Fellow filmmaker Titus Richard took the various shots and made a smooth sequence from them:

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So, I auditioned in an improvised setting and later had a separate interview at my place.  I got the role and now had to wait for the shooting to begin. I was anxious to start but after delays for various reasons, we began shooting 9 months after the initial audition. I almost let my skepticism get the best of me, thinking the film was never gonna happen. 

Fast forward to the last 5 weekends of shooting. What a ride it was.  The locations were great. We shot in a limousine, an airplane,  a bar, a home, a pool, a motel, a parking lot, a marina, a warehouse, a restaurant and on a motorcycle. The casting was phenomenal. Every time I was introduced to a new person on the set, I was blown away by the perfect characters Alex cast for each role. Since this was improvised, I was affected by each actor’s personality as well as their physical characteristics. As we shot the scenes, we were free to play but also were guided a different direction if it was not heading in a certain way that would be useful for the film. Often times I would finish a scene and Alex would ask me to go a completely different direction just to see what might work better in the editing.  It was as if we were putting together a 3 dimensional puzzle that might go up or  down, left or  right, and we won’t really know the shape until it is done.  I have never felt so manic in any project I have done in the past. This was guerrilla filmmaking at it’s finest and it was completely wild, fun, draining, and free.  

Alex and Ali Allie were the two main camera operators with occasional help from Alex’s wife Marya. They were all great. This was my first time on a set with 3 cameras rolling at once. I enjoyed it and was happy I was able to ignore them for the most part.  I did manage to make the guys laugh every so often and that was probably the most rewarding of all.  I am a guy who likes and needs feedback.  Whether good or bad, I want to know.  My goal was to be real, to be in it, and to make sure Alex was getting what he needed. I would often discuss with Michael (the limo driver) after a scene as to what the heck was going on and how we thought this was gonna turn out.  Sometimes, neither one of us could figure it out, but we both knew, whatever Alex is doing and whatever he is seeing, must be working.  I can only hope this film will continue the streak of positive reviews.  

Thanks for the opportunity.  I had a lot of fun. Can’t wait to see how it turns out!

That’s pretty much the best word to describe my Amity experience. From getting cast 10 months ago, to trying to work around scheduling conflicts (mostly due to my needing to work weekends), to meeting and working with all of the incredible people who made this possible. Not too long ago, the last word I would have used to describe myself would be “actor”, but I guess Alex saw something, and did whatever it is he does to bring out what he saw, and according to him it works. All I can say is thank you for the opportunity, the experience and the thrill of working on such a great project.

We actually did shoot in an airplane, thanks to San Jose State University and Brandon Rose who brokered the location (he also played a sleeping passenger extra, whom I was tempted to shake), but no take was quite as long as the above in a single go. My sensations this day were of a more tactile nature, as the plane was a little dirty inside. It was also somewhat dim. I would have added more fill light but I assumed there wouldn’t be any electrical outlets in the sky so I didn’t even bring my lights. What was most notable about this day (besides the synchronicity of both cast members losing valuable personal items) was a manifestation of the “Filmdozer Effect”: the unapologetic momentum an (indie) production achieves at a certain point after it gets off the ground, wherein a confident attitude of unstoppability becomes the norm. We arrived to the aviation office early, grabbed all our equipment and started steamrolling toward the office door. Our liaison was not there yet. Who was there was an old timer electrician who was nervous about our presence because he knew nothing about it. “I really can’t let you in” he said, as he held the door open for us while we hauled equipment on past. Then he guided us to the hanger itself and unlocked another door for us, saying “I’m really sure I shouldn’t let you in here.” We did not comment and kept marching toward the plane and up the rear stairs. He tagged along with us up and into the plane, again reiterating that we couldn’t be there, yet still eerily bent to our will. After our liaison showed up, legitimizing our presence, our electrician was more at ease and hung around for a while longer recalling how he had witnessed the filming of scenes from “The Rookie” shot on the runway next to us some 20 years back.

I would have added more fill light at Alex’s 49er Inn (a sports bar in San Jose), but we were running out of time as the bar began filling up with patrons who, for a sports bar crowd, were surprisingly cooperative at keeping quiet. But, I’d never hung out with a 9AM Sunday morning sports bar crowd before, so I don’t have a point of reference. (I had no idea this underworld even existed.)

We also shot at a scene at Emile’s Restaurant in downtown San Jose, which proved to be engaging on several hallucinatory levels. It’s the first time I’ve been on a film set where shooting was interrupted multiple times by a crank caller. Once it finally dawned on us to unplug the phone, we shot with available light with the DVX cameras at f2.8. My HPX camera is less sensitive but has a cleaner signal, so I pragmatically but surreptitiously set my camera to +3dB electronic gain to artificially sustain f2.8 alongside the other operators, crossing my fingers that any extra video noise induced would go unnoticed. Don’t tell Alejandro.

We spent the final afternoon of shooting sweating inside an expensively cheap motel room where Greg prepares in the mirror how he will call his daughter and surprise her, while he waits for his limo driver to arrive. In this and other scenes where he performs alone, Greg Cala shows a tremendous talent for creating fascinating character material without even speaking. He is unrestrained in his experimentation, carefree with his anger, and transparent in his pain.

Michael Uimari’s performance as a strong silent type was also fascinating to watch, as he provided the irritation of sensibility along with the benevolence of genuine regard. His quietness tempts you to mentally turn up the volume, but then he gets you with a loud single blow up over Greg’s juvenile tendencies, pushing the seismographic needle off the charts.

I won’t even discuss any illegal driving maneuvers we used to get shots of Greg on his motorcycle. Not that there were any of course. Please don’t tell anyone.

The limo scene…hours of fun! It’s been a couple of weeks since we filmed, but I haven’t been able (or wanted) to let go. It really was a night on the town — fun, intense, a little bit crazy, getting tipsy and drunk off of Martinelli’s!

Alejandro really let us just play…as a “Meisner” actor, it was one of the greatest filming experiences ever! A chance to be completely honest and truthful, even when the subject was uncomfortable, dark, or painful. And the ending of our scene was so incredibly powerful — won’t say more than that.

I can’t thank Alejandro enough for the opportunity to be part of this movie — it has been an honor and a pleasure to work with him, his crew, and the other fantastic actors!

I’d worked with Alex on Canary so I had some idea what to expect–at least as far as how we might be directed. So I knew it’d be a fun night and that he’d somehow get what he wanted from us But it’s all heavily improvised, so it’s impossible to predict how the action’s going to develop–esp when there are 7 actors! It makes Alex’s pictures really special and cool to work on–you never really know what’s going to happen…

An actor’s dream: Alejandro created a space to play and to be deathly serious, to take cues and yet have ultimate freedom. Thank you for the experience.

Unscripted, improvised scene work on camera was a new experience for me. I can’t wait to see what it looks like. I was surprised not only by how I felt in the limo scene, but also how much I judged those feelings. I am grateful for the chance to be stripped of pretense… the truth was unavoidable, and it scared the shit out of me; I felt so completely vulnerable. LOVE that! Many thanks to everyone who was there, I had a wonderful time.

Emile’s is located at 545 S 2nd St, San Jose, CA 95112. Reservations: (408) 289-1960. (A quick glance at the awards and reviews might help you dial faster.)

Be sure you have a chance to talk with Alex while you’re there. It’s an experience you won’t forget.

Alex’s 49er Inn is located at 2214 Business Cir, San Jose, CA 95128 (at the intersection of Bascom and W San Carlos). You won’t find a more welcoming staff or a more relaxed atmosphere.