Today marks the longest day of filming so far. Many of the actors and crew were on location at Clermont from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. That's 15 hours! When I arrived, several small scenes had already been shot and Union re-enactors from the First Maine Cavalry joined actors on the property's gravel road for the filming of Scene 25, "The Burning Raid."
The film crew was busy setting up the shot while the Berryville Volunteer Fire Department and an ambulance were also on standby to oversee the fires that would be lit to depict "The Burning Raid" of Loudoun County in 1864. This historically accurate raid was Union General Phil Sheridan's indiscriminate scorching of the crops, barns and mills in the county and the slaughtering of livestock, intended to punish Confederate Colonel Mosby and his supporters by destroying everything that was a potential supply to the rebels. (Ironic Note: Quaker families were some of the only ones who still had livestock and goods by the end of the conflict, and so, despite their pro-Union sentiment, they wound up suffering more than most). When filming began, the sound of the solitary drum and the sight of the soldiers' dirty faces as they marched past the burning fires, created a somber mood. It is difficult to fathom such destruction and the horror these families must have felt watching their barns and crops burn.
After this, we all moved to the other side of the property where orange smoke bombs (apparently the orange can be fixed in the editing room) were lit and the soldiers were filmed walking over the hill and through the smoke. At one point, when the soldiers were marching toward Meredith and Peter, all of us bystanders realized that Peter had decided to film them as they walked past and was turning to follow them with the camera, which would put all of us in the shot. We started running and leaping over the tall grass and thistles to get out of the way. Christian walked over to us and said, "Watching you all, I kept envisioning the Monty Python charge on the castle in the Holy Grail."
While waiting for the next indoor scene to be set up, the cast sat in chairs under the maple tree, in the gilt light of the late afternoon, reading, eating and chatting.
Luke LeSourd, 15, who plays Billie, said, "I always pretended I was in the Civil War when I was a kid, so acting in this movie has been great."
When the set was ready, the needed actors moved inside for the filming of Scene 28, which brought a tear to more than one person's eye as we watched the Dutton family gathered around the kitchen table, reading Psalm 23 and then the Union soldiers bursting in and giving orders to burn their barn, threatening to burn their house and even steal their pie, which would have been a luxury at this point in the war. There was also the tragic and metaphorical shooting of the pest rooster that belonged to little Anna Ellen, played by Annie Stokes.
After Meredith said, "Cut," everyone erupted with a lot of whooping and hollering and clapping for all the fabulous performances.
"That was awesome," said Meredith who had Peter replay it on the monitor so everyone could watch. At 10:00 p.m., we all went back outside where the cavalry re-enactors had returned with horses, for the filming of a portion of The Burning Raid scene and a chance for Ben Huntington to reprise his role as Cavalry Lieutenant John Milbrowe. The vice of humidity was released for this one night and the air was chilly for the first time in weeks. While Peter set up the blue lights, some of us sat under the tree in the flickering candlelight, listening to the undulating rhythm of the cicadas and talking quietly. Ben and Penny sat on the hallway floor in the house reading dusty books off an old bookshelf like, The Practical Book of Chinaware and, The History of Clark County. Others congregated in the kitchen where the fresh apple pie that had been used as a prop, was ravenously devoured. Referring to this, the longest film date thus far, Nancy Griffith said, "I am a firm believer that it will all work out and that things will continue to come together. We call these 'God sightings'."
At 11:15, Peter filmed the Union horses (courtesy of Lester Schumacher and John Nolan) and then Ben's scene with the horses. Oh, no! Ben, back on a horse? He actually looked like a pro until the dismount when he forgot to take his foot out of the stirrup. Oh, well. Almost. Then, he was filmed creeping up to the house, peering in the window and bursting in with his gun drawn - only he barged through the door and then tripped over his sword stumbling into the room. Hey, what more do you want from the poor guy at this hour? He still looked terrific! This was a great night for outtakes, to be sure.
When the long day was finally a wrap, one by one the actors emerged from the house after changing. They started to realize that this was the last time they would all be together and the last shoot at Clermont. Soon they would be returning to school or jobs or heading to California (Ben!). Emotions surged as everyone said their good-byes and as I walked to my car under the glittering night sky, I'm sure that I was not alone in feeling a profound sense of satisfaction mixed with a twinge of sadness.
