One of the challenges of my most recent film DEEP TERROR was aging one of the characters. Crucial to the dynamic of the story was the age difference between the leads… in that classic rookie/veteran dynamic found in many action buddy movies.
It took 3 hours everyday to transform John Lansch into Capt. Jay… a salty old dog of the sea.
I custom mixed and brushed in the hair and beard color – then we shot several camera tests to insure continuity from one day to the next. From scene to scene it looks identical. I’ll be posting a time lapse video of the process soon.
By the time most days are calling for lunch, we are done with makeup, camera test, and rehearsals – and are getting a shot it. It definitely made for some LONG days.
It was a little daunting knowing that was how the day was going to start out every day… and there were certainly times in the planning stage that we weren’t certain it would work… but we learned to enjoy the process, and persevere.
It always seems that some of the most challenging situations turn into the best experiences. That’s one of the things I love about filmmaking.
Thanks again to John Lansch for his patience and dedication!