Trigonis
Aug 03, 2007 08:19PM

INTO THE CAT'S EAR: THE MAKING OF "THE COCONUT"

PART ONE: GETTING INTO THE CAT'S EAR

After a few days of location scouting trying to find the perfect (free) place to shoot some city scenes for "The Coconut," the crew and I stumbled upon a secluded little NYC street devoid of police activity, which meant that we'd be able to shoot without a permit, which is always a good thing. On the scheduled day of shooting, however, which was coincidentally the same day that the 2004 Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden was being held on,––which meant police, protesters, marchers, Bushwhackers and the lot all gathered together within a three-block radius in any given direction––our lovely, desolate street perfect for shooting our scene was packed with police cars, paddy wagons, unmarked government cars, mounted police, news vans and media trucks––everything you could possibly think of that could inhibit a production.

So, Alain, Joe, Jenn, and myself split up in different directions and tried to find a street that was relatively free from any notions of the RNC. We found nothing. After another hour of hopeless wandering, Joe suggested that we simply shoot the scene right next to Madison Square Garden. "Next to the Garden?" I said, figuring he must've taken in a little too much sun at the beach shoot the day before.

"Where's the safest place for a mouse to hide from the cat?" he asked. I shrugged, and he replied, "the cat's ear. That's the last place he'd ever think to check."

Genius!

PART TWO: STAYING IN THE CAT'S EAR

The crew and I journeyed directly into the lion's den of sirens, speeding cars, and a mob of protesters waving shoddy picket signs. We dropped our equipment under a little bridge where, just beyond it, you could see the Empire State Building rising proudly above it all. We set up the scene with a table, coconuts, baskets, etc. Alain set up the tripod and got the camera ready, and within minutes we were shooting.

Then, Joe caught wind of a police car slowly driving down the street. Prior to this car, there had been other police cars, but they were all speeding down the street to get the the Convention, paying little mind to this motley crew of filmmakers). All of a sudden, Joe starts shouting at me like a little diva or something! He was ranting about how he wasn't getting enough light. I could see in his eyes that he was acting, and I jumped into the mix, not fully sure about what this was all about. The officers slowed to a stop right before Alain, who was avoiding their gaze and focusing the camera. Jenn was sitting with the look of someone who's had too much already. Joe and myself were vehemently arguing, paying absolutely no mind to the fuzz behind us. Ah, acting at its finest!

After a moment of quiet rumination, the officers slowly drove off towards the Garden where the real mess was taking place. It just goes to show you that even in a city as great and well-known as New York, if you act like you belong somewhere, you can convince anyone. And a staged argument helps, of course, 'cause no one wants to be the one who interrupts a heated cat fight.

CHECK OUT THE TRAILER AT NOTHINGMANFILMS.COM