Kicking Bird – 19 Years Ago

It’s hard to believe it was 19 years ago that we shot the first scenes for my third feature, Kicking Bird.

Production was not scheduled to begin until the second week of January and yet here we were doing a first shoot at the end of December. It was an all-nighter at the Justice Center in downtown Portland.

We had not planned to start filming, but two of the scenes took place in a jail and the jail lobby. Through connections I got access to shoot in the downtown Justice Center, which was not an easy thing to pull off.

Over the years I have done a lot of filming on various issues surrounding the justice system. I used to know a lot of people who worked within the system so when I had written these scenes for Kicking Bird, I contacted people I knew to see if there was any way we could shoot at the jail.

Filming In a Jail

We had to get permission from the Multnomah County Sheriff, who runs the jail. Word came back that we had permission with one caveat. We had to shoot before the end of the year because the current Sheriff was retiring and although everyone knew who the next Sheriff would be no one knew him well enough to know whether he would be okay with us filming in the jail.

Filming in a real working jail (or prison) is a big deal. I’ve done it a few times. The security is tight, as it should be, and you have to be conscious of where you are and what you’re doing at all times.

Did I mention that you’re also locked in?

When you spend time in a jail, prison, or any kind of heavy security facility it has a very weird effect. I’m not sure what it is but you just feel strange. It’s stifling. It’s not until you leave the facility and breathe fresh air again, that you realize all of the air is re-circulated in there.

It’s All In The Air

The air is not fresh. The first time I filmed in a prison it just felt weird the whole time we were in there. Something felt funny. It’s hard to describe unless you’ve been there. When you step outside and the cool fresh air hits you, you feel like a weight is lifted from your soul.

It’s one of the things I used to hate about going into jails/prisons to film.

You’re told when you go into these places that if any kind of disturbance happens you are definitely locked in and they will do their best to protect you. No guarantees.

You are low in the pecking order as far as being protected. They are trying to quell any disturbance and you don’t want to be in the way. You’re an afterthought. It can be a little intimidating.

Anyway…

We were shooting one scene in a small visitors room on one of the upper floors. A place where lawyers (or families) could meet with the inmates. It was a small space, not a lot of room for equipment, and we were only allowed a very limited number of people there. Most of the crew and other cast members had to wait downstairs in the lobby while we were shooting this scene.

They have cameras everywhere, obviously, so while we were working we were also being watched. I remember looking up at a camera at various points and telling the guard who was monitoring us that we needed certain things, or it was time for one of the deputies to come down so we could get a couple shots of him bringing “Martin’s Mom” into the room.

We were locked in for a couple hours and everything went well.

In The Lobby

We moved down to the lobby to set up a scene there and as we were shooting a bunch of prisoners were released. They came right out and through the lobby. A few of them were running, so happy to be out of jail. I remember seeing them slam on the brakes when they came out and saw us.

To say they were shocked to see a film crew working is an understatement. Most of them left the building as fast as possible.

It was a memorable first shoot and the cast and crew were great on this all-night shoot. It was weird to feel like we got a bit of momentum on the film and then stopped for 10 days before we officially started production.

It’s hard to believe it was nineteen years ago.

I’m very proud of Kicking Bird. A very low budget film. The crew and cast elevated the film with their work. I was fortunate to work with such amazing people.

If you’d like to see Kicking Bird it is available on demand on my Vimeo page for a mere $2.99 at – https://vimeo.com/ondemand/kickingbird

Originally posted December 2021