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Tuesday, October 11, 2011
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EverythingWestport.com Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Not
to worry. Crews
for the indie motion picture-in-progress, Frank the Bastard, were wrapping up
their filming at the local brewery, and were using the former mid-1700's
Costa farmhouse as a prop. The
hippie commune in the farmhouse is the center of a violent conflict with the neighboring
Gast family who want the property for their own. A
pyrotechnics company out of Rhode Island provide the dramatic simulation of a
house completely engulfed in flames as actors ran in and out of the burning
structure. Bob
and Carol Russell of Westport Rivers Vineyard stood by nervously watching as
was Fire Chief Brian Legendre and his crew; but the professionals had control
and the historic structure was fine, except for a few broken windows and some
singed window trim. The indie gothic thriller, which has been filming
around Westport since the end of August, stars Rachel Miner as a Manhattan-based writer who travels to
Maine for a leisurely weekend but ends up unraveling the mystery of her
traumatic childhood. The film also stars veteran actors Chris Sarandon (“The Princess
Bride’’) and William Sadler (“The
Shawshank Redemption’’) as well as locals Tom Kemp, Lance Greene, and actress Angie Jepson, who recently starred in SpeakEasy
Stage’s production of “Reasons to Be Pretty.’’
Top, left: a
makeup artist applies finishing touches on the massive, facial burn/concussion
to be inflicted upon Cyrus Gast during his rescue
attempt in the burning house. Top, right: Cyrus Gast
is filmed running into the smoking farmhouse.
Bottom, left: actor Stephen
Bradbury as D.C. Gast levels a shotgun blast (blanks
only) through the window of the farmhouse, smashing a window. "I want that
house down, and I will do whatever it takes to do it," snarls D.C. Gast. Bottom, right: complex and sophisticated
cameras used in the nighttime shooting of Frank the Bastard. Producer Ged Dickersin of NY Productions said Westport
was chosen because of its similar aesthetic to a rural Maine town. Scenes
were also shot in Rochester, Fairhaven, and Dartmouth. “This location is just to die for,’’ Sarandon told
Boston.com. Sarandon's ex is actress Susan Sarandon. “The combination of
the farm country just to the north of here and the coast - it’s really mind-blowingly beautiful.’’ Film
production for Frank the Bastard finished up this week, and the now the
editing begins. "It's
an independent film," Dickerson told EverythingWestport.com, "and
we'll have to sell it at the (film) festivals to get it off the ground."
Top: Actor Carl Baker
Olson (young Cyrus Gast) runs from the burning
house in a futile effort to save Frank. Bottom,
left: director and screenwriter, Brad Corey, reviews the action on a
video screen with wireless communications to all crew members. No megaphone
needed here! Bottom, right: Brad Corey with the unidentified young Frank.
Above: a
lighting crew member sets up his sky hoist under the glare of a full moon. © 2011 Community Events of Westport. All rights
reserved. EverythingWestport.com |
