fake leg, fake head, and fake cocaine

Chronologically and shooting schedule- day 2.

Reggie wakes up on the floor. His nose is bleeding and there's still a line of coke on the mirror next to his sleeping brother. It's a little cold so Reggie keeps his blanket on like a cape. He drops to his knees and snorts the coke off the table. He's cold and the stove is empty, he wants a fire going. Reggie steps outside to the woodpile. The stiff breeze and the obvious hangover would threaten to turn back a weaker man, but not Reggie! Besides, his brother is sleeping on the couch. It's the nice thing to do since he took MAMA's death so hard. Reggie will do the nice things MAMA would do for them when they were kids. Reggie might even gut the fish Louis caught. Pile up as many piece of wood you can carry for your bro.... AGGGGGGHH! Reggie stepped on an upturned nail! It went RIGHT THROUGH HIS FOOT AND BOOT!

Visually, without a word, this is Reggie's most beautiful scene, Jeff Wheaton did an amazing job! I love how the breeze picked up as the right time, and clutching the blanket made Reggie look like he was struggling to keep warm. The nail "removing" was funny to shoot. Pierre and I developed synchronized grunting, which got a big pop from the crew. When it was finally removed, Louis drags me inside. Then all Hell breaks loose from that point on!

I won't reveal too much, but I've never had so many prosthetic parts made for me. I love monster movies with heavy make-up/special effects and Blood Shed had a few gore make-up and head casting sessions. My signature butt chin and prominent brow were cast in plaster of Paris for our most unique kill scene.

Then there's the party scene. Whatever that powder was (vitamin B) it was very dry and if you coughed during the scene, a cloud of white smoke would shoot out, and it happened to be the scene with the most dialogue! I think I did 12 lines in 4 takes of the stuff. Make-up around the eyes made my eyes bug out, I look completely stoned but really the vitamin stuff was coating my lungs... I felt like I just drank an energy drink, without the bloated stomach feeling. It wore off in like 15 minutes, so I knew I wasn't snorting real cocaine.

To this day I have a few physical props of Blood Shed. I have one of Reggie's bloodstained tie-dyes and a wedding band I picked out of a ring box. It is written inside "forever 1967" I was born in 1971! I wear it on occasions I need to be married on film on in theater. The poor tie-dye is stiff from the fake blood and I don't dare to wash it. It's fine the way it is, hanging in my closet with my black overcoat and pimp fur coat. As an actor in NB, I often get asked: "well what do you have for your character's wardrobe?" Maybe in a video montage with: "I know what I like in your wardrobe" by Genesis in the background I'll show you. I surprise myself too. Why do I have a light green women's top?

bad ass door kicking and trailer fishing

I don't know if I have the shooting schedule still but I remember what was shot in the daytime and what was shot at night. To spare Reggie tie dyes, we shot the scenes when Reggie was unhurt first. Friday morning wasn't so bad. it was like a camping trip. When you get up and feel the nice fresh air, blowing from the nearby river, you can't help feel energized even if you drank your face off last night. The fishing scene was one of the early takes. I love to eat fish, but I seldom go fishing, if at all. I've gutted fish someone else caught, but never actually casted a line. In BLOOD SHED, I'm actually trying to put a worm on the hook as Pierre is casting and saying his lines. Like a year later, Pierre brought me back to the same waterhole and I ACTUALLY CAUGHT A FISH! I ate the bloody catch, he was mine and I fried him up with butter and a cold Keith's.
You can also see this scene in the trailer
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=60818351604&oid=5430965833#/video/video.php?v=60814411604&oid=5430965833

I think a few dialogue heavy scenes where shot, where we saw MAMA in a photograph. Jennifer Mawhinney was real mama, posing with her three sons. Pierre's son Alexandre was young Reggie. I call him my "mini-Reggie" and he loves visiting me when his dad picks him up from pre-school. I have cool toys. However my favorite scene of the day started with Reggie at the typewriter. He hears a car coming in, looks through the blinds, grabs a rifle, kicks the screen door charging out to blow the F_cker away! The underwear was nixed, much to the delight of the crew. I was slightly over 190lbs then. Today? maybe balls out, bottomless. OK that's Dennis, Reggie isn't a pervert. But you gotta wonder what he does all alone in a camp near the lake. Oh yeah Pete calls strippers for him... case closed.

Kicking out the screen door was a treat. Every John Wayne or bad-ass character never touches the door handle; no, you have to kick it open! I had to laugh when I saw John Leguizamo in Land of the Dead; an actor about my height kicking in doors! It's so effective to illustrate he's a bad ass, despite being vertically challenged. Plus I had firepower. The gun wasn't loaded, but I felt very powerful. I oozed maschismo. This was way better with pants on, I don't think Reggie could have been as manly with his balls hanging out.

SPOILER ALERT: This was meant to be the opening scene. BLOOD SHED starts off with a little backstory about Louis serving time in prison, MAMA died during this time, and Louis went on a little mental kiling spree. Reggie was suppose to die. BUT in the final edit, this scene was brought to the end. Did Reggie imagine all this? Was Reggie having a premotion and was going to kill Louis before it happened? WHO KNOWS? it leaves it open for the audience's interpretation. I love it! Reggie is now an Anti-hero! As the actor who played Reggie, I'm totally pulling for Reggie to save the day!

Day 1 -Thursday night

I somehow ended up with a "production van," a rental, so I could pick up some people in Fredericton. I couldn't find Denis Sweet on campus. When I did, I was afraid I'd be late so I did what I normally do with a rental car: speed. I later learned that Dale was an insane driver, and scared the crap out of crew when he travelled people to the craft (lunch) location. I think my passengers were a bit afraid, but I got them there in one piece and rolled in CAMP BLOOD SHED just before dusk. Perfect timing. There was also talk about the "ratty underwear scene," a week before production. Instead of running out, hell bent on blowing any trespasser's head off, I was suppose to run out in my underwear. I think I was given the underwear on the first night. However the piece the resistance was Reggie's pink tie dye shirt, made in triplicate, because, well... Reggie was going to go through Hell at certain times in the script. Film is never shot in story sequence, but rather divided into sections or scenes depending on availability of actors, locations, key crew, etc. It was also weather permitting as most of the scenes in Blood Shed happen outdoors. luckily no one pissed off the gnome gods and is was beautiful all weekend.



First scene: Reggie stands in front of a rifle as Louis threatens to kill him... whoa, whoa, what? Pierre had his game face on, but at the same time was VERY concerned about pointing a rifle at a human being. "This goes against ALL my life's training as a game hunter!" Pierre said out of character. This was the Pierre I know now: the caring father, the loving husband, the friend that has your back.



This reminds me of a story sort of unrelated to Blood Shed, but too funny not to share. We were at Paul Anger's house, at the "Ask Ug" wrap party. Pierre is cutting an ice cream cake with a huge knife. I missed the first part of the conversation, but I guess it was about kids and family. Pierre suddenly channeled Louis while wielding the knife in the air, yelling: "If ANYONE touches my daughter, son or wife, I'LL KILL THEM !!!!!" Pretty much the whole kitchen backed away three feet until he "acted" like he was coming out of a lunatic's trance, and said: "anyone want cake? It looks delicious!" He meant every word, just went over the top saying so. I do not envy the young man who has to face Pierre when he wants to have a date with his daughter in years yet passed. Of course he will let her go out, but not before scaring the Bejesus out of that kid.
INT. PIERRE'S LIVING ROOM -DAY
Pierre is sitting on the sofa, cleaning his gun. It's not loaded, but the boy doesn't know that.
PIERRE
"See that rifle, boy? I'm a pretty good shot... bring her home by 10pm... or else"
sorry I'm writing a script. It's a scene from every silly movie when the guy has to meet the girl's parents and the dad is a nut. Transpose that love and revenge factor towards your MAMA, and you have LOUIS!

Where was I? Oh. Reggie staring down the barrel of a rifle. And poor Reggie, drunk and high, is suppose to dismiss the claim Louis would shoot him: "Why would you go do that for?" Then Louis snaps out of it and "shoots the moon". the first night was a light schedule and Reggie got to improvise. Reggie is wearing a plastic Viking hat, and has beer. (not real beer... yet) Well damn what comes to mind when you're wearing a Viking hat and you have beer? BEER HAT! I poured the beer in the hat and drank it. Well not really, I mostly poured it on my chin and wore the rest on my head! The crew got a good laugh the first take, but from then on when Louis shot at the moon, Reggie drank like a Viking plunderer. It was then I felt in character, I got the essence of Reggie. Let's wrap it up and drink real beer... well for the set. honestly. Cast and crew were encouraged to drink beer and litter the front lawn, light a campfire and be careful not to crush empties as you stagger to your tent. CAMP BLOOD SHED is being designed with an amazing end of day drinkfest. CAREFUL: HOT SET!

The Trip to Blood Shed

This is Dennis Poirier, some of you may know me as Reggie. He's a lovable character. He sees the good in everyone, tough as nails, and loves to party. The road to Blood Shed for Reggie began at the Charlotte Street Art Centre, in Fredericton NB, the NB Filmmaker's Coop's new home from the crowded, upstairs setup on York Street. I have fond memories of taking equipment up that narrow flight of stairs after a long shooting day. The CSAC allowed members of the coop to book rooms all over the centre. Pierre Huard, who I consider my closest friend in Fredericton now, was that crazy guy that made a French film about cousins sleeping together. I didn't know him well then, but he had seen me in "Dead Flies" as the villain Kurt Daly and wanted to audition me for a script he had written called "The Trip". The Trip was about 2 French speaking brothers out in the wilderness. One of them is a killer. Sounds familiar? Well I met Pierre in the art room upstairs to audition for Louis. I was told I was on a short list of specific actors he wanted to act in the Trip and essentially I got the part after uttering the phrase that still survives in Blood Shed: "I just shot Pete!". I didn't hear much from Pierre until I heard Jason Shipley was on board. Jason Shipley? the guy that gave AD (assistant director) workshops? The guy from Fredericton who has worked on Trailer Park Boys, Lexx and many other shows and films I've actually heard of? Wow! how cool is that?

Apparently Pierre and Jason are buddies. Jason was lured to the camp, now surnamed: Camp Blood Shed. Pierre pitched his idea to Jason. Jason was hooked, he's a big horror fan and had just helped his AD friends Jason Eisner and Rob Cotterill concoct Treevenge. At Silver Wave 2008, Blood Shed and Treevenge made the midnight show a huge success! Anyway, I was informed I lost the role of Louis, ...to Pierre! I didn't know Pierre had acting experience, let alone professional experience, so I was going in completely blind that this experience was going to be the best experience I would ever have, and still haven't topped. Jason was going to direct. Pierre and I (mostly Pierre with suggestions from Cathie Leblanc at the Film Coop) rounded up a volunteer crew of coop members. Denis Sweet (aka Mclovin), Michel Guitard, Jessica Holt, Corena Walby, Jennifer Mawhinney, Johnathan Driscoll, Bruce Legrow, and Paul Angers, would eventually be recruited to work on this crazy ride. Paul and I met Jason at the Lunar Rogue in early pre-production. Paul was the special effect person on "They Didn't Make it" He was still learning how to make gore for film, but had questions about the effects desired. "You're doing what with a chainsaw?" In Jason's usual calm demeanor, he reassured Paul safety would never be an issue. Jason also told me to read up on conspiracies, the wilder the better. What he didn't know was that whenever I'm drunk or high, I tend to dream up wild conspiracies. There was one night in production I thought they dragged me outside the city to kill me! So no matter how tired I was, I was going to stay up until everyone went to bed! I never considered myself a method actor, but I was in a constant state of panic and ecstasy at the same time. The DoP was Jeff Wheaton, a guy the film coop has tremendous respect for, Gary Ferguson, toting a machine gun and turban, sporting a long beard, supervising special effects and gun wrangling, poncho wearing Aram Kouyoumdjian, mentoring Bruce on sound, and wrestling with lawn gnomes that were suppose to make it on camera. This was a real film set!

There was another pre-production meeting in Fredericton with Jason, Pierre, Gary and I. Jason wanted explosions. Gary reminded him he was not on a budget shoot. It would cost him upwards of 2000$, and lot of time spent rigging it to work and look good. Jason reluctantly axed the fireworks, but wanted to up the gore and sex. There was talk there would be as many as three strippers in the finale, but we were at a lost to find even one girl would would bare her breasts. Pierre knew there was only one "Scream Queen" around, Miranda Wilkins. She acted for me in my very first film "Hell Dog" (still in post/edit limbo.. grrr!) and Pete would be played by another long time friend of Pierre and Jason's, John Heinstein. With a cast and crew rounded up, we headed to the middle of nowhere NB, CAMP BLOOD SHED!

next blog: first day of production and meeting Mama