Unholy was a low-budget horror film that was directed by Daryl Goldberg, one of my classmates at NYU. I was eager to work on a friend's film (especially because it starred Adrienne Barbeau), but I couldn't afford to miss two weeks of work, so I was set photographer on nights and weekends.
The First Day of Shooting
I woke up at 4:00 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 15th, 2005, packed my 35mm rolls of Ektachrome and hopped an N-train, desperate to make the 5:45 a.m. pickup time in Union Square. It was the first day of shooting and I still have a sentimental copy of the call sheet. The first location: "Sam's Farm Stand" in Springfield, NJ. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day:
It was cold and my Canon Elan 7NE was fritzing. I had to warm the battery with my hands until the sun rose.
I figured that Daryl would like this shot for posterity: his first movie and he was literally starting with a clean slate.
Daryl speaks with the camera department as they size up the first shot. Below is approximately what they saw.
The first shot was an exterior of “Sam’s Farm Stand.” Thirty minutes later, and the set was bustling with activity.
Adrienne Barbeau arrives on set and is prepped by Daryl while the camera department attempts to control reflections.
Susan Willis and Adrienne Barbeau rehearse a scene as the sound- and camera-departments prepare for a live take.
This was photographed during a live take between Adrienne Barbeau and Susan Willis. It’s one of my favorite shots.
Nicholas Brendon arrives on set. Soon afterward, he was toting a shotgun and working with the stunt coordinator.
Adrienne Barbeau winks at a young set photographer who had a crush on her when he was in high school.
A member of the electrical department snakes cable through the ceiling as the shoot moves indoors.
Cheyenne Casebier and Richard Ziman, in between takes. I really enjoyed speaking with Richard about acting.
In addition to set photography, I also prepared photographic props that were used in the film and I designed the first draft of the title typography (above). In the end, a simple serifed font was used.