In scouting for our first episode, I've discovered a small town in Maryland that will let us shoot two days worth of scenes there. Normally, I'm not crazy about Maryland, probably because I always picture Bethesda, Silver Spring, Rockville and think traffic, perpetual construction, poor civic planning and a Rockville Pike that seems to go on forever without ever getting anywhere.
Agricultural communities are nice, perhaps because of the sparse ratio of people per square mile, but also due to the lack of modernity: Long fields that span to the horizon, orchards, barns, ponds, as well as Mom and Pop stores by the highway and historic churches whose steeples peek out between twists in the road.
Which is how I came to be at lunch with a group of ladies in a church basement.
This particular church was built in 1850, and is beautiful: stone exterior, gothic
aspects, but small, intimate, in a God-can-reach-you sort of way. The inside is cozy, dark and lit with slashes of color from the stained glass vestibularies.
They had just finished eating, and I told them I didn't want to interrupt, but they insisted now was a good time. Trying to make our story sound redemptive isn't hard, but it takes a positive outlook. We had a nice chat, and they've agreed, graciously, to have us in.
The town reminds me of the area in Kansas where my Dad spent most of his childhood. There's a smell of manure that's not unpleasant, a lot of dust and trucks, and I've seen a lot of guys pull into places of business, get out of their trucks and put their shirts on.
No comments:
Post a Comment