Hope Bridge - Day 6

When the production schedule came out, everyone knew that Day 6 was going to be Hope Bridge’s most challenging and ambitious day. Essentially, it’s “bridge day”. Since the movie is called Hope Bridge, it’s obvious that a bridge plays a major role in this film, not only from a physical perspective but, more importantly, metaphorically.

The scenes that take place on the bridge are some of the most important scenes in the film. That’s why everybody in the cast and crew look forward to “bridge day” with anticipation. There’s a sense of excitement and a sense of fear. Can we pull this off and make it work?

Putting it in perspective requires knowing a little bit about the back story. It’s been a difficult process finding the right bridge and acquiring permission to use it. A number of bridges were considered across the Kentucky River; but for one reason or another none of them would work for our key scenes.

One choice finally emerged at the last moment to save the day. A closed bridge that hasn’t been used for years located near Camp Nelson turned out to be the perfect choice. The bridge is located about 35 miles southeast of Lexington. It was the job of Thomas Green, our gaffer, to make it work. Thomas’ job certainly wasn’t going to be easy because of the remote location and the fact that the bridge has no lights or electricity.

A gaffer is responsible for electric and grip. Part of the job requires being both an artist and a scientist. You have to know something about power loads and consumption as well as the artistic look of different forms of light. I asked Thomas how he felt about the rigging of the light fixtures on the bridge. He said he was pleased with the results. He was able to achieve the vision that Isaac Pletcher, Director of Photography, wanted represented on the screen.

Thomas is a recent film graduate from Regent University in Virginia. He knew that “bridge day” or I should say” bridge night” would be difficult because all of the scenes are shot in the "dark of night" and in a very remote location. It’s been challenging. If you ask me, he and his crew are pulling off miracles.

One of the other things you have to consider is safety. Having 50 people running around in the dark can lead to problems. As a precaution, we had a rescue boat stationed on the river just in case of an emergency. The producers just want everybody to be safe and secure.

Now that Day 6 is in the books, everyone’s breathing a sigh of relief and experiencing a sense of accomplishment. We’re feeling good as we head into the last two-thirds of the production.

More to come.