PART FOUR - 8 STATES AND HUNDREDS OF EXTRAS
"July 2006 was the busiest month for production. We had a lot going down in the course of just a few weeks. At least twenty percent of the film was shot during this month, which meant a lot of planning and a lot of traveling for the cast and crew. Plus we had to organize all the re enactors. It was a logistics nightmare that somehow we managed to pull off without a hitch."
On the weekend of July 7th through the 9th, 2006, the production crew of Johnny returned to the Historical Village Museum for their third and final time. But unlike before where the filming was centered within or around one small house, this time they would take over the entire park. "We owe a lot to the staff of the Historical Village for putting up with us this weekend. They've been some of the best people to work with and were very eager to have us film the movie in their park, " says Wayne. A lot of scenes needed to be recorded over the weekend and very little time to use, so the filming was split between two days. The first, July 7th, would use a minimal of the cast and consist of Johnny's swearing in to the regiment, his departure at the train station after the war, and retakes needed from scenes shot last October. "The room we used to film Johnny's swearing in was actually in the same house that we used as the Clem home back in April. I think it was the only room that we hadn't used in there. It worked out perfectly and you can't even tell it's the same place."
After taking a day's break, the crew returned bright and early the morning of July 9th to be met by a large gathering of re enactors who had come to assist in the filming. "We didn't have any clue how many re enactors would actually show up that morning," says David. "We were so surprised to find so many! It was great that so many people would take time on a Sunday morning to come and help us out on the film."
This day would be the busiest, as no less than six full scenes needed to be shot before the park's closing time of 5pm. "It was nerve-wracking, but we managed to stay on schedule and even finish with an hour to go," states Wayne. "The re enactors were very cooperative and helpful. They listened carefully to every stage direction given and followed exactly what was needed of them. We couldn't of asked for a better group of people." Heading the majority of the re enactors would be members of the 4th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. "They became our core group for the film. The weekend of Sharon Woods was the first time we had met any of them, but they would continue to help us out all the way to the end of production. Both Wayne and I have become great friends with all of them and hope to continue to work with them in the future."
Headquarters Filming - July 9th, 2006
Starting off the afternoon was both the interior and exterior shots of General Thomas' office. Joining us for this shoot would be the last member of our main cast, Gary Chambers as General George Thomas. "Finding Gary was just good luck," says Wayne. "He actually contacted us when we sent the call out for re enactors, but as soon as I saw his picture I knew he'd be perfect for the role of General Thomas." Also joining us for the same shoot is Herb Puff, playing one of the General's officers. "He actually would later play the part of the Confederate Colonel that Johnny shot at Chickamauga, but there he is sitting as well as can be in the general's office. He's just one of many people who played dual roles in the film"
General Thomas' Office Filming - July 9th, 2006
The crew would move on afterwards to film the remaining scenes - the interior and exterior of the recruiting office where Johnny would attempt to try and enlist early in the war. To make it work, two separate buildings would be used for the location. "We couldn't use the inside of the one building due to the printing presses that were there, and we couldn't use the outside of the other because it didn't fit our needs. So we improvised." Posters were made up to help decorate the set and give it a more authentic feel. "The posters are an in-joke," admits Wayne. "On one, I used the name's from people in my family. The other is an authentic copy of the 25th Ohio's poster, but with the name's changed. The 25th is the centerpiece for our project called Volunteers and I thought it would be neat to squeeze them in the film somehow."
With filming completed at Sharon, the crew set their sights on the next upcoming filming session. "It was a big one. One of the largest reenactments of the year was coming up two weeks after we finished filming at the Village in Middle town, Virginia. It was the 145th Anniversary of the First Battle of Bull Run and they were expecting something around the number of 10,000 re enactors to be in attendance. It was the perfect opportunity to get some of those grand epic shots that we so desperately needed for the film."
On July 19th, 2006, the crew, along with Cody, packed up and headed for Virginia. With an itinerary of locations and scenes to be shot, their first stop would be Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC. "This was the highlight of the trip," remembers David. "To finally get to see Johnny Clem's grave site and tombstone was an incredible experience." Permission was granted to bring our cameras into the cemetery for specially filmed shots of the grave site, as well as the surrounding area. "We're so grateful to everyone at Arlington for allowing us to film there. It's such an important shot."
Publicity Photo, Arlington National Cemetery - July 19th, 2006
For the second day, the crew moved to Manassas, Virginia where various shots were filmed on the First Bull Run Battlefield. "These shots were originally intended as establishing shots for our next project Volunteers. However, David liked the look of them so he used them in Johnny." Finishing up in Hagerstown, Maryland, the crew bunked for the night to await the start of the reenactment.
July 21st started the three day weekend of the reenactment, and the crew made their way south towards Middletown, Virginia. "We first stopped at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, hoping to get some shots for the movie. It's a beautiful town, very well preserved. However, there was very little that we could shoot there suitable for the film, and what little we did film didn't make it in the final cut." Friday turned out to be set-up day at the reenactment, and after a much needed pass through Sutler's Row the crew realized that no shots could me managed that day and returned to Hagerstown. "The day wasn't a total loss," remembers Wayne. "We ended up driving over to the South Mountain area and then moving up to Monacacy Battlefield were we filmed a short FX insert. We have a lot of great memories from this trip. Getting lost, finding a missing goat, ending up in restricted Air Force ground... It was a lot of fun."
A 5am wake up call brought the morning of July 22nd to a start. Arriving around 7 at the reenactment, filming at the First Bull Run reenactment began with various shots of Cody walking around camp. "It was difficult getting proper shots this morning. Even though the rules of the reenactment stated that all vehicles were to be out of camp by 6am, they were still there in abundance at 11. Every time we tried to set up a shot there would be a car driving or sitting in the background. It was frustrating to say the least. But with some careful camera setups we managed." All camp scenes were shot this day, however difficulty in setup and angles would severely limit the amount of scenes shot at this location. "It was disappointing, as we knew we wouldn't get many more opportunities to film with this many re enactors in one location. However, it couldn't be helped."
As afternoon approached, the crew moved to the battlefield to prepare for the upcoming battle reenactment. "Our location this day sucked, to put it plain and simple. And to top it off it began to rain on and off. For the first hour of the battle we barely got any usable footage. Things began to look bad for us and then it all changed. We could see that the Union Army would be approaching from the left side so we picked up the camera and ran to the other side of the battlefield as fast as we could. We got there just in time for some of the most incredible shots of the entire production. We were saved!"
The crew returned on Sunday July 23rd for the final day of the reenactment, this time concentrating on finding the perfect place to set up for the afternoon battle. "This time we listened to what was being planned for the reenactment and set up there. It was a smart move. We had another great day of filming and came home with a ton of incredible shots." Along with the battle, various shots of Confederate Cavalry and of the camp were managed. "The reenactment was fantastic. It brought out feelings that I haven't had for a while and made me long for the days of sitting next to the campfire and spending time with my friends," states David. With hours of battle footage to sort through and film shot in three different states as well as our Nation's Capital, the crew returned home to rest. But it would be a short rest, as the month of August would bring even more traveling and the most important and truly difficult shot of the production...
