Ricky's House

So it's kind of surreal to walk into a strange house in Regina for the first time to find framed photos of Sam on the fridge, the mantelpiece, the dining room hutch, and side tables... There are more photos of Sam in his movie house than in his real one! I'm not sure if any of them were caught on camera, but I snapped a few before we left for the last time. I didn't take any of the house, really - but I wish I had. It's incredible what a difference lighting and the camera frame make.

The house is for sale and my first impression was that it needed quite a bit of work - new kitchen, repaired floors, new windows, and more. The rooms are small and cluttered in a "we're moving soon" kind of way, but it's cozy and has a century-home charm. Depending on which room was being used or was "hot" (could be seen on camera), Jeremy and I tucked into a corner of the living room or dining room. We sit for hours at a time, so there is a lot of opportunity to look around.

On day two, we flipped from the den/living room scenes to shoot a few dinner table shots in the dining room. We came back from lunch at the CBC Soundstage to find the dining room all set up. It already looked different with a dressed scene - plants, table set, nice lighting. But when I stepped around to look at the shot in the monitor, I couldn't believe how beautiful the room looked. The pale yellow stucco walls were glowing softly, and the wooden trim, sconces, and recessed bookshelves looked like shiny, rich mahogany. Remarkable. Look one way and see normal house; look at the monitor and see movie house. It really is almost magical. And I think I understand why 90% of time on set is spent doing exactly this ...

(whoops - sideways video. But you get the idea. Camera angles and lighting. And lighting. And lighting :)