SWEAT, POISON IVY ARE PART OF THE JOB

Sweat, poison ivy, bees, clouds, traffic, allergies and sun stroke don't usually make one think of anything in particular, but for 16 local filmmakers, those words remind them of one thing: "Nightcrawlers." (note - "Nightcrawlers" was the working title for "Bark" - JC)

The Lincoln County Film Initiative, a group of young students and adults, has been filming "Nightcrawlers," a film about the broken promise of freedom two teenagers from different cultures find in one another.

It deals with a West Lincoln girl, played by local actress Ailsa Craig, and her Toronto boyfriend, played by Scott Yaphe, who hide out in a Vineland barn after robbing a house. The girl is forced to decide whether she lives with her new freedom or the responsibilities in her past.

Vineland's Jonathan Culp has written, directed and produced the film which has been shot in a Vineland barn, Vineland farmlands and the Railhouse Restaurant in Grimsby, to name some of the locations. The LCFI began filming last week, and things were expected to wrap up on the weekend.

"It's been a lot of fun and hard work," he said. "We've had to deal with all kinds of strange circumstances."

Last week's hot, hazy and humid weather didn't help things. Nevertheless the group endured, and most days they survived on one meal, bananas and about four hours of sleep.

The head was so intense that during one shooting in an old farm house the white paint in the room began to yellow and peel. The bright lights, together with the heat were responsible.

Another energy drainer comes when the crew must move their equipment - especially when they move it into the "forest." We had to move more than 300 pounds of equipment through dense bush for one scene, said Mr. Culp.

But the blood, sweat and tears will pay off it the film wins an award at the Toronto Festival of Festivals or other national festivals, he added. The radio and television arts student at Ryerson Polytechnical University received a lot of his drama and film training from Grimsby Secondary School.

However, things like running into poison ivy had to be learned with hands-on experience. "Working in conditions like this (he pointed to his scars from the incident) is typical of a film at this budget ($10,000)," Mr. Culp added.

Sneezing and sniffling have bothered the lead actor throughout filming, but it doesn't get him down. "No problem. I just need a lot of Kleenex," he laughed.

For Ms. Craig, she needs a towel to keep the sweat from beading on her brow. "My makeup runs about 30 seconds after I put it on," she said.

The camera and sound crew, meanwhile is working for free, simply because of the love in their hearts, says production manager Chris Allen. The Victoria, BC student at Ryerson added that the entire army of volunteers and local investors is enjoying it.

Each scene must be perfect, and even if one hair is located incorrectly, it is re-shot, Mr. Allen said. Everyone has a job to do, and the assistant director takes notes on every scene to ensure continuity.

"We're all running on adrenaline, and loving it," Mr. Allen noted. The crew is sleeping in the basement of Mr. Culp's John Street home as well as in tents in the backyard. Some are staying with friends of his family.

All have a basic mission: to immortalize the sights and spirit of Lincoln County through the art of motion pictures, and they are doing just that.

(Julie Hendricks, The Lincoln Post Express, September 4, 1991)