Maxfactormama’s Weblog

Elindil’s Secret film shoots started up again this weekend with the first pickup shoot located at Mt Hotham. Thelma & Louise decided to make a weekend getaway out of it and booked accommodation up in Bright with our “long suffering” partners! We drove up Friday afternoon and enjoyed a very pleasant dinner in one of the town’s many delightful restaurants, then enjoyed a restful night’s sleep in our two storey cosy cedar cabins. Meanwhile the crew were up at the crack of dawn on Saturday and set forth on the 4hr drive to meet us in Bright, arriving looking a little weary! Andy & Colin fulfilled their roles as “assistants” by dutifully going to the supermarket to pick up a few essentials for the filming. We needed a large roll of superabsorbent paper towel (there was a scene being shot with a lot of fake blood) and a packet of condoms to put the fake blood in. They succeeded in creating quite a stir at the local IGA supermarket as they approached the lady at the counter and announced they were looking for condoms that would burst on impact! Needless to say, the people of Bright will have a few strange tales to tell after this weekend!

Makeup and wardrobe were completed quickly and we set out on the winding road to the summit. The weather in Bright was mild and sunny, which lulled us into a false sense of security about what we were in for when we got out of the cars at the summit….it was freezing!!! The wind was driving an icy blast down our necks and freezing our noses and any other exposed extremities. Putting on the special effects makeup was extremely challenging under these circumstances as most of the products had solidified due to the extreme cold and my fingers weren’t working too well either! Cassie and Andrew did very well to even speak their lines let alone create the right mood as they stood on the side of the hill in their “summery” costumes, with the wind driving up from the gully. After a quick shoot there, we relocated to the main site for the day’s shooting – on the “backbone” ridge – another very exposed area of rocky outcrops and rough hiking tracks. While the main crew and cast went on to the top of the ridge to film, the makeup and wardrobe contingent remained on the lower section – lounging on the crash mat and trying to keep warm. We must have looked quite odd to the various keen hikers who passed by, no doubt wondering what these strange people were doing lying on a brown corduroy mattress on the side of the ridge at Mt Hotham!

Andrew’s challenging scene was accomplished under very trying and challenging conditions for the actors as well as the crew. The icy wind made it hard to maintain focus at times and setting up the syringe and blood for this scene was particularly difficult for Andrew as he was exposed to the elements more than anyone. I had made up a concoction of fake blood – using corn syrup, corn starch and red colouring with a touch of coffee to give it the authentic “look”. It had to be thinner than the usual fx blood we have used so far, as it had to be pumped from the syringe, along a length of plastic tubing under the actor’s clothes and ooze out at the end to create the right effect. With a trial run through first, we set up for the scene and it had to be done in one take as the shirt was to be blood-soaked, so it would not be possible to redo it. A lot of pressure for the actors and crew to get it right first time! My fingers were so cold it was hard to push the syringe but it all worked according to plan and the scene was shot successfully. It was a hard day’s filming for everyone and the hot dogs and soup were a very welcome lunch provided by Leanne!

The crew had a quick “driver reviver” at our cabins again before heading home, while the “Thelma and Louise” party had a hard time deciding which restaurant to favour with our patronage for dinner! We spent another very pleasant evening sipping on a nice bottle of red and feeling very glad we didn’t have to drive home again that night!

Sunday morning was spent browsing in the local galleries and of course Thelma & Louise found some little treasures we couldn’t go home without! One can hardly visit the Gourmet Food & Wine district without sampling a bit of the local produce so we called in at a winery on the way back through the Millawa region and spent a very pleasant couple of hours sampling their produce and planning our own little project – a boutique winery in the making!

On reflection, we decided this is the only way to make movies – a bit of filming then a whole lot of shopping, sightseeing, quaffing and eating! A great weekend away!

The first of the Strempel cousins got married on Saturday 8th March - it was a great celebration for Clare and James with all of the family members gathered from across the state and James’ family from across the Tasman (or “the Ditch” to some!) Andy’s singing of “You are the Sunshine in My Life” as Clare walked down the aisle was very moving and the “Guitar Minstrels” who played an instrumental version of “Blackbird” were widely acclaimed and will probably be asked back for an encore when Juddy gets married later this year! (Thanks to Matt, Tony, Jordan & Chris). The reception held at the Fairfield Boathouse was very pleasant – guests enjoying the cooling breeze off the river after the heat of the afternoon. There were some memorable dancing styles exhibited by a few guests but the best of all was the tribute to Nanna Mary in the form of her signature dance “The Mary” which was performed by her adult children and grandchildren, to the tune of “We are Family”. 

Getting my head around the logistics of this year’s Easter Production. Last year we did one performance – this year there’s 3 – with two consecutive performances on the one morning! Last time it was a very big experiment for me with the scar makeup but at least this time I feel like I know what I’m doing. LOL . Latex scars are not fun to make though – the ammonia fumes just about knock you out! My kitchen has been converted into a “scar factory” for the time being. They do look rather disgusting when you line them up on the kitchen bench I must admit! It is a big commitment from the Careforce Creative Arts Team to put three performances on over the two days and it requires an enormous amount of effort from a lot of volunteers. Judging by the response from last year, this year’s crowds will be even bigger.

Wow! Where did all those years go?! Celebrating my 50th was a rather surreal experience. People keep saying “you don’t look like you’re 50″, but what is a 50 yr old supposed to look like? I remember being at school and thinking the teachers in their early 30’s were soooo old – now it all seems relative! We had a great night of catching up with family & friends - great food provided by our favourite chef – Dave from Morrison on the Park and entertained by his band “Swamp Fox” who REALLY rocked!! We also had a contingent of Elindil’s Secret crew there who enjoyed an unofficial reunion – we just can’t wait to get back into filming! LOL. I think Thelma & Louise will be reunited for some more road trips soon! Thanks to all my family & friends for making it such a special night!