Might be a bold statement but it barely describes how I am feeling after this past weekend of filming. We were finally able to film the biggest scene of Extraction Day thus far, and we honestly could not have done any of it without the amazing help of so many people.
Our set looked like a command center straight out of a Bond movie. From set deck to actors, make-up and props, to kraft services and cameras, it was basically “Epic-ness” in it’s purest form. Friends even lent us their own personal belongings to help make things happen.
Shooting took place in the attic of an old hotel in downtown Hespeler, Cambridge. That means no heat, no electricity, no insulation and no bathroom. As I’m sure you can imagine, those factors in and of itself made for an exciting time.
Here are some behind-the-scenes pictures of what we filmed:
It took two days of set up to get this place looking just right. Some of our guys even took one for the team, spending the night in the old “haunted” hotel.
High Rise Studio set a new record this weekend, as we worked with a cast of 13 people and a crew of 14.
Here’s a little background:
The Command Center scene kicks off the beginning of Extraction Day. Information has been leaked to GATE (the Global Anti-Terrorist Entity). GATE sends in an elite task force to capture a high priority target within a very hostile environment. This scene is incredibly important, so shooting it in two days was a gigantic undertaking. But with the script, story boards and shot lists in hand, we did it!
A huge thank you goes out to our cast and crew. You guys were amazing and made shooting an absolute blast.
I can honestly say I am almost as excited for the blooper reel as I am for the movie to be finished!
We’ve already started preparations for shooting our next scene, which happens in conjunction with the Command Center. For this scene, we have an Elite Task force entering a hostile factory building.
This scene is going to be unreal. It is also going to be more challenging than anything we’ve ever done before.
From firing live rounds, to air canons and squibs, you’ll see some of the biggest, baddest looking guys you’ve ever seen. Needless to say, we have our work cut out for us.
In close, I just wanted to mention that there is no way that we could have made this film without your support.
We would like to extend a special thanks to the Multicultural Club for lending us equipment, Giovanna and Jamie for doing hair and make-up, Nathan Grieve for lending us his trailer and car all weekend, and Thinkalee for the location.
We are currently raising funds to film the rest of Extraction Day. So far, 50 people have helped us financially and we have reached 30 percent of our goal.
We only have 28 days left to finish raising the remaining amount of $9,560. We know we can do it, but we definitely need your help.
If you would like to help make this happen for us, or you would like to get more information on what we are doing, check out http://www.extractionday.com.
HighRiseStudio 
