any questions or comments anytime...

pls email me at matt@elysiumfilm.com

thanks all!

mg

UPDATE FROM the DIRECTOR ... AT LAST....an update

Hello all you great fans and actors and friends and persons who have been associated with the Dynamiter- at last we update.

My name is Matt Gordon and I am still the director and one of the producers of the film. It is an honor to write to you all now.

How are you all?

pls blog and update us on your whereabouts...

We are at this very moment editing our rough cut into a fine cut in new york city new york with an oscar award winning editor named Emily Paine and our fearless editor Brando Boyd( aka double b) from kentucky. Our film- i can say- is really a bad-ass little darlin that we can all be very proud of.

Following the edit phase which will wrap up over the next weeks- there will be finalizing the sound mix and music, colorizing of the film, and any additional tweaks to put this baby into a theatre so we can all watch.

All this process will take at least 2 more months but it will be done!wow i can say what a ride

for now i just wanna say thank you. thank you to all and everybody who was there from day 1 for 10 minutes or for the whole shoot and ride... no matter. we are doing it and we are doing it together til the end.

I am so proud to be a part of our film.

as the shepherd- i will bring her home now.

you will all be delighted i have a strong feeling

big hug to all and talk to ya soon

keep an eye on the blog for more updates ahead

matt g

Credits

Hey guys! We are assembling a credits list for the film and want to make sure that everyone is included! If you worked on the film, we thank you for your help and want to make sure your name is on the screen!

Please send your name and your role or how you helped out to dynamiterfilm@gmail.com.

Thanks for everything guys!

is there a end in sight?

sorry guys...things have been pretty hectic the past few weeks! we're talking sun up to sun down nonstop movie making action. haha. i am sad to see everyone go. it's funny...i dreaded the long days of sweating my ass off in the delta sun, but now that it's all over, i miss those days very much so. the dynamiter has seriously been a life changing experience. the land, the people, the culture... this part of the country often gets forgotten about, but once you experience it and live it, i promise you...you will never forget it! there is so much history here. anyway, enough about the delta...the movie was amazing! all in all, i think everything went pretty smoothly. we started losing people around the 26th. we still had a week of pick up shots and b roll footagr! people stepped up and more equiptment was rented. the final skeleton crew was the best part of the whole film! we just cruised around and shot wherever we thought looked cool. super laid back. then it was off the greenwood. WOW! thats all i have to say. v.i.p. treatment all night. wonderful dinner and wine, open bar, getting kicked out of a best western hotel... thats a whole other conversation. all i got to say is..."how small is your brain?" wow...slightly stunned! we are back in jackson now getting everything organized. post production is in full swing. hopefully we will have a rough cut in a month or so...ill keep my fingers crossed. a big thanks goes out to mike jones, art at kountry market, coopers pit stop, the gardner family, the sherriffs office, jims diner, riverside school, and all the other property owners that allowed us to invade thier lives for a day! and ofcourse the cast and crew. john alex and will...patrick and joyce...matt and jeff...tim and brian...armondo and mark...jill and ryan...sherine and mariah...mike and dale...!!!! i love all you guys!

The lack of updates should actually be a good indicator of just how busy we've been.  Braving the heat and the bugs, the Dynamiter continues.  Those who have seen the footage are big fans.  The editor has been working as tirelessly as the production crew to assemble a rough cut and a trailer.  

As of last night approximately 78 of the 98 pages in the script had been filmed.  

catching up...

sorry guys. it has been awhile since we have updated this thing. we have been working 12-16 hour days for the past week! no time to update. but, not to worry...i have been taking pictures of everything.

As we celebrate the third day of filming, we're also celebrating the birthday of our Director of Photography and our leading man!! Party tonight to celebrate!

The decision to shoot on the Red was absolutely worth it. The footage we are getting from the 4K chip is simply beautiful. Today we have been filming at Cooper's Pit Stop with our #1 Glen Allan contact playing Mr. Cooper. Mike Jones has never acted a day in his life, but was born knowing how to put on a good show. His portrayal of Cooper is dead on!

Cameras rolling

Principal photography began today at 8:30 at First Baptist Church, Glen Allan.  The footage is looking beautiful  Special thanks to the church and Roy's Store for providing shooting locations.  Photos to come soon!!

countdown to production.

yesterday was our huge kick off party at "bait and thangs". the 4th of july was amazing this year! mike jones outdid himself yet again. we're talking live music, food, beer, fireworks, airboat swamp tours, cornhole, handgrabbing (fishing with your bare hangs), etc...the list could go on and on. we even ventured into the city and visited "spectators" a bar witch completely blew my mind! let's just say there was a good mix of culture there. i even got to witness a few fights! the south knows how to party. i feel like i need to make a rodeo comparison... we have also been interacting with some of the local wildlife! i've only been here for a few weeks, but i feel like i have lived here forever. everyday i take part in some local activities that completely change my life! things are a little bit different down here. it is an experience everyone should live at least once in there life. tomorow starts production and there is no telling what will happen. im looking forward to the next three weeks! -derk

The crew has grown since you were last updated!  Here is the current list

Amile	Wilson	Producer
Nate	Tuck	Producer
Matthew	Gordon	Director
Lee	Blaylock	1AD
Kate	Brewster	Assoc. Producer
Ryan	Jackson	Production Assistant
Kelly	Truax	Production Assistant
Debra	Toth	Production Assistant
Michael	Wiliams	Script Supervisor
Jeff	Waldron	Cinematographer
Brian	Burgoyne	Camera Operator
Mark	Legaspi	1AC
Dan	Zapata	2AC/DIT
Timothy	Gillis	Gaffer
Derek	Gabbert	Best Boy
Armando	Ballesteros	Key Grip
Matthew	Meccia	Grip/Best Boy
Doc	Davis	Audio Engineer
Mike	Scherschel	Production Designer
Mariah	Mills	Props Master
Casey	Heflin	Costume/Makeup
Shareen	Chehade	Costume
Jillian	Erickson	Makeup
Gloria	Gonnillini	Production Assistant
Brad	Ingelsby	Writer
Josh	Noyes	Editor

Ryan Jackson, PA, helps paint "Robbie's House"

Our wonderful production designer Michael Scherschal puts a coat of glue on the walls.  This is a design trick to create paint cracking.

July 2nd 2009

Amile, Nate, Lee

This is the 3rd day that I have been here in Glen Allan working on the film as the script supervisor. This month will be my second opportunity to spend any amount of time in the MS Delta. The Delta, especially Glen Allan, is such a culturally rich and hospitable area of the south and Mississippi specifically. Even though I'm from a small town in Northeastern MS, being in the Delta still feels like an exciting and exotic place, and oddly enough, I couldn't feel more at home. The people of this small community are extremely hospitable, and I look forward to the opportunities when I get to interact with these wonderful people. The Kountry Market has been a wonderful eating place for the crew. The employees are so friendly and the food is REAL, good food made the good ole southern way. The first day I walked in for breakfast, I looked for a breakfast menu but couldn't find one. I asked, "what do y'all have for breakfast?" With a smile the cook replied, "what ever you want?" I wanted a sausage biscuit and a couple of scrambled eggs. Both were delicous!



Until we set up our official production office this weekend, we have been using the Delta Grind coffee shop in Greenville as our make shift production office. The staff has graciously let us work from their shop. Their Strawberry Bomb smoothie is amazing by the way!

Today, the production team has been working diligently to sort out all the little details that are needed to produce a film, and to get everything in order to begin production on Monday. Its going to be very exciting to see this wonderful film develop and come to realization.

--Michael Williams (Script supervisor)

times they are a changing.

wow. a lot has happened since the last update. for starters, i (derk) celebrated my birthday. i guess i'm in my late 20's now? anyway, that's what someone told me... the bourbon mall was amazing! there is nothing like ribs, shrimp, steak, and bourbon of course. also, matt's mother graced us with her presence for a few days as we get settled in our new place. we are officially in glen allen now! jackson is a thing of the past...well at least for the next 3 weeks. the editor will hold the fort down for us. everything seems to be changing by the day. new cast and crew are stepping on board and arriving everyday. the script and locations are locked and are being prepped for the start of production on monday. the art department is busy getting robbie's house ready to go. lots of paint, sweat and wasps! i had the honor of getting stung by one of these guys scouting for furniture. matt and jeff are finalizing the shooting schedule and figuring out where they want the camera. amile is loosing his mind (and breaking things) trying to make sure everything is running smoothly. he finally has a few extra bodies now helping him with producing. we have a million things to do in a very short amount of time. it is definitely down to the wire. but, with everyone being so talented in their field, this thing is going to be a success. lets keep our fingers crossed! -derk