Interview on Skeptically Speaking

Just a quick note to direct any of you who check in here with any regularity that I was interviewed on Skeptically Speaking this past week about the film and some other stuff...

Oh and for the record, despite what I said, David Nykl is NOT at DragonCon. He called me last night - the night the show aired - asking if I wanted to go see Inglourious Basterds. I am nowhere near Atlanta right now (indeed I've been watching parts of SkepTrack at DragonCon on-line; therefore David is neither (or he expected one heck of a commute) and is NOT at DragonCon.

Sometimes I'm a dumbass.

A Quick Cry for Help!

I'm going to be a guest on Skeptically Speaking this week, but due to a bunch of factors (they're having technical issues in the studio & the host is going to DragonCon) they aren't doing the interview as one of their normal call-in shows.

We are pre-recording the interview without any random listener questions. We're doing that on Monday evening (Aug 31st).

It would be cool if we had some email questions though...

Here's the preview of the show:"Kennedy Goodkey, one of the actors in the new independent movie The Beast of Bottomless Lake will discuss Ogopogo, being a skeptic in the not-so-skeptical acting community,and what it’s like to shoot a movie in a town where the tourism industry is built on the perpetuation of a myth."

If anyone can come up with a question, go to their home page and email it in to the show.

http://skepticallyspeaking.com/episodes/23-the-skeptical-actor

Thanks in advance!

The Beast Un-Leashed (Tuesday Crew Report)

It's this time of year that the Ogopogo sightings start each season and old timers (including myself) will confirm this.

I never imaged that there would be an Ogopogo-based movie in the Okanagan and I would be part of the crew. Day Two was a scorcher with the temperature at 30°C [or 85°F] on the rocks over-looking the lake. What a location: the landscape highlighted with the burned-out trees from the 2003 big burn in the Valley.

I am up this second day of the shoot with Kennedy Goodkey and actor Mike Antonakos (the bad guy in a comedy?) in a VW van named ‘Little Miss Jaunabys’ or some such.

On the way up we stopped for supplies in Westbank B.C. and said ‘hello’ to veteran actor John B. Lowe, who was just leaving town for back east. On the set in east Kelowna, we had to pack in the ‘jib boom’ and other camera-related equipment. The set is only about 200 acres, but we are all over the hillside with Okanagan Lake as a back drop [image right; ©2007 Fabrice Grover]. You got to see this movie just for these views.

I helped with camera crew in am then set up jib boom and then back to the "Circus" or craft area. Today is media day as well, as the local TV station sent out a crew and then the local radio station interviews Rebecca our publicist [check out her post about Media Day below]. Actor Mark gives us the native pronunciation of the Breast which sort sounds like “Na Hi It” (please don't write me letter about that).

Back to the "ranch" and crew headquarters with David Jevons who fills in today as 1st AD. Everyone is red with sunburns and dog tired. Me too.

The picture below I personally took about 10 years ago, in Okanagan lake [click for big version]. Who knew?

Night all.

— Ted Farkas

A tale of two hats

If there’s one thing you learn in a hurry about making an independent feature film, it’s that everyone pitches in. The name of the game is getting the job done, and if that means that the star of the film has to schlepp equipment, well, then so be it.

I am no exception to this rule. I wear two hats in this production — I serve as publicist, and also as an actor.

Tuesday, it was publicity. We sent out a media call to the press, inviting them to come by and get some footage of us shooting the film, and interview some of the key players. It was very successful. CHBC showed up to shoot footage for the evening news, Shaw showed up to get footage for their magazine, the Kelowna Daily Courier sent a photographer, and then CKOV showed up to do an interview for the radio.

Despite being run off my feet, it was great. A great success by any standard.

It’s a big deal for us to be getting this kind of coverage. We are a small production, low budget, and in order for us to be successful, we need to build a buzz. And the press is a big part of that.

Woo-Hoo!

Add to that the fact that we had a great day of shooting, despite the fact that one of our crew got heatstroke. It was freakin’ gorgeous here today, 28°, hot and sunny. Did I mention the spectacular scenery? And the incredible work?

I love this.

Tomorrow’s hat: actor. Bitchy hotel clerk lives.

Check back.

— Rebecca