and they roll it up the hill heading back to the circus. Jensen is sitting shotgun and as they approach he rolls down the window. He has so much makeup on it makes me cringe for the state of Dean. Fake blood all down behind his right ear, cuts on his face and eyebrow. He just looks rough. I can't take the opportunity not to ask, "Rough day at the office?" We can see Jared through the tinted glass in the back but his window stays up. Jensen smiles at us and assures us, "Don't worry, it's all fake." while he indicated his face. He could probably see the concern on our faces.
After they took off, our little group took this opportunity to go get something to eat and use the washroom. My car was parked at the bottom of the hill and I was a little excited at the prospect that my car may actually be in the shot as they drove the Impala down the hill and off. However, we had to walk through the set to get to it so when we came back we parked at the top of the hill so we wouldn't have to disturb everyone.
When we got back the boys were back already and they were hanging out in Clif's car while the shot was set up. We couldn't see the set up and figured it would start where the last shot we saw ended, with the boys coming out of the driveway. As we waited we noticed Jensen's arm come out and seemingly toss something over the hood of the SUV in the general direction of a set worker nearby. Then it happened again. She had been hanging around a bit near them and was chatting into the car. The next thing we knew Jensen had popped out of the car and he was catching the food, whatever it was, that she was tossing up. He seemed to be doing a good job and appeared to catch most of them. Nice job! Unfortunately my photos came up unflattering.
As they were setting up the shot they were about to do they decided to, instead of going to the first stop sign, already a long way, they wanted to car to keep going down the straight run. Right past where my car had been parked previously. Crap! My car *almost* got in Supernatural. They were close to ready and then we had to wait for the PA's to walk ALL the way down to the very end of the long road. They even sent the officer at the top of the road where we were to the opposite end with his car. Finally after the long process the boys got out and headed to the car and they ran the shot, the boys driving away in the totally beat up and downright trashed Impala a long ways down the road. We could of course hear the Impala fire up because it's so distinctive, but we couldn't see exactly what happened before it turned out onto the road. Don't think it was much. This time the car didn't have a camera on it leading me to further think this is the last shot of the episode. Jensen drove it relatively slowly when they were rolling over the bumpy ground but he pulled in and turned around at the end of the road and one time took it pretty quick back up the road. As the car turned the corner in and out of the driveway we could see just how rough she looked, rougher than the boys she was carrying, that's for sure. The back window was still out and for the shot the front window was out as well. After the first take they asked for safety glasses and we were wondering if it was for the boys. Earlier I had thought the front window was out for filming purposes but it must have happened during the episode, possibly when the other damage happened. They did the drive 3 times down the road, one of them Jensen turned around in the driveway right next to where I had been parked.
They wrapped that scene and the location and as a friend of mine stated, "It looks like someone's kicked a beehive." Such a flurry of action watching everyone pack out and get things done to move. The craziness kept up and the boys headed back to the car, jumped in and came up the hill. As the SUV slowed next to us this time the back window rolled down too, revealing Jared looking just as, if not more, beat up than Jensen. I may have said, "Holy crap." Jared blew us a kiss and Jensen said with a smile, "We're getting cleaned up now, I PROMISE." It was dinner for the production while they moved locations.
We wandered over to where we'd heard the next location was via Twitter, on a boardwalk in the River District near Kerr St and Marine Drive. We knew there were people there already because they were tweeting photos of Impalas, while we were still looking at 2 of them. So many of them kicking around this week. Once we got there it was easy to find the production and we knew they were on dinner. There were lots of fans sitting around an Impala that was up on blocks so that the view of the river would be excellent once the boys were in it. There were also set visitors of the furry kind in the form of 5 raccoons, a mother and 4 babies that looked like they were trying to cross the boardwalk right by where the Impala was parked. They were spooked, the poor little guys and eventually went under the wood paneling to get to where they were headed, but not before the mother tried to get a hold of one of the PA's backpacks that had been left by the back of the car. We took a walk down the boardwalk and took some photos of the sunset. There were 5 big lights across the River that I thought were whatever was actually over there. As it turns out they were being used in the production. There was also a little, almost too perfect house type building over there. I don't know if it will be used or if it's just a coincidence. I also managed to get a great moonlight on the water shot, from the lights they were using for the shoot, not the moon.
There were quite a few people milling around as it was a residential area with a restaurant and a popular trail along the river. However, they had a long wait as the boys broke for dinner around 7:30 and it was 10:30 before they had the location prepped and ready to go. They pushed us back onto a sidewalk so we were safely out of the way so the fans, between 30 and 50 at different times, waited.
It's so fascinating watching them set up the shoot, right down to the chairs, which also had the mysterious green cooler stacked on top and it almost took a fall. One worker managed to save it, but I guess there has to be more than one just like everything else on the set.
There was also another Impala there (well 2 others, actually), one that we learned spends almost all it's time in the studio. It was basially the shell of the car, no wheels, lights, roof, you know, the unimportant things. Apparently it can be taken apart from any angle. It was on a metal chassy with numerous little wheels. I was thinking they were going to push it up where the whole car was after they finished with it but they set up the camera crane right where it was, which was also about 10 feet from the fans. I knew that if it stayed there, we wouldn't be able to.
Eventually the boys arrived with Clif and they wandered appreciatively past the shell Impala, Jensen in particular giving it a smile and looking impressed. I always love the fans of this show, when the boys show up it's like a collective holding of breath. No one yells or screams, they just wait patiently while the boys go by. It's very polite. The boys headed to the Impala on the boardwalk and stood outside of it for a while talking with the director and other crew members, preparing to shoot. They both crawled in and we couldn't see too much really because they had the lighting paels up. They called rehearsal and action while the fans stood silently. We had been given a heads up at the other location that this scene tonight, while they didn't tell us where it would be or who was in it, would involve 5 pages of dialoge, which by industry standards is a heck of a lot. Usually 1 page is about a minute of screen time depending on how fast the actors talk and 5 pages in one night is a huge amount to try and get through. Good thing these guys are pros.
After they rehearsed it once I was curious how long we were all standing there in total silence. It's not very often you get that kind of quiet with a group of people anywhere, but there we were, defensively quiet so the show could get shot with the repect it needs. Once the director called action, I started the timer on my phone. Two times in a row, one was just over 6 minutes, the next 7. I imagine they had to do quick restarts without cutting a few times due to airplane traffic. Someone has to talk to Russ about finding sets in a flight path. I also discovered that the lights across the river were supposed to be either cars or boats passing by as they seemed to move at set intervals on every take. After a few takes someone (possibly Jared) gave a big loud "One, two, THREE!" and the car was pivoted around on the rollers it had been sitting on to face another direction. There seemed to be a problem however and the boys came back to Clif's car walking by the fans again. They waved and Jared told us that "They broke the car." The guys hopped in the truck and went for a quick jaunt back to the trailers. They weren't gone long and came back to do another take from another angle. They smiled and waved again on the way back to the Impala and they were soon underway with the hugely long take.
I was struck how much dialoge that is to remember for the boys and that they did this scene in one giant chunk instead of smaller bits. I was so impressed with the ability of the guys to do this.
Now that they were turned I could see inside the car so between takes a snapped a few photos of the guys lounging and chatting, just hanging out in the car. I realized that Dean is in the front of the car leaning on the passenger side window and stretched out accross the front seat while Sam was in the back facing the opposite way, his head on the glass behind the drivers side. While the take happened I gathered that Sam started sleeping and Dean looks like he's awake. Something wakes Sam up and a conversation ensues. Seems like it could be research because there didn't seem to be a whole lot of emotional bits or yelling. Early on Dean hands him back a canned beverage (possibly a beer?). Dean also has a drink in this scene as he takes a swig towards the end. The guys were also drinking something out of cans between takes as they lounged. I thought maybe I heard singing at one point between takes. I certainly saw Jensen playing air drums in the front seat of the car.
They kept making changes to camera angles and doing the same scene at least twice from each one. I love how comfortable they both seem to be just hanging out in the Impala and the conversation came up with the PA's about buying cars for the show. Someone said they'd love to have a '67 Impala, another said wait a few years and they might be able to get one from the show. One of the PA's mentioned that it's actually written into Jensen's contract that he gets one of them when the show is finished. Unknown if Jared gets dibs on one, but the feeling was he isn't as into the cars as Jensen is.
For me, I was really happy to get to see this incredible day of filming and how kind and friendly everyone on set was. Before I was a fan of the show, but still interested in local filming the local word was the Supernatural set was not a friendly place. Since I've been a fan, I've found just the opposite. On this day we spoke with Adam the VFX guy (who was actually on a day off) and Doug the carpenter as well as lots PA's, not to mention Clif, the boys' bodyguard and numerous passing workers as they set up, took down, had lunch, even offered water Everyone seemed to be friendly.
Clif seemed to be getting a kick out of the fans around and between takes people started asking him to get the boys to say hi. One time up to the cars when they waved, Clif told us, "See, they said hi, now go home!" Sounds mean when it's put here, but it was delivered with a smile. The boys are adults, they make their own decisions and I know Clif can't 'get' them to do anything they don't want to do, but of course if he said don't come meet the fans, they probably wouldn't thinking of safety (since it's his job). However, I'm uncomfortable with the idea of asking any one on a staff attempting to get the actors to do anything on any set, anywhere. The boys knew we were there, they had seen us plain as day. If they felt like they had the time and energy to come and meet people they could. It's enough of an imposition to be on set in the first place, I would never, ever expect an actor to come over and meet fans. This is their workplace. Additionally to this, we had seen first hand the long, blood-soaked morning they had, plus this was a late Friday of a long week, mostly of exteriors, which seems like more work for everyone than a studio day.
They wrapped the car on the dock and shuffled us fans to the corner where we wouldn't be mere feet from an open car that the guys would be in. Makes sense. We hadn't seen the guys leave the car on the dock yet and we moved as a pack, still about 30 people around, to the next road down, behind where the other good Impala was. I was trying to see if I could get an angle to see them in the car from there when the guys came down toward Clif's car again, which was now in full view of us at the corner. As the two of them closed in on it, Clif jumped in the front, but they didn't hesitate and walked right past it, past the trailer and accross the road to us. I have to say that was one of my favourite moments on a set ever, when the fans realized that they were coming to us. A hush fell over the group and you could feel the excitement seeing the guys take the few steps up to us. They got up on the curb and smiled, Jared greeting us with a "Hey guys!" It was funny how suddenly things seemed awkward. Well, awkward maybe not the word, but tenatitve. The excitement was palpable in the little group but no one wanted to be the first to do anything. They started chatting explaining that this scene is from the episode about the car, "Baby" and that it's the longest dialogue scene they've ever shot. Now Jared may have been exagerating but it sure felt long from where we were standing. I was standing in front of Jared and there was a semi awkward pause. I didn't want to miss my opportunity again (for the 3rd time) to get his signature on something and I'd been carrying my little Funko Sam around in my pocket effectively all day. When I knew I wasn't about to interrupt him, I held it up (I was behind some others because I always try to be because I'm so damn tall) and asked him if he could please sign it for me. He smiled and said sure so I handed it up to him. He made quick work of it and as he handed it back and I tried not to smudge it he said that his boys were playing with one of these this morning and he stepped on it on his way out the door.
People seemed unsure what to do, like there was an invisible barrier between us and the boys until Jared asked if we wanted to do some photos. No one seemed to want to go first until one person stepped up and then it was like flood gates. I had a friend that had come down from the interior to see this. I had met her on a set last year and she stood outside for 2 days and didn't meet any actors. I had felt bad for her when I managed to meet them so seemingly easy in the past months so I wanted to make sure she got a photo. I stood behind her and asked if she was going to go for Jared. She said yes. I offered to take it for her (selfies are such a crapshoot in the dark) and when there was a space I prodded her to get on up there. She smiled with him and I snapped the photo for her. They both looked great. I had already achieved my goals for the day (and for the show) once I got the autograph from Jared, but the boys didn't seem to be in a hurry, which was a shock to me after the long day. I wandered semi-aimlessly over to Jensen thinking that I would kind of maybe like a photo of him standing next to me instead of in the car, but really I'm splitting hairs. I was so happy with that photo that everything else is gravy. I waited for a chance and stepped up asking if I could get a photo, even though I said I already had one. He was happy to do that and the girl I had passed my phone off to took one for us. I thanked him and then saw someone having him sign in a book for someone else. I was carrying a print of my photo from the last time I saw him (coincidentally exactly three weeks before that) so I asked if he'd be so kind as to sign it for me. I told him it was just a few weeks ago and he took it and looked at it for a second. I couldn't figure out if he was looking for somewhere to sign or trying to remember the night. I said, "Just anywhere." in case he was hesitating for that reason and he scrawled his name across both of us. Since they were so casual and un-hurried I took the time to tell him that that night was so much fun and had the added bonus of meeting him and Mark Sheppard as well. He agreed that was a lot of fun and I thanked him again. I should have thanked him again for the bug spray, but I didn't think fast enough.
Jared was still cruising around taking photos with people and as much as I LOVED the selfie we took at the airport, I was starting to feel like I was warming up to the idea of the guys being not in a hurry and being very very giving.
Feeling a little selfish since I'd already had some of his time here and previously, I asked him quietly, "I already have a photo with you, could I maybe get another?" He broke into a smile and said kindly, "Of course, You've been out here all day." He threw is arm around me and pulled me in close, tipping my hat askew on his chin. I didn't care. For me being so tall and large, I don't get to feel small that often, but the way Jared pulled my shoulder in tight to him I couldn't help but feel small, and then I noticed a smell. I guess it was because I was neck-level right where the cologne goes, but he smelled good. Impressive for a guy that just spent most of the last few hours sitting in a car. The photo was snapped and he let me go and I was left smiling like a fool. He thanked us for being fans and I thanked him for coming out.
They hung around until it seemed like everyone was happy and Jared told those people in the Always Keep Fighting shirts to hang around, he had to run back to the trailer and he had something for them. The people I was with had shirts, I hadn't been able to find the money to get one with the financial turmoil I've had the last few years. It's the shipping that's killer. As much as I absolutely LOVED the design on the 3rd shirts in particular I just couldn't make it happen and still feed my cat. Everyone has a mental illness story. I lost two close friends when I was a teenager to the tragic disease and now I'm a teacher. I have students come to me all the time with problems and I help them through what I can. I love that he's bringing this issue forward and hopefully helping people feel more comfortable talking about it. Making people realize it's not weakness, it's a real thing that people shouldn't be ashamed of. But I couldn't afford a shirt. Bottom line.
But I waited because I was driving a friend that had one. They jumped in Clif's car and after about 10 minutes the boys came back, Jared jumped out of Clif's side (with a diet orange Crush) and pulled some pins out of his pocket. I have to admit that this was one of the hardest moments of my life to tell the truth. Jared asked who had an AKF shirt either on or at home. I died a little but just couldn't lie. As much as I wanted one, as much as it killed me, I didn't have one. He handed out these wicked little pins with the Impala and the letters AKF on them to those who had them. He thanked them for supporting his cause. I just hope he doesn't think I don't support his cause because I couldn't get a shirt. I do wholeheartedly. But of course, I'm not faulting him for giving the pins to those who could get one as an added bonus for the donation and support. As he turned to get back in the car I called to him, "Jared, are you going to be selling the pins?" And as he clamoured he he said yes, for charity. So I'll hopefully get my chance. Such an amazing guy.
After that we took off, it was late into the night and we couldn't see anything from where we had been placed for the new set up.
So happy to get to see what we did. Such an amazing production and crew, as well, of course, as the cast.
Created with flickr slideshow.
Thank you sooooooo much for this You must have had a exciting time Living in Australia we can only dream of doing anything like this Thank you again Jenny
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! It's awesome to share the geek-ness. I've always been the kind of person that writes stuff down for personal memories and it occurred to me that there may be others who could possibly be interested in ramblings of a geek. :) Thanks for the note! :)
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