When making any film, you’re bound to Murphy’s Law. What can go wrong, will go wrong. This applies even more so when making a documentary during late autumn in central Illinois. Most likely, the weather would be horrid. Shooting completely on location, one must gear up for the worst. When seeking to outsmart Murphy, one must anticipate. Will the battery mysteriously deplete? Yes. Will the wind blow so hard two people can’t even have a conversation let alone an interview? Yes. Will some bitter old hag drive up and ruin the best interview location ever? Yup. For no reason at all, before getting the best possible shot or no shot at all, you leave in a fright!? Yessss.. *sigh.
Scouting interview locations, anticipation figured it would be keen to give each interviewee a back-up rain shoot location. It would be naive to think the weather could be pleasant for seven consecutive days.
Day One brought cold, dark rains. The conditions were terribly unpleasant but the weather gave Cemeteries I and III some beautiful, mysterious fog deep in the woods.
Soaked to the bone, production had to wrap early as the light was nearly gone by 3p. The rest of the day’s schedule would have to wait for another day. All I had left to do was to make sure Murphy didn’t ruin shots with raindrops on the lens and the covering of the camera didn’t have an accidentally poked hole from conditions and terrain. … All right, Mr. Murphy, we’re all good! Hot shower please!
J taking a break for a photo in Cemetery I at the Peoria State Hospital formally known as The Illinois Asylum for the Incurable Insane
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