FADE IN:
EXT. GUNSIGHT PASS – ARIZONA TERRITORY – DUSK
An old west town at dusk. A tumbleweed drifts by. Two GUNFIGHTERS walk to the center of the dirt street some thirty paces apart. It’s apparent; a showdown at high noon.
Nervous eyes flit back and forth between guns and pupils. Hands at the ready. One flinches first and they both draw. Two GUNSHOTS ring out.
One man hits the dirt, dead.
Only the wind rustles, as the wild west town settles for a second until…
A CROWD rises in APPLAUSE. Revealed on the side of the dirt street opposite of the town is a crowd of TOURISTS, with cameras and balloons and cowboy hats made out of straw with the logo for “Gunsight Pass” stitched on them.
This is the opening scene to Brothers’ Ink Productions anthology film, “Locker 13”. Now I helped craft this scene as one of the writers and as the Director. It’s one thing to envision the scene on paper and then orchestrate the scene for film. A lot goes into what you see here.
There is a team of people that work closely together to create this scene that lasts just a moment on screen. I’m very happy with the way it turned out. And it’s in large part to the two actor/stuntmen that you see here, Chaz Lee and George Nelson from Six Gun Entertainment.
These guys were awesome! They were in character, in costume, and ready to go. They understood exactly what I needed and performed seamlessly every time. They were a God send, because we were waiting on the crew to set up, we had a crowd of extras to deal with, and we were losing light. The sun was setting fast. They were excellent to work with. Definitely a directors dream.
And I can’t go without mentioning the stunt Chaz performed over and over. I needed him to get shot and fall on the rocky ground. We could have faked it with a close-up and pads on the ground. But I wanted to get the full shot. I remember asking him if that was a problem and he said “no problem”. Then, I made him do it 6 times before the sun set that day. He never complained. And it was flawless. Everytime.
Being a stuntman is not easy and they have the broken bones and bruises to prove it. And many times it’s a thankless job. But they continue to do it, so we can watch great movies. I just wanted to make sure that they get some love once in a while. So, Chaz Lee and George Nelson, I just wanted to thank you again. You guys rock!