I'm Really Not in Kansas Any More
~ a The Source set visit report by Laura Feingold
 he great adventure began Friday afternoon as I
arrived in Chicago from Kansas City and met up with Ruth Kaufman,
the winner of the Adrian Paul's PEACE Auction. We had talked on the
phone a few times and had e-mailed what we learned regarding the
money used in Lithuania, places to see, and generally how to get
around. We learned how to say thank you, atchu, in Lithuanian. We
didn't learn much else of the language, but at least we'd be polite!
We hit it off right away. Ruth is a lot of fun,
very vivacious, and interesting. She's got a degree in law and is a
romance novelist with many manuscripts waiting to be published. Our
plane took off late in the afternoon. We had a 10-hour trip ahead of
us! It was a little tough to sleep on the plane, even though it was
such a long trip. Since our body clocks were still in the Midwest,
it was the start of a very long day. There is an 8-hour time
difference between Vilnius and Kansas City. We arrived in Amsterdam
early in their morning the following day and we had a long wait for
the next plane. At this point we were only a few hours away from
Vilnius!
 e arrived in Vilnius about 1:30 on a cold, overcast
Saturday afternoon and were met by a very nice man holding up a sign
which read Ruth Kaufman and Laura Feingold! How cool was that! The
Highlander people provided a chauffeur to take us back to the hotel.
That was a relief! I wasn't sure how we were going to manage hailing
a cab, not knowing anything about the area and only being able to
say thank you!
We stayed in a beautiful hotel, and as we were
checking in, Carmel Macpherson met us at the front desk. She had come
in the day before and as usual had everything all arranged. We went
on upstairs and dropped off our luggage and decompressed for a few
minutes. When we all met downstairs again we chatted about what our
schedule was going to be. Carmel asked if we would like to visit the
set. So I guess you know what our responses were! They had switched
to filming at night and were going to start up again at 7:00.
Carmel had a few errands to run, and Ruth and I were
left for a bit to explore. So we wandered up one street and down the
next, and took pictures of the churches in Vilnius. There seems to
be one on every street. We since learned that there are 55
churches--most of them Catholic-- 1 synagogue, and 2 Greek
Orthodox--each one a different color and configuration.
 As we were walking down the street, Jim Byrnes
passed by on the other side. Now, I don't know Mr. Byrnes. I've only
met him a few times, but for me it was like seeing an old friend so
far away from home. I didn't want to startle him out in public, so I
just smiled at him and he got a puzzled look on his face (one of
those, where have I seen that person before looks) and smiled back
at us. Oh, my! The Highlander thing was really happening--it wasn't
just a dream!
Ruth and I wandered around a bit longer and visited
one of Vilnius' many amber jewelry shops. We checked the time and
headed back to the hotel to meet with Carmel. We went down to the
bar at the hotel, and who should be sitting there but our own Jim
Byrnes!
As most of you know, he is absolutely wonderful,
very witty, very charming. We talked about how he is enjoying his
time here in Vilnius. He's a walking font of information. (I think
he does a lot of reading while not filming.) He gave us a little
travel rundown about Vilnius, about the history of the area, the
people, and the churches.
I asked him what his latest projects were. He said
he's got plans to go into the recording studio in January to record
a new CD. I told him how happy we were about that and that we were
all waiting to hear him again. He talked about trying to put
together a session with Sam Cooke's Soul Stirrers. He was very
excited about that. I always liked Sam Cooke, and personally, I
think some of Sam Cooke's songs are just perfect for him.
I told him that the posters at one of the Highlander
sites were lamenting that they'd missed his guest spot on a show the
week before. I chided him that when he does a television show he
needs to get his fan club to post a notice alerting us. He has a
wicked twinkle in his eye--he just shook his head and laughed. He
said he never knows, of course, when a particular episode will be
on. I told him that we want to support his work, and that all he had
to do was let us know what he was doing. We'd find it. He shook his
head again and said, oh, okay. I think I had to twist his arm on
that one. We'll see . . .
hile we were talking his cell phone rang. He told
the person he was down in the bar talking with a couple of
Highlander fans and to come on down. So a few minutes later Peter
Wingfield came through the door! What struck me is that he looks
absolutely no different than when we last saw Methos, and that
marvelous voice . . . I'm beginning to think these guys really are
immortal!
We introduced ourselves, and he sat for awhile and
we chatted. Peter was set to film that evening, so our visit was a
bit short. Jim wasn't working that night, so he stayed behind.
Peter and his driver got in one car, and Carmel,
John Mosby, Ruth, and I got into another car. I was picked to drive,
since I know how to drive a stick shift on the right side of the
road. Well, let me tell you that was an interesting experience. Here
I am in a foreign country, driving down very narrow, one-way streets
at night, and trying to keep up with the guy ahead of us. They drive
very close to the car in front of them in Vilnius, unlike here in
Kansas City. If you leave a car length of space in front of you, two
cars jump in! Everyone kept telling me to get closer. I had visions
of Peter's driver hitting the brakes and me making an end of Peter
Wingfield's appearance in the movie! Methos in a neck brace would be
just too hard to explain!
We finally got out of the city and raced down the
highway to the Nemenchine Forest. It is absolutely beautiful. The
trees are tall, straight pines with the foliage at the top. I can
imagine masts for the Tallships came from this place. The Highlander
set was tucked in amongst the trees in at least three different
locations in the forest. When we got there, they were on a dinner
break. Adrian Paul was on his way back to his trailer and came over
to make introductions. He looked like he had more on his mind than
just dinner, so he had to excuse himself but said that he'd find us
later. They invited us to come have dinner with them. The caterers
had everything in a large van. We were introduced to various crew
members, directors, assistants, and people from the movie studio.
They all seemed to be a happy bunch. A lot of the crew appear to be
locals. They are all very friendly, very nice. Most of them speak
English, so I don't know that there is too much trouble
communicating.
 fter the dinner break, we went over to one area
where they would be filming. The area was most interesting. They
were still building (or perhaps repairing?) the "stage," so filming
was at a standstill. As with many Highlander wilderness scenes,
there were (controlled) bonfires and the ever-present smoke machines
set up. Down the hill behind the main "stage" there was lighting
that shone through the trees as if dawn were coming. I don't know if
it was for the scene, but it was quite a beautiful effect.
Across the street that ran through the forest, a
cherry picker with lights was set high up in the trees. It was
almost bright as day over there. Living in the suburbs of a large
city, I had forgotten how dark it gets out in the country. It was
pitch dark out in the woods, except for the well placed bonfires and
lighting set up for the scenes. Things were cast in an orange glow
around where they would be filming.
While they were waiting for the carpenters
("chippies") to finish, Peter Wingfield came over and chatted with
us. Adrian Paul saw us and came over and
introduced himself-- like we didn't know who he was?! He was very
funny, very nice. We shook hands all around. He asked us what we
thought of things so far. I had only seen actors waiting around and
pyrotechnic people running about, and I told him if I had to do what
they did for a living I would lose my mind. (As much as I complain
about lawyers, I think I'll keep my legal secretary job.) We talked
a little about the movie and how cool everything looked. He said he
wasn't sure right then what we'd be doing, but laughed when I told
him I had hoped we'd be cast as serving wenches maybe in a
flashback? No such luck, as you will read later on . . .
hom Fell, a new actor in the Highlander world, came
over to greet us. He was in the scene they'd be filming tonight, so
he was in full makeup and costume--very impressive! He is very
handsome, friendly, very soft spoken. He has done a lot of work for
the BBC and in England. I don't think we've seen him yet in the
States.
They called for everyone to take their places, and a
hush fell over the woods again. The actors all took the stage, and
the pyrotechnic people scattered about. Then we waited some more
while the scene was set up.
The dew fell and the temperature started to drop a
bit, and everybody huddled into their coats watching the hustle and
bustle of the pyrotechnic people and the others around the set. This
scene had Thom Fell, AP, Thekla Reuten, PW and Christian Solimeno.
Although the scene was not a long one, they did numerous takes. They
had the camera on a short train track-like contraption which they
broke down and moved anywhere they needed it. In between shots, the
actors were bundled into their coats and shawls. It's a wonder
they're not all sick from exposure!
Ruth and I stayed out in the forest until about
10:00, then the cold started to seep into our feet. I think the fact
that we hadn't slept in at least 24 hours helped add to our fading.
The spirit was certainly willing to stay and watch, but we decided
to head back to the hotel.
 unday was another dreary day. I'm not sure the sun
even shines in Lithuania. We hadn't seen it since we left the
States. Since we caught a little sleep, we decided to go exploring.
We went to visit the castle, Trakai, which was built roughly about
1400 A.D. It is in the middle of the lake on an island. Lithuania is
in the process of restoring it. A lot of the original stone work is
there, and they rebuilt a lot of it with brick. The fortress doors
are about four inches thick. They open up into a large cobble-stoned
courtyard. All the stairwells are very narrow and steep. They have
circular stairwells that wind to the left so you can sword fight
with your right arm! About half way down the stairwells is a deep,
narrow window, which was used by archers or a small cannon could be
placed there for defense.
I know people were smaller in the 1400s, but I had
to duck in some of the doorways. I'm 5'8" and some of the doorways
were only about two inches above my head. It is also hard to imagine
women in long bulky gowns trying to negotiate the stairways and
sweeping the stone and rough wood floors with their hems. Upstairs
in the castle is a room with a vaulted brick ceiling that is used
still for chamber music concerts. The acoustics are incredible.
Our tour guide, Irena, told us they had a novel way
of heating the castle. They had steam boilers on the first floor
that warmed the floor of the second floor. The floors were all tile,
and once those tiles warmed up, this provided the heat for the
castle--central heating, Medieval state of the art!
I think the Highlander scouts had looked at Trakai
to do some filming, but for one reason or another they decided not
to do it. Too bad. It would have made an incredible set. It looks
like somewhere Methos or Rebecca would have been . . .
Irena said she had been to the United States. I
figured she'd been to New York or Los Angeles. No--she went to Rhode
Island, of all places. I told her that was where I grew up. It's
such a small world!
In the course of her tour, she told us all about
Lithuania. Lithuania was a pagan country until the Crusades when
most of the population converted to Catholicism. Lithuania has been
invaded and occupied by many countries throughout its history. The
last to occupy Lithuania was Russia, who left 15 years ago.
Lithuania is now an independent state.
We learned that Lithuanians are crazy for
basketball.
Like the French, they are trying to keep their
language "pure." As one can imagine, this is a daunting task in a
world moving so quickly in sciences and communication. They will use
common words like "e-mail" when speaking; but in formal writing,
they must find Lithuanian words and phrases to express their
thoughts. They have their own money, Lita. Next year they will be
joining the European Union and will be using Euros. Most of the
businesses will take Euros now, although they prefer Lita.
e met up with Carmel and John Mosby later that
afternoon and had lunch. They stayed out in the woods all night
until the "wrap" at 7:30 a.m.!
They're still doing night shoots. Jim Byrnes is
working tonight. He'll be playing a new song that he wrote for The
Source.
I guess they were done with the forest and were
filming in the city Sunday night. We all studied a city map and
decided we'd just walk to the set. Once again, we were off walking.
People in Vilnius do a LOT of walking. They're not carrying packages
or groceries. They're just walking, all bundled up--not like
exercising--they're going someplace, but I haven't figured out where
yet. Personally, I think they all walk to a vacant lot, then turn
around and do it again! The women walk arm in arm while talking; the
men walk arm in arm while talking. Walking . . . walking . . .
They were filming only three or four blocks from the
hotel. The area they were filming was supposed to look very bombed
out and bleak. The streets are paved with brick and very narrow. The
buildings seem to come right out to the street. There was a heavy
mist falling and the temperature felt like it was dropping again.
They had smoke machines running; so in addition to having the heavy
mist, there was smoke swirling about.
They had blocked off some streets and had a cherry
picker with lights which cast a yellow light. They had "decorated"
the street, again with burning barrels and strategically placed
trash. This time, they even had a car they'd set ablaze. The
pyrotechnic guy always looks like he's angry about something. I
couldn't tell if he was just annoyed with the way his car was on
fire or if there was actually a problem! The extras (portraying the
homeless) were huddled around the barrels, trying to keep warm.
 Once again Adrian came over to talk with us. I gave
him a bag of hand warmers I'd brought with me. He had posted a week
or two earlier that one of the stunt guys had fallen on his face
because he had his hands in his pockets to try to keep them warm. So
I felt sorry for them all and brought a box of hand warmers. I guess
they don't have hunters in Europe? Adrian got a big grin on his face
and his eyes lit up when he saw what was in the bag. I think the
crew had imported some a few weeks earlier, but I figured they might
come in handy anyway. We don't want any frozen fingers losing grip
on heavy swords.
We had been standing against the wall trying to be
as inconspicuous as possible and trying to stay behind the camera.
Tonight was very interesting. They do a rehearsal, then one take,
then they do it again, and again, and maybe once again . . . Adrian
started filming his scenes and then suggested to Carmel that she
take us over to the monitors to see what it looked like on film.
That was awfully thoughtful of him-- to think about us and making
sure that we could see what was going on. So we went over and lurked
behind the director to get a peek at the monitor.
As we were watching it live, it was a very intense
Adrian Paul walking down the street. Then when we looked at it on
the monitor, it was Duncan MacLeod walking down the street. The
perspective certainly changes.
We were all fairly frozen by then, so we decided to
head back to the hotel to warm up. As we were leaving, we met up
with Thom Fell, who plays Giovanni. He had come by to see how things
were going. He is very nice, kind of shy. I'm not terribly shy, and
I was curious about this new actor, so I thought I'd try to get him
to talk a little about himself. He walked back with us to the hotel,
and we got to chat. Thom just finished making a movie with Donald
Sutherland, "An American Haunting." I don't know if it's been
released yet, but we need to look for it when it comes out. I told
him I would pass this on to the fans. I told him the Highlander fans
like to see what the actors can do and will try to catch them in
other projects. He seemed pleased to hear that. I told him he was
part of the family now.
t
 midnight when we got to the hotel, Jim Byrnes was
dressed up (in his Joe Dawson costume?) and had his guitar out
entertaining everyone in the bar. He was in great form--full of fun
and vinegar. He and Peter Wingfield had been there for a bit waiting
to go to work. Jim finished and the audience was enthusiastic. He
had to decline the requests for more saying he had to go to work.
The tourists asked him where he was working and could they see him
play there. As he was packing up he explained to them that he was
making a film, a new Highlander movie. Some of the people there had
seen the first Highlander movie, so they were familiar at least with
the story.
At 3:00 a.m. we were going to go back to the
courtyard where they had Joe's Bar set up inside one of the
buildings. Jim was going to perform his new song. Once again, it was
a short walk from the hotel. There was a little stage and a wall
full of bottles of liquor behind the bar. It was Joe's Bar, but
seemed smaller than how Joe's appears in Seacouver. We'll see what
it looks like on film. Maybe it's really a grand ballroom! We waited
around for awhile to see what was going to happen. The crew trickled
down from the street scene with a big crane and lighting equipment.
We stood for awhile watching them set up then returned to the street
scene. We watched Duncan MacLeod for a little bit. By now, it was
4:00 a.m., and they still hadn't filmed the scene in Joe's Bar. They
wrapped at the street scene, and everybody walked down to Joe's.
When we got there, it looked like it was going to be crowded enough
for all the cast and crew that had to be there, so Ruth and I opted
to go back to the hotel and try to catch a few Zs. So unfortunately,
like everyone else, I have to wait to see the movie to hear Jim's
new song. Rats!
It's now 5:30 a.m. on Monday morning. Today's our
big film debut! We've got a wake-up call for noon to get ourselves
together and get out to the studio for costumes. A wake up call for
noon--talk about having your days and nights mixed up! At this time
we have no idea what they're going to do with us, but who cares!
It's been such fun watching them make this movie. What an incredible
thing to happen to a Highlander fan! I'm still not believing it.
Monday afternoon we are at the studio. It's still
overcast, by the way.
There is a huge movie studio in Vilnius where a lot
of European movies have been filmed. Log onto the Web and look for
the Vilnius movie studio. The BBC made a Robin Hood miniseries
there. They've got lots of great pictures from their productions in
the coffee shop.
e learned we are "featured extras" in the movie! I
still have no idea what that means. Ruth said it was pretty cool.
I'll take her word for it. The wardrobe mistress and the costume
designer showed us to a fitting room and brought in all kinds
of clothes. We were going to be homeless washer women in a big
street scene. Carmel and John got drafted into the scene as well.
What fun! So the wardrobe mistress hustled in and out bringing
suitably shabby clothes for us. They dressed us in cotton tights,
long skirts, and layers of sweaters and bulky coats, boots and hats.
I had my own hiking boots, and they agreed that they were dreadful
enough to wear with a skirt--not quite Granny Clampett boots, but
close enough. The coat I wore looked like I wrestled it off a dead
person! Ruth is very petite and fairly sparkles, so they had to try
to drab her down with dark colors. Carmel got fitted with the
same--a long skirt and boots. They gave her a sweater that all three
of us could have gotten into! She was the jaunty one--they gave her
a beret to wear--ooh la la! John got fitted in dark green/grey pants
and dark green jacket and dark blue hat. Thankfully, they thought to
give us all gloves. It was going to be cold!
We were dressed early, and they weren't ready for
anyone down on the set yet; so as we were talking I mentioned that
it would have been cool if we could have seen a fight scene. They
were going to film a big fight scene with Peter on Thursday, which
was the day we were set to leave; and Adrian was going to have a
sword fight on Friday. Alex said she would ask Adrian if it was okay
to come down and watch him rehearse. He was downstairs at the studio
rehearsing with Vernon Rieta, so he kindly allowed us to watch them
rehearse. We sat well out of range in the dark shadows of the
soundstage. It was very cool to watch him work with Vernon and
choreograph how he was going to move, how he was going to hold the
sword, how he was going to spin this way and that. They brought one
of the other actors in, and they rehearsed together so they would
both understand how they would move in the fight scene. (We got to
see Duncan MacLeod's signature stance a few times.) It was
fascinating to watch. The director was filming some green screen
work on the other end of the soundstage, so from time to time
everyone had to be quiet. Adrian and Vernon practiced almost
silently with hand gestures and facial expressions. It was like they
were reading each other's minds. Incidentally, it looked like Adrian
was using the real katana, because one time he jabbed the point into
the floor while he was talking and it stayed there.
Later that evening we were all taken by van (too far
to walk this time!) to the site. It was in a courtyard once again,
but this time it was a huge courtyard. The buildings looked like the
wrecking ball had come to visit, and the ground was torn up as well.
There was a bridge of sorts from the street across two large gullies
over to the street where the shanty town was set up.
When we got there, a wardrobe woman gave our
clothing a little strategic dusting with some kind of dirt--we were
just a little too clean looking for shantytown dwellers. (So much
for polishing my boots before I packed!) The director had told his
assistant that he wanted to see us and see how we looked. I'm told
normally extras don't have any interaction at all with the main
director, that it is usually an assistant director who places all
the background people and deals with extras. Bret Leonard also was
very gracious. He never seemed to be bothered with us being there.
He met with us, and pictures were taken by the photographer for the
documentary.
Mr. Leonard thought we looked just fine. Then he
placed us on his set. We were far enough away that he had to use a
microphone to talk with us. He told us what we were to do and how he
wanted us to react. This was a little weird for me, because I
haven't played "make believe" in eons! Thankfully, Ruth has been an
"extra" in 50 films, and she quickly thought up our shtick. The Clan
MacSudsy had two pair of pants, a shirt, and some other raggedy
blanket to use as props. She divided up the work and John Mosby was
elected to be the drunken brother who just sits and drinks. Carmel
was to work the hose on the washing tub. I would bring the laundry
out and hand it to Ruth. She would put it in the machine and shut
the lid. We would all look very busy and try not to over-react to
the action going on around us. We shot the scene over, and over, and
over, and over . . . I lost count of the number of takes they
did--thankfully not from anything that we did, but they wanted
different action, or the actor needed another take. They all seemed
to be good (what do I know). They certainly have lots to choose
from!
e
 dubbed ourselves "The Clan MacFrozen" after
standing out in the cold watching the action the night before.
Tonight, we certainly weren't frozen because we had those
strategically placed bonfires on the set. Our bonfire was right
behind us, and we were able to gather a little warmth from that. We
stayed pretty comfortable. However, after four hours, it kind of
lost its charm what with all the wood smoke blowing in our faces.
Another scene was set up with another of the
immortals in the shantytown. He had to run right by us, so we looked
busy and tried not to pay attention to him. We're supposed to be
homeless and intent on our little routine. Steven Rahman Hughes was
very funny. Each trip back to his starting point he'd say, I promise
I won't do this again. We kept telling him our fingers were being
chapped by doing so much laundry, and that I was tired of shlepping
basket after basket of laundry out of our little hovel, and would he
please run in a straight line. He laughed. Even he was getting cold,
so in between takes he would stand at our bonfire and warm himself.
I don't know anything about this character, but he, too,is very
nice, very friendly (very handsome!). Wait until you see him.
At midnight we're still standing on the set in our
shantytown filming background movement. At 1:00 a.m. we break for
dinner. Everyone scatters out up the streets (more walking) to the
base camp a few blocks away where the catering truck is set up. The
food smelled WONderful and was really good. They had a grill going
where they had chicken, pork, and calamari. The crew was starving,
so we got our dinner and sat quietly and enjoyed dinner. It really
felt good to sit down. I think we had been standing for about six
hours at that point. When dinner was over, everyone headed back to
the set. The Washer Women were called back down into the shanty
town, and as we were waiting around, Adrian came down to surprise
us. We all posed for him. He thought we all looked great. Acting is
so glamorous!
The documentary photographer interviewed Ruth and me
between scenes. He had a video camera and would ask us questions.
Stick a camera in Ruth's face, and she's on--very talkative, very
innovative. Stick a camera in my face, and I become incoherent. "Hi,
I'm Laura Feingold from . . . Uh . . . Kansas City . . . Uh . . ."
The poor guy probably thinks I'm a complete moron! I'm much better
without cameras.
They released us from the set once again, so we
stood off on the sidelines behind the camera watching filming. We
had asked one of the assistant directors if it was okay to leave. He
said, whatever we wanted to do was fine. We could leave or we could
stay. We asked him, "will you use us again? Do you need us to stay?"
I think he was unsure at that point, or perhaps he didn't speak
fluent English? So we stuck around and watched. We saw Thekla film
her scene.
I was getting tired of all the bulky clothes, and
the sweaters were starting to get to me. Since it didn't appear
they'd need us, I thought I would just change back into my own
things; so standing in the dark on the edge of the gully, I got back
to my own clothes, trying not to flash the other people also
standing around in the dark. From time to time, the caterers will
bring out sweets and sandwiches. They always have coffee and hot
water for tea and cocoa. At 3:00 a.m. they were filming quiet
scenes--a lot of shadow and firelight. Next up was a scene with
Duncan in the deserted shantytown. From what I've seen, Duncan does
a lot of walking in this movie. Forget Queen. They could use James
Taylor's "Walking Man" song for the title.
 y now it was very, very cold and the wind had
picked up. We thought we saw some snow flurry activity, but it was
probably just crumbling building dust. We were back to being the
Clan MacFrozen. Someone told us there was a van driver out in the
street waiting to take us back to the hotel, so at 4:30 a.m. we all
four packed up. We had all changed out of our costumes and put
everything back into the bags that we were given. Just as we were
about to get into the nice warm van, the assistant director came
sprinting up the street. "Wait! Wait! We need you. Come back!" We
said, "you're kidding, right?" He said, "No, no. We need to film you
again. Now!" Now? So all four of us did a quick change in the
street, climbing back into our costumes and dashed back down to the
set, wriggling back into the sweaters, coats, and hats while on the
run. The Washer Women were back in business! Now it was even colder.
Adrian came off the set and said, are you still here? We said,
"yeah, they called us back. We've got to wait." So he laughed and we
stood talking while they set up for the next scene. They filmed a
few more scenes with him; and at 7:00 the director decided, "yes, we
need the Washer Women. Come back down." So the Clan MacSudsy tried
to look busy again. The surly pyrotechnic guy had turned off the
fires so the tanks wouldn't freeze. When they were lit again they
just didn't seem quite so toasty this time or perhaps the lustre of
acting had worn off? At 7:30 a.m. with the sun starting to rise, the
director called, it's a wrap. Honestly, I don't know how they all do
this and not kill one another.
The wardrobe mistress met us again at the entrance
to the shantytown set and told us she would take our costumes. At
least we didn't have to go back to the studio to change--we could
just go to bed! The nice, warm van waited for us and a few of the
other crew members. We got back to our hotel at 8:00 a.m. I closed
all the curtains and crashed.
uesday was the day off. It rained. Adrian has many
duties other than just being Duncan MacLeod. He figures in the next
three days, he's going to get about 4 hours sleep. From all the
rehearsals and filming, choreography and all the attendant business
he has, it's a wonder he can function. I don't think we realize
fully how these guys knock themselves out for us. They put their
heart and soul, sweat, blood, and tears into these movies, and this
film is no different.
They have all gone out of their way to make us feel
comfortable and welcome. I think they have shown us more than just
polite courtesy. Each of the actors and directors and crew have made
a point of coming to say hello to us and making introductions.
Wednesday it was only partly overcast. They actually
do have sunshine in Lithuania!
Rosita, from the studio PR office, gave us a tour of
the studio. First we went to see a couple of the sets for The
Source. That was impressive. They were pretty rough when we saw
them. The carpenters were still building. There was just a lot of
foam and plywood and 2x4s. It will be interesting to see how it all
comes together for the movie. It really is "a kind of magic."
Next we went to watch them do some more green screen
work. We saw the actor being wired and saw just a little of the
action. The area behind the camera was a little cramped, so we
weren't able to see too much on the monitor and didn't lurk there
too long.
We were then shown the costume rooms. They're
cavernous (maybe half a football field each?) with clothes bars
hanging from the ceiling in rows. On those bars is everything from
chainmail and linen shirts to ladies' bustiers and dresses from all
different centuries. There is a floor to ceiling wall of shoes and
boots, again from all different centuries.
Next was the furniture prop room: row after row of
chairs, tables, lamps, and armoires and paintings. You need a
picture or portrait of Stalin, Lenin, Adolph Hitler? They have it.
You'll find any kind of thing you might need to dress a set all
catalogued and waiting.
Outside they showed us "Olde England Street." It is
a castle courtyard with high walls and a brick street with carefully
placed dirt. They also showed us the carriage house where there are
all types of carriages and buggies-- from a European stage coach (I
think an Astro van is bigger!) and sleigh to a bicycle rickshaw.
fter our tour of the studio, Ruth and I decided to
walk through the market area to Gediminas Castle, a medieval
battlement built high on a bluff by the river in Vilnius. It was a
fortress built in the early 1300s for defense of the city. There are
two small towers left. This trek is not for the faint of heart. The
stones that line the path are big round ankle twisters. It had
rained early in the morning, and the path was wet. After the long,
very steep climb we made it to the top. The area at the top of the
hill gives a great view of both sides of Vilnius--the Old Town where
The Source is filming, and the newer Vilnius which looked rather
drab in the mist. The buildings are cement and glass, more
utilitarian looking than architecturally interesting. It had rained
that morning, so the buildings were half wet and rather dreary. Old
Town is more cheerful looking. There are brick buildings and
buildings painted in soft colors with red tile roofs and beautiful
churches.
I imagine I've lost 10 pounds with all the walking
I've done. We may be onto a new thing: The new "Highlander
Diet." Keep crazy hours, don't sleep much, eat maybe twice a day,
drink lots of tea, and walk the soles off your shoes! Seriously, it
has been such a fun visit. We've walked at the wee hours of the
morning and never saw another soul, never felt like we were being
watched from the shadows. You certainly can't do that in Kansas
City!
Vilnius is incredibly clean. There is not even a
cigarette butt on the sidewalk! The street sweepers come through
about dawn, just before the traffic starts, and I am told they even
shake the trees to get the dead leaves out. They sweep them up and
take them away!
ednesday night they were filming on a rooftop. We
weren't sure where they were filming, so we took a taxi. The taxi
driver apparently didn't understand where we wanted to go, so we
wound up taking a "scenic tour" of Vilnius. After stopping numerous
times to look at maps, and a few phone calls from Carmel, we
discovered the filming was only up the street from the hotel!
Earlier that afternoon Ruth and I had wandered by
that area and saw the sidewalks all cordoned off with police tape
and saw the studio trucks, so we asked one of the shopkeepers what
was going on. She thought it was a Lithuanian television show. So
being Highlander fans where everything revolves around
Highlander,
we laughed and said maybe they're filming here too. Well, it turns
out it was The Source--so maybe we're not so crazy after all!
Carmel, John, Ruth, and I went over to watch "the
rooftop scene." Once again we went through to a courtyard and into
the shadows. We saw Adrian run through the motions of a sword fight
with Vernon. Then we saw him run through a street fight with Rocky,
the stunt coordinator, a rather big boisterous man--sounds like he
loves his work. They worked out how they were going to move and who
was going to go where. We saw James up on the roof checking out
where he was going to be. Adrian did a few action scenes. I know
they're all stunt guys, but, man, Adrian tossed one guy off, and
it's a wonder he's not still lying in a heap on the ground. He
wasn't hurt, but it sure looked real to me. It was all I could do
not to gasp. I think I watched with my hand over my mouth.
y this time it was 10:00 p.m., and we were slowly
freezing from the toes up. Sadly, it was time to make an end to all
the fun. We said our goodbyes to Adrian. I told him I was to remind
him in a sisterly way not to hurt himself. He smiled and said he
couldn't count on it. He'd been running on little rest recently.
They'd even broken a couple of swords earlier in a rehearsal--metal
swords. I guess they must go at it full tilt to do that! I reminded
him to please be careful anyway.
We had received Source jackets earlier that day, and
he asked if we wanted him to autograph them. Ruth had brought pens,
but they had apparently frozen. Adrian was very concerned about
getting signatures, and we fumbled around trying to get each of the
pens to work. It was quite comical really. When they weren't
cooperating, he called for his assistant to come down with some pens
that he had in his trailer. It was getting late, and I had the
feeling that he'd be called back any minute (I didn't want the
director mad at me!), so we just left the jackets with Carmel who
was going to stay on another day. She would get the guys to sign the
jackets for us. We went back to the hotel bar to warm up and Jim
Byrnes was there. We couldn't persuade him to favor us with any
tunes. He was tired. He was going to have a quiet night and just
kick back and relax.
Ruth and I decided that since we were going to leave
in a just a few hours, we might as well not bother going to bed,
that we'd sleep on the plane. It is going to be so strange going to
back to the real world after being in the Highlander's make-believe
world.
Everyone that's asked why we were in Vilnius has
gotten a quick history of the Highlander movies, series, actors, and
the generosity of the Producers in sending me to Vilnius. Some
people know all about Highlander; for others it's a new experience.
So I've told them to watch for Highlander: The Source next
year. Everyone is most interested. I'm passing around my DVDs to my
coworkers so they'll all know what this was all about. My coworkers,
friends, and relatives are dying to see "The Source." I hope it is
released to the big screen to show the world what our guys can do. I
know the theatre is going to be packed at least one night here in
Kansas City! My family is *very* big!
o to end my narrative, I would like to raise a
toast to Adrian, Jim, and Peter, Brett Leonard, the new immortals in
the Highlander world, and the Producers and Writers, and wish them
every success. I hope "The Source" is a great hit.
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