What a weird weekend: twenty months after filming wrapped, we were back to shooting. Nothing fancy or complicated, just a couple pick-up shots needed to fill in some gaps in the effects scenes. But it was just enough to feel bizarre, a return to what I thought was finished, a dreamy wave of “I’m back in school and there’s a test today!” nightmarishness. It was also just enough to give me the bug to film some more, but that always happens when I walk onto a set – I never want to leave.

With Ryan off in California, it was up to Matt to serve as acting D.P. Brad, Shane, and Wellington tagged along for various hands-on work, or, in the case of Brad, hands-in work, as his mitts worked most of the meat monster puppetry. Shane, meanwhile, doubled for an absent Jack, whose hand appears in one vital shot. (I wish I was able to bring the entire cast and crew back for this. I miss those people dearly. Still, it was crowded enough in the kitchen with just the five of us.)

The shots themselves were various bits of the creature (once again, colored oatmeal served as the meat, and I forgot how much of a pain it was to handle the stuff in large quantities) moving, crawling, burping, etc., all shot against a green screen, which Ryan can now take and insert into the film as needed. It’s the sort of thing that only took an hour to film but several more to set up, thanks to lights, camera, green screen, and, most time consuming of all, cooking the oatmeal, then letting it cool enough to handle but not enough to where it’s dry and rubbery.

Purchasing the goods needed for this shoot finally put us over the two grand mark. $18 went to a new green screen (I wanted a new, cheap one, knowing it would likely get ruined by meat splatter – the damage wasn’t as bad as expected, so I may be able to salvage it for future use). The rest went to the usual supplies: oatmeal and food coloring (ugh), plus posterboard, rubber gloves, and an aluminum roast pan. I hope I never see any of those things again.

And now, we return to the long stretch of Waiting for Ryan to Finish the Digital Stuff. Stay tuned.