HILLSBORO, VIRGINIA: The steamy Virginia weather was in full summer character as everyone arrived at Meredith's house on Sunday afternoon for a party to watch all the show's dailies (footage taken each day of filming). After two weekends off, fifteen members of cast and crew gathered bearing food, hugs and crutches (no more fence vaulting stunts, Mark!)

Originally, the party was planned for Peter Buck's screening room in Purcellville, but as it turned out, he had prior professional obligations. Because we were all still eager to see the movie's progress to date, we congregated around Meredith's TV.

Meredith encountered some technical difficulties with the Trailer from the June 5 fundraiser, although everyone clapped and hooted after the five seconds we were able to watch. As the difficulties continued, Christian Amonson, who has yet to do scene work as Confederate Private Frank Moss looked around the room full of eager faces munching popcorn in anticipation and said, "Maybe I have a movie in my car we can watch."

Meredith, deciding to skip the Trailer and move straight to the film videos, explained the process so far to those whose scenes have not yet been filmed. She also gave direction on how to "tone it down when moving from stage to film acting." As we watch take after take of each scene, she said, "We have so many good takes to choose from."

The afternoon was punctuated with laughter as the bloopers emerged. We had our wounded soldier, Chris Saunders, cracking up, Lindsay watching a tennis match, Abby dancing in the doorway, the many escapades from the fight scene, and Remy the horse, who should have been tied up, following Ben, unaware, down the hill, to name a few.

John Power, who has grown a long beard in the middle of the Virginia summer for his role as "rough riding Confederate scout" John Mobberly, even joked we should make the film a comedy, a spoof on a civil war movie.

In a very dramatic scene when (Ben) takes the wounded Union soldier's gun and storms out of the house and off camera with Morgan in close pursuit, the door, which we could not see, banged unusually loud and Christian said, "Did he just shoot her?"

My cheeks hurt from laughing so much by the end of the videos and we all felt the ever strengthening bond of our film family.

We all gained encouragement and motivation watching the scenes' progressions, both in filmmaking and acting as everyone relaxed into their characters.

"Everyone looks so good," said Donna, who plays Emma Dutton. "It will all come together in the end."