A WEEK'S NOTICE, NOW IT'S A WRAP...OUR LAST GOOD-BYES TO THE CAST AND CREW...FOR NOW
Now this kind of puts a pit in the bottom of your stomach to see an actual letter indicating that your time with SWATH is over. Filming just completed today in the UK. Sam Claflin tweeted his last scene was completed today.
Bags are being packed, airline arrangements are complete, sight locations are going back to normal, sets torn down, costumes being placed in trunks or in storage closets and the trucks are backing up for loading. Yes, this means we are on our way to actually seeing what Director Rupert Sanders has been up to soon; however, the process of making it was just so much fun.
Where do we begin? The cast. The wonderful cast. Our first encounter with the cast members were the stunt people and army guys both with characters identified and unidentified. They provided fans with tweets, not giving any details regarding filming, describing what they were going through while giving us a laugh or two, right Jess?
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| Jess at fight training |
We got to meet, via Twitter, Ashley Beck, Jess Liaudin, both Duncan's Mais and Casey etc..., and later the dwarf stand-ins (one day we will know their official title) with the lovely Craig, Karen, Jemma, Edd and Paul. We are sorry we could not reveal more, if any, *winks*. Let us not forget the first stunt lady we had the pleasure of meeting, Cecily Fay. We later met Combat International who is a pretty special group of guys. It was an honor to meet you all.
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| Duncan Mais at costume fitting |
We knew when you had a rough day, when you had to soak your sore bones or when you obtained bumps and bruises all in a days' work. It left fans to wonder what on earth Rupert was doing to you guys. We just wanted to reach out and give you a hug and a hot cup of tea because you were in London after all. *chuckles*
To the cast, this movie making thing may be standard practice and they may be asking themselves why would fans care about a cell phone being lost in the middle of a muddy, horse charging army scene? It's because they just do. Every tid bit even the mundane, they have to have it. By the way, we are still wondering where that phone was hidden under all that armor and how did it get out?
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| Sam Claflin's hair glue |
It is the process and knowing how the process works. This means something to fans. To know how their beloved film is being made and the people who are making it. It is also nice to know that we are all normal human beings with frailties and feelings that we can share.
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| Combat International |
So as the army's journey came to an end, we began to meet the extras. Oh the extras. ExtraGeorge, JohnSheppard05, there were just so many and they were so much fun too.
They were so enthusiastic about filming, that a few of them did an "oopsie daisy" by revealing a little too much information ("TMI") to the fans. But you know what? Who cares! OK we know the powers to be may have cringed because they want to disseminate things a certain way with the competition thing and all; however, there was really no harm and no foul because there's no competition.
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| @ExtraGeorge |
Fans
loved the extras.
Can you blame them for being enthusiastic about being in potentially one of the biggest films in Hollywood history? The fans understand and give you hugs for being chastised for your actions only because you were just so excited. It's OK because anyone who says they never had a slip of the tongue is just not being real.
So thanks to the films' extras for sharing your love and enthusiasm for the film. You will cherish your experience forever. Cheers to you.
Then there is the crew. James Baker who tweeted his care of the horses as he took the fans along to every location.
Herdingclouds provided the first non-paparazzi exciting photos of all...KRISTEN STEWART AND CHRIS HEMSWORTH IN FULL COSTUME!! We do remember that day so well. He even made sure the fans saw them first and that was huge. We thank him so much for that.
Fans had the pleasure of receiving occasional tweets from the prince and the dwarfs whose tweets were retweeted furiously throughout the fandom. Sam Claflin, Johnny Harris and Nick Frost were the consistent tweeters.
When Harris and Frost tweeted that they were going to set, you just knew that they were going to be a part of an entire group of great actors. Bob Hoskins, Ian McShane, Eddie Marsan, Toby Jones and Brian Gleeson. Great actors that chose to be in this fantasy film together about a children's fairy tale. It still amazes fans.
When Sam tweeted, fans went into a frenzy of speculation if he was or was not with Snow White. However, there is one picture that is going to be missed when posting Sam's tweets. The prince on his royal couch. It totally fits the character.
Fans also had a chance to follow the cast as they worked on and promoted other projects: The Fades, Breaking Dawn, The Avengers, Tintin etc... For fans in the U.S., Johnny Harris's The Fades, will appear on BBC America in January.
We also shared Craig and Karen's documentary Seven Dwarfs. Although we were unable to see it here in the states, from all accounts including tweets from fans and from the brief YouTube videos, it was a compelling piece of work.
Then you have Eddie Marsan, Toby Jones and Nick Frost as well as Johnny starring in films with potential Oscar nominations such as Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy; War Horse and TinTin. Fans cannot wait to see what the future holds for all of the cast.
There were a lot of great set soldiers providing photographs and descriptions from their encounters with Kristen or Chris to their encounter with a famous bodyguard. Thanks to @imoviei, @Jesm30, @KristenStewbabe, the Murphy sisters our friends at the Marloes etc...
Top left photo: Martin McDowell; Top right photo: Jesm30; Bottom photo: KristenStewbabe
The cold, the rain, the mud, the 3am call times, the overnight shoots, the cast, the crew and the set soldiers placed us right there. We thank you all for the wonderful journey, a journey that is only beginning...there is more to come.
