Alabama Hills
I just found this to be a lovely area. It is about 12 miles away from Cerro Gordo, just West of Lone Pine (the 'major' city up there). It rests at the foot of Mt. Whitney and it is where they have shot more than 200 Westerns. Just a cool lanfscape that I found pretty. Not sure how this applies to SCORP, sorry, just cool.
El Mirage
All right, here is the El Mirage Dry Lake Bed, just East of Lancaster. I was fooling around with HGX200, but unfortunately, I didn't try many of the modes, as I just didn't have enough knowledge of them to try out. I played a bit with the iris and fstop a bit, as you can see. I got up and shot this at dawn, but I think we should shoot a bit later in the day, maybe mid-morning. The light is beautiful at this time, but not as bright and glaring as I would like. This is all at 720p24 native.
30 seconds in: I am using a high shutter speed for a bit when you see my hand and face come into the frame. Good and jumpy.
58 seconds in: This portion was actually shot in the late afternoon the day before. It is from a different portion of the lake bed which had more dirt. I just liked the look of the pregnant rain clouds against the mountains and sun.
1 minute, 12 seconds in: Here, I just play a bit, kick the blues and play with the exposure for a second.
1 minute, 38 seconds: My dumb ass playing with the fast-motion feature. I'm at 60 frames/sec at 720p.
1 minute, 45 seconds: As you can see, that is some hard-pack dirt. Amazingly though, it crumbles right away to mud with just a small amount of water.
1 minute, 53 seconds: Testing the slow-mo, I think I'm at 12 frames.
Anyways, a beautiful location. I am still working on permits, but it is a good option for something to shoot mid-morning, hell, maybe 2-3 hours we could do all your tortured buried in the clay stuff. Of course, with mobile shade tent to put over you and an entire car full of water and snacks. written 7/30/06
Llano del Rio
This location rests in Lancaster, in Antelope Valley, just North of Big Bear. Nothing can really be done here, it is too close to civilization, in fact, it mostl lies in civilizations' backyard. There are some lovely stone structures that exist from when this used to be a commune for some crazy cult, but in no way can this pass for early 1900s.
Ludlow
Small town that is 20 miles East of Barstow on 40. Nothing here, just some decrepit buildings, unfortunately the railroad is too modern, not to mention the highway to use as any kind of backup ghost town.
Pioneertown
This really does have a chance at being a backup location. Pioneertown is also very close to Soggy Dry Lake. It is very commercialized, as you can see, but on that one side of the street, it really does look fun and interesting. Especially that one section with the jail and the bathhouse. I wish I had got some footage of the sorrounding scorched hills, but I was unaware of the fires that had swept the area. My dumbass thought it was natural, but it really did look otherworldly and unique to see the ash and burned yucca spread over the hills.
Providence
I thought this location was stunning, but it is just too damn remote. It is just near the Arizona border, about 100 miles East of Barstow. And there was about 10 miles of some extreme off-road to get up to the site of the mine, ruins, and mill. It is pretty though, and I just got a kick out of stumbling around for awhile. Especially that mine that was too spooky for me to go that far into. Cool place, but too out there.
Red Mountain
Well, I thought that other than Pioneertown, this would be the closest to a backup location I could find on this trip. It is a beautiful mine site that would have to be de-modernized. But has a real corrosive Mad-Max feel to it that I like. It is about halfway between Soggy Dry Lake and Cerro Gordo, and worth a thought or two if disaster strikes.
Soggy Dry Lake
This is just a few quick pans of the Soggy Dry Lake. Sorry, I wan't very coherent or steady that morning, but you can get a sense of the size of the place, especially when you combine it with the website pictures I sent you in a previous email. I like the view of the mountain to the North, We could easily show him walking in that direction, as if Cerro Gordo were up in those mountains. There are tire tracks, but I also think I stopped in an area rife with them. Some raking and some precise choosing of grounds should help us there. Lots of campers, and I have to talk to Inland Empire about how they can help us out with that. Nothing ruins a desolate shot like a couple dune buggies. And, we can dig on this lake!
Cerro Gordo
Filming Location: Cerro Gordo, CA (6 miles North and 6,000 ft up from Keeler, CA)Length: 4 minutes, 48 seconds
This one was shot all on a mini-DV, an old one too.
Shot explanation: (I'll explain each shot. Each new explanation corresponds with a dissolve)
1: Pan of a pretty desert dune hillock in the town of Keeler, at the base of the mountain path leading up to Cerro Gordo. In a pinch, this would be an excellent vista for you to stumble across.
2,3,4,5: Quick shots of the drive up the mountain. Good views of the valley below, good cacti.
6: The entrance of Cerro Gordo, with the American Hotel up on the hill (as the sun flares the camera).
7: Better shot of the American Hotel.
8. Porch of the General Store, up the Main Road of Cerro Gordo.
9. Inside the General Store: Some of the trinkets pulled from the surrounding area.
10. Some of the silver ore pulled from the hills.
11. More fragments, ceramics, layed out on two tables outside the General Store.
12. Part of the abandoned railway system that was used to transport silver ore down to the town of Keeler in the valley.
13. The abandoned smelting factory that was used to pull the ore up from the mine shafts.
14. A mine shaft warning sign.
15. A look down one of the shafts, only the first 20 ft. or so are visible, but it runs for miles.
16. The smelting and production machines in the factory.
17. A sealed mine shaft dug right into the side of the mountain.
18. Inside the entrance of the sealed mine.
19. The dinner bell as seen from right in front of the American Hotel.
20. The 'greeting' room at the front of the Hotel, still dressed up as it was in the late 1800s.
21. The saloon in the Hotel, and the great old bar.
22. The pot-bellied stove in the saloon.
23. The back poker room behind the saloon.
24. Bhind the bar of the saloon with all the old and new glasses.
25. A reverse look at the saloon with the intricate ceiling boards and latticework.
26. Side-view of te front of the American Hotel, especially the balcony.
27. A chimney, all that remains of a house that used to be at the entrance to Cerro Gordo, and a view down the long road to the valley and Keeler.
This is the location up by Keeler that is an excellent ghost town that I think would work perfectly for the town scene in SCORP. I have early permission to film, hell we wouldn't even need much, just a few hours around sunset should do it, I would think. You, the girl, and a few extras to use at the end. Now, it is far away and that might put a crimp in the plans. Plug in Keeler, CA into Yahoo Maps and you will get a sense. I just like the area. I also like the bar, I think we should do a very quick scene with KARA in that bar, man its just beautiful. That is a great balcony up top on the main hotel too. Also a lot of fun locations on the site to shoot townspeople 'on watch'. I don't know if this can work, but it could be fun.
written 7/30/06