THE POISONER PRODUCTION REGISTER

Building has been moving ahead steadily and with very satisfying results.  Sam, Kit, Shannon and Jameson continued dressing the hallway set after Brent and I built the banister and paid a visit to the always-tremendous Rebuilding Exchange for paint and more building supplies.  I spent some time patching and sanding this week, which resulted in an amplification of the already deafening presence of D U S T in the space.  Masks are essential, though dust does in fact play a large part in the script already, and makes for some undeniably graceful images in the space to boot.  Though I’ve certainly had my fair share of nightmares about the ubiquitous, hazy roommate, I know that it’s all part of the still-developing picture we’re all living in over the coming months.  

We found some lovely textures on the walls behind the panels of pegboard and have found myriad uses for some of the discarded architectural salvage bits which make the Lero such a treasure chest of a production house.  Have a gander at the telephone stand that Sara and I built today!  All found, and looking sharp.  

Camera tests and further building tomorrow, our first shoot is next Monday.  Onward and downward!

  Here we have some photos from Saturday, which was our first big day of building.  My goal was to manufacture 6 large flats to serve as modular walls which will be rearranged and re-dressed into the majority of the sets in the film.  Everyone showed up at the space in the afternoon and got right to work.  I was absolutely thrilled with the diligence and skill of my wonderful crew as half of them cranked out all six flats in short order while the other half and myself addressed retrofitting some doorjambs we salvaged from some of the wood upstairs.

  Perhaps the most memorable part of the day, however, came when my friend Sharon and I had been out grocery shopping for the grill we planned on firing up for the crew’s dinner.  I was in desperate need of a knife for cutting up vegetables and was somehow unable to find one to purchase at any of our stops.  We later realized that this seemingly unfortunate situation was, in reality, an utter godsend when, while purchasing beer at Fischman’s next door, I found myself inquiring of a large gentleman in a white butcher’s coat and camouflage pants if he might have a knife I could borrow. I soon returned to my loyal crew with a case of beer, followed by a large truck filled with meat, knives and none other than G.I. Joe.  Joe regaled us with tales of the 24 hour emergency meat delivery service as I made short work of the veggies.  Brent and Sam perused Joe’s menu and decided upon some irresistibly-named hot sauces.  Something tells me this is not the last we’ll see of Joe…

  Thanks very much to Sara and Shannon for the additional snapshots!

Hello.

My name is Chris Hefner, and I’m currently in production on my second feature-length film here in Chicago, IL.  My film is called “The Poisoner”, I wrote it in the Autumn of 2010, began pre-production last August, and now, throughout April and May of this year, will be engaged in principal photography. 

I will be using this page to post photos and keep a journal of production along the way.  I hope you’ll check back often for updates! 

Here we have some photos from day one in our production space, the majestic Lero Building in Chicago’s lovely 45th ward!  We’ve been working closely with the office of Alderman John Arena and Cyd Smillie at the ward’s arts advocacy program, Arts Alive 45, and are truly bowled over at their warmth and generosity.  The 45th ward has already been tremendously welcoming and accommodating to our production, both in the facilitating of the donation of the Lero for the next two months and helping us find ways to engage with the community to increase visibility for both our production and the vibrant Portage/Jefferson Park arts community at large.  We’re thrilled to be here and look forward to a couple of months to enjoy the neighborhood!