I recently read a tweet from Melissa Dunphy that she had made it onto the Ripley’s Believe it or Not website. (Melissa plays Tanner in No Sanctuary.) Sure enough it featured a video of Melissa playing Bach upside down at the piano. I realize that she is a musical prodigy, but had I known that she had this stunt in her repertoire, I would have written it into the script… There could have definitely been a piano in the ruins of the church! (Now that I think about it, there should have been.)  Seriously though, she is a very talented musician and it was cool to check out the video.

That may have been the end of the story, but my wife saw that the video was featured on the Comcast homepage today. [Apparently it had also been featured on a national morning news program.]

Way to go, Mel!

Believe it or not…

Despite the photographic evidence that follows; the work environment on the set was rarely tense or antagonistic.  The cast and crew were professional, devoted, and great fun.  There were a few strained moments, but nothing compared to what could have happened between a group of fiercely creative individuals working with a limited budget in the sweltering heat of summer.  I am deeply grateful to everyone who participated.

Drew Whelpley [Midnight Jack] prepares to “shoot” the director [Jake Stetler]

Fred Waters Jr. [Bartimaeus] takes a hit from Melissa Dunphy [Tanner]. 

While casting No Sanctuary, I had a very clear vision of the character of Tanner. Both her “look” and her personality were strong elements in my imagination as I wrote the screenplay. The trouble was casting an actress that could live up to those expectations. I placed an ad on Mandy.com. The question was… Should I focus the description on exactly what I was looking for in the character or post a more general description and hope for the best? I chose the latter to receive the most submissions possible and allow for some traits that I may not have envisioned, but would complement the character. I received a huge amount of submissions and headshots. All electronically, I might add, as email attachments. There were many talented and capable actresses. A few I even separated from the rest as possible candidates. But I still hadn’t found the ideal one. I had only so much time in preproduction and I was about to make a decision, when I received a submission in the mail. It was the only submission to arrive by postal carrier. I was impressed with the professionalism and class that a hand prepared letter implied. I held my breath and opened the package. Providence smiled once again. Melissa Dunphy matched my vision of Tanner! We promptly set up a meeting. I was immediately drawn to Melissa’s energy and charm. Not to mention her passion for the project. [This is an unwritten prerequisite for all my cast and crew.] She exceeded my expectations for the character of Tanner. I remember that she asked if she needed to inflect an American accent for the role. [She has a very cool Australian accent.] I promptly said, “Not a chance.” The accent only added to the character. Melissa graciously agreed to the role.

Working with Melissa was a pleasure. She was professional, engaging, and fun to be around. She was always prompt and very gracious. She was never difficult or demanding. I would definitely be honored to work with her again.

Melissa has a very strong acting ability. I didn’t have to take multiple takes of any one performance, she knew every line, and she gave “life” to the character. Two strong memories on the set: We were often treated to her practicing music in between takes. She often had an instrument with her. And she also had the uncanny ability to sleep in between takes, sometimes in less than comfortable places, then immediately rise and go right into her performance without even a pause… [And still look great doing it.]

There was one very important lesson I learned from Melissa Dunphy: As director never say that you are “sorry”. This was a very painful lesson for me personally. [I was promptly slugged or given a look that shouted, "I am going to kick your ass!" by said actress.] Early in the production I had a habit of saying this seemingly innocent phrase when I was putting my actors through a particularly physical, emotion, or just plain uncomfortable scene. [I believe I may have been apprehensive due to the fact that I was asking them to work for deferred payment and credit. A necessity on our low budget production.] Melissa absolutely hated it. It didn’t sink in for me personally until she explained that if she didn’t trust me or believe in the project, that she would not have taken the role. Each cast and crew member of No Sanctuary wanted to be on set, working on this picture. She was absolutely correct in this regard. Thank you, Melissa. I am deeply grateful. [And not at all sorry...]