Summary: Behind the second vignette. For several weeks now we have been working with a few banks to secure a loan for all the necessary deliverables to hand our film over to a distributor. With several offers on the table and pressure to deliver the film right away, now is the time for TPH. Everything is up and running for our partnership with Tugg.com, and hopefully there will be several theater appearances for 'The Perfect House' in the coming weeks. Be the first to request a screening in your area, and you can pick the date and location while receiving 5% of ticket sales for the event. To celebrate the one year anniversary of heading out on the open road for the TPH tour, we have started a new weekly blog series entitled One Year Ago. Each post recaps the week that was on the TPH tour. Continuation of Behind TPH: The Chicken Story. By the time we began shooting the second vignette we were starting to hit our stride. A routine had emerged and everyone knew what their responsibilities were and what needed to be done before we left my grandfather's house each night. However, like everything in life, there was a learning curve. Our most recent transgression against my Grandfather was a chilling wake up call. In the basement there is a switch that turns the hot water tank on and off. It was necessary to turn this off everyday when we were shooting to not interfere with the sound. When my grandfather stumbled into an ice cold shower (none too happy), we quickly learned that someone had to be specifically assigned the task of making sure this switch was turned back on at the end of each night. Day 2 Photos It was during our second story that my cousin, who lives next door, started to do a nightly walk through of the house as we packed up. Nothing adds tension and awkwardness to a new crew like someone in their tight, volunteer fireman t-shirt and gun holstered at their side walking through the house screw-facing everyone. Day 3 Photos Even though my Grandpa had his moments of doubt over the arrangement, he was also a proud grandfather bragging to all who would listen that "Hollywood comes to him." He was running tours of the set for his friends, always on the most violent scenes or with the occasional boobies out. Day 4 Photos Being a small production that didn't have the pull or leverage to clear the production with the Big Man upstairs, we occasionally had to arm our wonderful producer's assistant Melissa with the garden hose to chase away the extremely vocal birds in nearby trees. Much to the chagrin of our director of photography, Tal Lazar, many of the greatest parts of the second vignette came from spontaneity including the street light above the cages, the smiley face light, and the hiding place for a shank. One thing that was not spontaneously planned, but a fight to pull off none the less, was our gratuitous breast shot. Working with Jonathan Tiersten was a challenge at times, but it was a positive challenge that provided enormous opportunities to grow and evolve as a director and a creator. Much of the acting credit in the second vignette justifiably centers around the performance of Holly Greene and Jonathan Tiersten, but their performances would have fallen flat if not for the physical toll and sacrifices made by co-star Hans Hernke. For three of the four shooting days, Hans wore eye prosthetics that only allowed him to see through pin holes and took almost four hours to apply each morning. A trooper through and through, Hans took a physical beating in extremely difficult circumstances for three days straight all for the sake of the 'shot'. Next week: we conclude our Behind TPH series with the Production of the final vignette story that inspired the entire movie, The Dinner Guest .
