Watching Characters Come to Life

We have been back on set for the last two weeks, and I must say that having a little more time with filming has been a real pleasure.  In Season 1 we were filming at a breakneck pace, trying to get everything done.  This time around, we have less scheduled on each shoot day, which is giving the actors time to really work out the nuances of their characters, bringing a new depth to the show.

Daniel Purcell and Rinn Critzer, who both had small roles in Season 1 are back in a much larger capacity for this project.  Both veteran theater actors, they understand that the words written on paper are only part of what makes a character.  It is a fascinating study to watch them.  The process starts with a simple read-through, and goes from there.  They may have questions about the thoughts going through the character's mind, the mood, tone or physical mannerisms.  And these little details bring the characters to life, and provide a fertile ground for new actors entering this world.  Carl Nubile, playing Rinn Critzer's character's father in the show, drew from her redneck twang, and gave his character a much more refined Southern drawl.  And Chris Wolf, who is new to this whole world, worked with Daniel to adjust dialog, mannerisms and actions for his character.

One more weekend of filming remains and this part of the project will be complete.  And I cannot wait to see it.  The actors brought much more to it than we ever put on paper.