Pioneers

The gamut of experiences in a pioneer’s life included solitude, nostalgia, and resolve.  As the day progressed on my  last day, I witnessed a few scene that seemed to transport back to the era we were portraying. 

When I was young, I used to believe that the pioneers traveled “together.”   As I have studied the journals, the history of the trail west, I have learned that regularly the wagons and the handcarts were strung out for miles.  It seemed that frequently the only times they were truly together was at morning and night.   The trial was dusty, long, and even lonely at times.   

The first scene I viewed was of an extra walking on the trail.  I am not sure where he was going, but with a step back into time, I could imagine he had somehow fallen behind the rest of the company.  There was urgency in his long stride, accented by the conditions of heat and time.  It was very warm and it was late afternoon.  The “pioneer” must have been hot, tired, and dirty.  Yet, he walked with purpose, with energy.   It made me think of the real pioneer who had, perhaps, gotten behind for whatever reason and now was trying to catch up.  What was he thinking?  About the dangers of being alone in the wilderness?  Perhaps about his family trying to carry on without him? 

The second scene gave a sense of sadness, of longing, of wistfulness.  I was walking back to the shade of the refreshment canopy, when I saw Dianne sitting on a rock, looking off into the distance.  Her body was facing almost perpendicular to the road, but her face was following the road.  Echoing in my mind came the words, “Zion, O Zion, when will we reach thee.”  It was quiet.  There was no one else in the scene.  Transporting back to 1956, I felt the sadness…at leaving home, at losing a loved one, at having still so far to go.  I felt the longing…for being through with the journey, for enjoying companionship with others, for reaching the promise.  I felt the wistfulness… for a completion of the journey, for sorrows to end, for Zion, for God

 

Dianne turned and saw me taking her picture.  The “pioneer” turned joyful.  The face of recognition, of companionship, of completeness.   I could imagine a pioneer mother being "caught" by her child in this contemplative mood.  It would not do to show discouragement of any kind and so she quickly changed into a grand grin for encouragement to her daughter or her son.  She seems to glow out all around her “We can do it!”  Those strong saints must have carried both emotions into the rough country. 

It was a long trail—the pioneer one.  It took months to traverse.  Many were lost, not only in the Willie and Martin Handcart companies but in every one of the wagon and handcart companies.  During the mid 1800, there were many people traveling across the American wilderness.  Some were full of greed, some full of faith.  The trail was the same.  It was the obstacle in the path of destinations.  It was dusty and dirty.  It was long and often very difficult.  It was lined with bushes and sagebrush.  It could be muddy, sandy, rocky, bumpy.  It was isolated.  But the trail for the pioneers of faith led to the beginning of a dream.  It led to Zion.  Not a Zion of paradise, but a Zion where work and industry would produce a good life…for them and for their posterity.  It would give freedom from prosecution.  It would allow the peace needed to reach for God.  For a season, they would achieve  the “rest” of the Lord.   The pioneer trail was a pathway to eternity.

     

  This picture made me think of a song my mother used to sing to us.

It turns out it was a song written in 1913. 

Every time my mother would sing it, I would always picture 

in my mind something like the above scene.  

For the pioneers, it was a long, long trail

often creating a dream of reuniting

with loved ones who had died along that 

dusty road.

"There's a long, long trail a-winding

Into the land of my dreams,

Where the nightingales are singing

And a white moon beams.

There's a long, long night of waiting

Until my dreams all come true;

Till the day when I'll be going down

That long, long trail with you."

-Stoddard King

and Alonzo "Zo" Elliot

           Like the pioneers, we all have our journey to make on this earth.  That journey has obstacles in the pathway of destinations.  They can be difficult, long, and bumpy.  They are often very isolated.  The path is not easy...if we learn what we should.  We may get dirty and even wounded along the way.  Some journeys last longer than others.  But the trail, if we allow it to, will guide us to the beginning of our dreams.  With work and industry, It too can lead to Zion.  We have been handed a good life from those pioneers of old.  They earned for us freedom from prosecution.  We have had the peace needed to reach for God. If we take advantage of the paths of our lives, allowing God to guide us, we will reach Him and them. 

"Thank you" is not enough to express our debt of gratitutde.  

Our debt can only be paid by the life we live.

"By being true to the cause for which (our) ancestors

suffered so much to be part of."

(James E. Faust)

Tribute to the "Shadows" in "17 Miracles"

  

Among the greatest enjoyments on set was interaction among the extras.  We came from various backgrounds, interests, talents and areas.  Some had come from Provo, Salt Lake, Washington, Oregon, St. George, Las Vegas.  Dianne had come from Georgia; I from New Mexico.  Some had been extras before, like Doug who has an agent.  He had some jobs, one a voice over, lined up when he was through on “17 Miracles.”    Others, like me, were non-acting people who came to participate because they were descendents of those exemplary pioneers of the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies.  Some were close friends or relatives to T. C. or Ron.  We spent much time together.  The life of an extra is a life of waiting.  We had time to become well acquainted.  In the quiet, warehouse-like studios or sitting peacefully on the props around “camp”, we quietly discussed favorite books and movies, talked about our families, the places we live, sometimes touched on politics or gospel themes.  Essentially, we become friends in the short weeks we participated as extras. 

Duane

            As a military wife, I have learned to expect almost anything or to meet almost anyone when I go places—even Utah.  However, I must admit....I was not expecting what happened on the set of "17 Miracles."  The first day we were told to arrive at the Heber Valley Historical Railroad station by 8:00 am.  This is a quaint, old railroad station snuggled in the mountains of Provo Canyon at Heber, Utah.  It still gives wonderful tourist trail rides through the Canyon and more.  The train looks and feels quite old.  We enjoyed the cars as they are really “old school!” With no modern air conditioning, they were plenty warm that day in August!  It was a learning experience just to open a window to get some air.

 There my sister and I, along with the others, were transformed into an 1856 community of people.  Our hair was restyled, bonnets crowned our new ringlets, makeup gave us faces of “character” and costumes threw us into the 19^th century.  It was a long day. We didn’t leave until the stars were mapping out the late evening sky…around 10 pm.  Though we were seldom by each other, I happened to be standing in the aisle of the train car next to where my sister was seated about 4:00 in the afternoon.  During the free-to-talk lull before the cameras takes start, she whispered to me that one of my friends from college---49 years ago—was there.  I asked her where?  When did he get there?  He had been there all day!  I hadn't seen anyone I recognized, though I always look.  Somehow when you have been an LDS military family, it seems you always run into someone you know, no matter where you go. I was surprised that I hadn't seen anyone I had known before there at the train station.  How did she recognize him?  She said he had approached her, asking who she was as she looked familiar to him.  In response to my question as to where he was, she found him standing two people behind me!  We had been around each other, more or less, all day and hadn’t recognized each other.  Ah, the ravages of time that changes us so much our friends of yesteryear don’t recognize us or we them!  It was very enjoyable to get reacquainted, to learn of Duane’s life since college.  Our lives have taken us on different paths but similar journeys.  As Alma and the sons of Mosiah, we rejoiced together to learn that each has remained faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Also like Alma and the sons of Mosiah, we have had different experiences.  He has had 3 children, I have 8.  I have lived all over the world; he has lived mostly in the Utah area.  We have both served faithfully in many positions in the church, gaining the experiences that give us compassion for others and deepened testimonies of the true and living Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.  Though we had thought we knew each other as young adults, I learned how very little I had really known Duane.  There is much enjoyment in becoming acquainted with someone.  To have the chance to get to know someone you thought you knew is quite an experience.  It was also amazing to learn how different our perceptions are of that long ago time and different events that happened.  As I said to his stake president and his wife on set, there are always two sides (views would be a better word) to every story!  My best to Duane and his family!  Perhaps we will meet again in another 40 years. (By the way, if anyone is interested in my version of the story, let me know!)



Duane and Jim waiting at the studios





Duane dressed as a pioneer on the trail



           

Duane in general authority mode

(see another picture of Duane with T. C. Christensen on a previous entry in this blog)

Dianne

Dianne was a fun- loving, enjoyable person to get to know.  Her husband, though in Utah at the time, did not participate in the movie.  He was attending Education Week at BYU, but he would often show up on set to see how it was going and to take some pictures.  Dianne and John had served a mission to the church’s History Center in Salt Lake.  There they had met T. C.   I believe that John actually helped him with some of his research for the movie.  John had an article printed in the Mormon Times, around the time the movie started playing in theaters, that told about how they found their family’s connection to the handcart companies…after Dianne had been in the movie for a short time. 



Dianne with T. C.'s sister, Rebecca.  She came from Illinois to be in her first movie.  A cheerful person, like T. C. and the rest of the family, we all enjoyed getting to know her.  She writes children's books so look for some of her work at Deseret Book.

  


Doug and Dick

 
            Doug and Dick looked great in their costumes.  I had to take this picture of the two of them.  (By chance, Duane is in the background)  They looked so authentic with their breads and hats.  Dick owns a restaurant in the Utah Valley.  At the time of the movie take, our grandson was waiting for his visa to go to Mexico on his mission.  Temporarily he had been assigned to a mission in the area of Doug’s restaurant.  Once a week, Doug offers the missionaries in the area a free meal.  Our grandson actually ate there and said it was great!  How grand that this man would do this for the missionaries.  Doug said that many times, it didn't cost him a cent.  Customers would step in and pay for the meal instead.  Thank you to all you caring Utah saints who take care of the missionaries!  

The Rowleys--Father and Son

           Several times the Rowleys came to be in the movie.  If I remember correctly, they are descendents of  Ann Rowley, who was in the Willie Handcart company.  She lost her husband and brought her family the rest of the way to the Valley by herself.  The Rowleys were gentle, soft spoken men.  They raise fruit that is dried and you can find it in Trader Joe’s and other like kind grocery stores.  I can’t remember the brand name but look for one that comes from a coop in southwestern Utah. 



Brother Rowley



Here we are as a "family" for one of the scenes.
  I don't remember the young man's name but I hope he sees his picture!
I think it is Brother Rowley, but without whiskers.....is it?

 



I think that this is one of the Rowley's, but I can't be absolutely sure.
 If not, I hope whomever it is will see this picture and recognize themselves. 



Spence and Pat

  The amazing coincidence that emerged as I became acquained with different extras was that a lot of us had a connection that was beyond being descendents of the pioneers.  Another connection was that we had roots in Star Valley, Wyoming.  Amazingly, even some good friends of T. C.'s who came up from St. George and Las Vegas had this connection.  I was talking to the matriarch of the family, who bravely came and walked with her cane to where the scene was to be taken.  She too had originally been from Star Valley and had known some of my family in her younger years there. 

Spence and Pat were a very special couple who came several days while I was there.  They also had the Star Valley Connection!  It would be interesting to have a count of all who could connect back to that little valley.  Spence and Pat were troopers.  They must have been tired but they were always right there to do what they were suppose to do.  We got some fun pictures of them--taken during the "wait time." I hope they see and enjoy them. 

Sherrie  

     Sherrie was on set twice that I knew about when I was there.  The first time, she had her son with her and we both wished that I had taken a picture of him on that day.  He made such a cute pioneer boy.  At the first of my experience, I was a little shy about asking people I didn't know to let me take their pictures.  Later, I realized that this was a unique experience for many and they appreciated me with my camera.  I like this picture particularly, because it shows the "green" background.  In one of the warehouse-style studios was a large room. One end and part of the floor was covered with this green.  I actually took some pictures of the children playing on it (taboo to play on it!), but my camera must have thought I didn't want it, because it was one of the "file error" pictures.  The green background is used when there is a desire to insert a different background and somehow, magically, the movie makers can put a different background into the scene.  We did a meeting type scene with this background.  It will be interesting to see what is done with the background...that is if the scene is used.

One of my favorite pictures of extras was taken my last day on set.  We were south of Provo in an area that really does look much like Wyoming and the Sweetwater.  We were just waiting around for the next thing to do.  It was hot.  Dick had brought his wife and a friend to be an extra that day.  We were all just standing around talking, when we decided to take a picture.  The grouping was planned...somewhat....and the expression staged....somewhat.  (After all, several of us are smiling too much!)  Certainly Dick took on the "character" of a weather-beaten, tired-out, ready to be through with it, pioneer.  Don't you agree?  Even with the smile, however, this picture really does remind me of how the pioneers looked.  Those outfits and bonnets really didn't do much for a woman's looks.  After three weeks, I had become so accustomed to looking dowdy that I was surprised when I "cleaned up" back to normal.

   

To all the extras who made this experience more rich, more deep, more meaningful because of their unique and individual personalities, experiences, knowledge and backgrounds--thank you!

SPECIAL NOTE TO EXTRAS:  If you want copies of the pictures of you, just right click and copy.  I think that will work.  Otherwise, send me an email or make a comment on the blog and I will send it to you individual.  Unfortunately, I lost my little book with all the email address on it, so I don't have your emails.  Be sure to give me yours in your comments if you want the pictures sent directly to you.   If you know any of the extras in these pictures and have their email addresses, would you please forward this blog to them.  Thanks! 

Impressive Stars in 17 Miracles

LEARNING THE PROTOCAL OF MOVIES

     I quickly learned from the other extras who had been in movies before, that the "stars" of a movie are very much apart from the extras.  They eat separately, they never talk to a lowly extra, and they are, in general, a rather “superior” group.  (That wasn't the term that the others used, but it best describes what was being communicated)

STARS OF A DIFFERENT DIMENSION--Tomas Kofod, Jason Wade, David Nibley, Matthew Maddox

     It is to the credit of the LDS “Stars” in "17 Miracles" that they are far from that description.  They were friendly, outgoing and seemed very unaffected by their "stardom" in the Mormon culture.  The first day on set, my sister and I were eating our lunch, sitting on the steps of the old railroad train station in Heber.  As we ate, Tomas Kofod  (You know, “Christ”!) and a woman, whom I didn’t recognize, came and sat down on the steps to the right of us.  Soon Tomas was talking to us, asking us about our participation in the movie.  When he found out that we were Elizabeth Panting’s descendents, he became very excited, turned to the woman and asked her if she knew Elizabeth’s story.  She said no, so he proceeded to enthusiastically tell her a short synopsis of some of Elizabeth’s miracles.  My sister and I just looked at each other.  We were, first amazed that he knew the stories, and second, surprised that he told them rather than have us tell them.  But he was excited about them and it made us happy that others were being touched by Elizabeth’s experiences.  Tomas and my sister talked in Swedish for a short time (she served a mission in Sweden) and he told us about his current work back "home."  (in the Scandinavian countries.)  That was my first day and I had no idea that Tomas was acting unusual for a star.  I didn’t know stars just don’t do that!  But he did and so did many others on the set of  “17 Miracles.”

     My pictures of "Levi Savage" didn't survive, but I did have a similar experience with Jason Wade.  Jason was still a newly wed when we were doing the filming in August.  His wife came to be an extra.  One time when we were waiting to be called, several of us extras were sitting at a table talking.  As we visited, Jason came and sat down next to his wife—relaxed and so down to earth.  They, Jason and his wife, visited with us as any ordinary newly weds would.  It was quiet at the time in the large warehouse type studio, late in the evening.  The simple conversation touched on some of their experiences.  A special memory of the times on set.

     During the first week I was an extra, Addie was there.  I love her!  She is a young woman;  pretty, bubbly and friendly.  She was so cute because she was dying to have her picture taken with one of the stars of “The Best Two Years,” David Nibley.  One time she was telling me how much she wanted this picture.  I told her to go ahead and ask him.  After all, all he could say was no.  (As a high school friend told me once, "nothing ventured, nothing gained.")  So Addie did.  Somewhat surprised, he graciously granted her wish.

When Addie was so successful with David, she approached Nathan Mitchell.  Well, the rest of us ladies couldn't resist.....we joined in.  I am going to put everyone's pictures here so that you can see that we were "star struck" even if the stars weren't.  Nathan was such a good sport about it.  He just stood there and let us take our turn stepping in to posing with him.  He just kept smiling. 

How long did it take?  I have no idea, but obviously with several of us lined up, it took some time.



 

Nathan and Addie



Marilee and Nathan



Here are two pictures of Dianne with Nathan.  I thought she might enjoy seeing both.  There is that wonderful smile!


Nathan and Dianne



Nathan and Dianne




 


And yes.....me too!



One of my favorite church movies of all time is "Treasure in Heaven," another T. C. Christensen movie.  If you haven't seen it, you really should.  It is an awesome portrayal of John Tanner's willing sacrifices for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  So when Matthew Maddox showed up on set, what could I do but ask if I could have a picture with him.  He was very surprised that anyone would want a picture with him.  Obviously, he doesn't realize the impact his part in that movie has had on the public.  I may not be a star but I know how to recognize one! 

CHILDREN ACTORS WITH DEDICATION

One of the most endearing features of T. C. Christensen's movies are the children he includes.  There was a family of children that participates in many of his movies.  The boys range in age from quite young to preteen, if I remember correctly.   These young guys were there often until very late at night (as was their mother with them!).  I took some fun pictures of them sleeping on the floor in the big warehouse/studio but those pictures  were lost also.  Even without pictures, I have to give tribute to these actors.

WRAPPING IT UP

Some of my special memories of "17 Miracles" has been that of watching and even sometimes associating on a limited basis, with the the "stars" of the movie.  They are actors and actresses to those who go to the movies, but they are stars of a special kind to me.

The "17 Miracle Workers"--T. C. Christensen and Ron Tanner

T. C. Christensen and his cousin, Ron Tanner, are the miracle workers for "17 Miracles."  They made it happen.  The interesting thing about them is that neither of them are "professionals."  Well, they actually are, but they don't do this for a living.  T. C. is a cinematographer and Ron, if I remember right, is a financial planner.  They do an amazingly professional job for not being "professionals," huh?

I wish I had the pictures that I took of T. C. Christensen as he worked on set.  It was incredible.  He was patience, quiet, professional in every moment.  I was amazed one night during the barn scene (I hope it made the cut in the movie).  It had been a very long day for everyone, but especially for him.  At midnight, he was still going strong.  I asked him if he weren't tired.  He looked at me puzzled, as if what kind of question was that.  His answer:  "I love doing this.  To me, this is fun!"  I did get the picture below when he was talking with some of the actors/extras.  Perhaps it is appropriate that this is the picture of T. C. that survived.  He always had time for people. 

There are some neat pictures of him, as well as others, at the website below.  (But don't go there until you have seen the pictures of our favorite Ron that are here!)    http://www.facebook.com/17miracles?sk=photos

Ron Tanner, T. C.'s cousin, worked very closely with him on this movie.  He took charge of recruiting, organizing and verifying the extras.  In the movie, "Treasures in Heaven," he was called the producer and production manager.  I don't know if that is what he was called in "17 Miracles."  The thing that impressed me with Ron was his constant smile.  I know that there were some challenging days, when people who had promised to show up to be extras, didn't show up.  It put a lot of stress on him and T. C.  But Ron just kept on smiling.  I think that attitude in Ron and in T. C. was what made being an extra on this movie so fun, as well as kept everything so positive.




Ron, with his constant smile

Ron would arrange for all the extras, calling us the day before to let us know what time to arrive.  Then he was always checking that list. He would make sure we had shown up and signed his list.   I often thought of Santa Claus, "making a list and checking it twice," when I saw him.  As jolly as old St. Nick, it seemed to fit. 




Each day, Ron would have a list of all the extras (maybe the main actors/actresses too, for all I know).  We would have to sign a release so that we couldn't sue them.  I never saw anyone get injured, but I had a small mishap myself.  In one scene, I was given a heavy pot to hold.  In between retakes, I would set it down on the ground next to me.  I was positioned in front of a handcart with an axe tied on the back of it.  One time when I was standing back up from retrieving the pot, I hit the axe with my mouth.  Even though my mouth was closed , I chipped a tooth.  Thank goodness it was a very minor chip and needed little work.  It is my "souvenir" from the movie.

The Amazing Staff of "17 Miracles"--Props, Sets, Horses, and more

Bruce and his cute daughter were the prop people. 

There were many people who made "17 Miracles" happen.  The ones on the set were very talented people.  I wish that I had pictures of every one of them.  Unfortunately, the only ones I have that survived my camera’s “quirks” were taken pretty much the last day I was on set.  Whether their pictures are here or not, I hope that all the staff know they were important and appreciated.

In the picture to the left, you will notice the man on the right back of the picture.  I have to apologize to him.  I can't remember his name, though I know I knew it while I was on set.  He seemed to be T. C.'s right hand man during all the takes.  I don't know what he was called, but he worked mighty hard!  There was one other guy who also worked hard.  I thought I had a picture of him but can't find it.  He would move the gliding track to whatever position T. C. wanted.  It was heavy.  I don't think this man knew how much I watched him.  I was fascinated with his patience and diligence.  A great example.  He always did as he was asked--never complained, never commented that I heard anyway.  He just silently "did it!"  He was very serious.  I can't remember him ever smiling, except once. We were in the studio, close by the entrance.  Another extra asked me if I had been an extra before.  I explained and told them that it was my first and probably my last experience.  This guy was passing by as I made the last statement.  He looked over at me and said, "I bet not!"  I assured him that it would be, but he persisted that it wouldn't be my last time.  Not sure if that was a smile that he gave me or not, but the closest thing I had seen.                                    

THE PROP PEOPLE

Bruce and his daughter were in charge of props.  They would hand us a cooking pot, a basket, a shawl, a blanket, an axe,... oh and let's not forget those "wonderful eye glasses!"  Whatever you see in someone's hands or on them that doesn't qualify as costume, came from Bruce and his daughter. 

One of the most fascinating things to me was the way they made the "campfires."  Bruce had these black small pots filled with kerosene.  He would put them where the "fire" was to be and lit them up.  They would smoke so badly and smelled awful!  Some nights I would come home with that smell still stuck in my nostrils.  When it was time to fold up the scene, Bruce would come by and put a lid on the pot, which would suffocate the flames, and carry it away.  It was very efficient, and from a distance, quite authentic-looking.   I am looking forward to seeing how those fires will look in the movie.

Looks real, doesn't it?  

 The LDS movie studio in Provo has a very long trailer with dressing rooms and bathrooms. The trailer was normally on the movie studio lot and the main characters of the movie had them for dressing rooms.  When we were away from the studios, we all used these rooms.  There was no where else to go to change!

 I wish I would have taken a picture of the extras' dressing rooms.  We were limited to two rooms, which normally were in use and messy, so we would often get dressed in the aisles of the room where all the costumes were stored.  Not my most modest moments!  As I looked for an aisle to use, I would often run into other woman doing the same thing.  Thank goodness the men were never invited to those "dressing rooms."  The storage room had shelves going to the ceiling (It was a tall building!  Another lost picture).  The shelves were filled with containers of costumes.  Each container was identified as to type of costumes, time periods, gender orientations (boy, girl, man, woman), etc., which it contained.  I was amazed at the rows and rows of filled shelves.  It takes a lot to be a movie studio,



These are the "dressing trailers,"

used when away from the studio. 

Note the racks with hanging clothes

on the right center.



Jeff

 



 

 
Jeff was one of several people (again, I never learned their official work name so I will call them an extra coordinator) who would tell us extras where to be and what to do.  Note the earphones hanging from his ear.  I assumed the "voice" that would tell them what to do was T. C. Christensen or someone close to him.  These people would set up the extras in the scenes for the results that were desired.  It could be very interesting.  Sometimes we would be all set up and then, Jeff or someone like him, would come and ask us to move this way or that.  They were continually asking us to not talk during the actually taping!  An interesting aspect of being an extra was that you might be seen but were not supposed to be heard--ever!  Because  mikes were very sensitive, we would be told to move our mouths like we were talking but not to make any sound.  That is harder to do than you would think--at least to make it look natural.  Try it sometime.

One night I was sitting at a "campfire" with four children and another woman.  There was a pot hanging over the "fire" and Bruce or his daughter--can't remember which one--came running and gave me a ladle.  Then we waited (a common thing) while the entire scene was readied.  While we waited the children were getting restless so I told them we would make some stone soup.  (There wasn't even water in the pots)  Their young faces looked blank.  I asked them if they had ever heard the story of stone soup.  With the exception of one, they hadn't!  So I started to tell them the story.  Russell, another extra cordinator like Jeff, came running up and said, "I don't know what you are doing, but keep doing it!  It looks great!  The children are paying attention and it just looks great!"  Well, by the time of the "take," I had finished the story almost, was unable to talk out loud and  just moving my mouth.  The children lost all interest!  So much for looking great.


Laurie was the make up artist.  She would  bring her daughter, Tiffany, and sometimes others, depending on the number of extras as well as the time demands, to help apply make up, fix hair dos, etc.  Even T. C.'s sister came.  I took an awesome picture of Lori working on "Brigham Young."   She is an artist!  He looked just like I imagine Brigham looking.  I also took a picture of her working some other time.  Unfortunately, both disappeared.  I did manage to get these pictures of Tiffany the day we were south of Provo.   



These pictures were taken in the trailer.  The woman being made up (I don't remember her name) came from a distance to be a "special" extra, meaning she had a little more exposure and may have even had a few lines. The dirt make up was even put on her teeth.  Yuk!  Glad I didn't have to have that done. 



Laurie’s father came one day to be an extra.  A little older gentleman, his descendents kept a watchful eye on him.  In the evening, I found myself standing close to him.  As we began to talk,  we realized we had some common ground—both had lived in Germany and attended the Berchtesgaden Serviceman Conferences.  Only it had been 10 years apart.  It was interesting to learn the differences.  Then another extra overheard our conversation and said that he had been in Kaiserslautern 10 years after I had been there.  He had never even heard about the servicemen conferences.  I hope that they weren’t discontinued.  They were a “mountain top experience.”  So special to those of us stationed overseas.  I had the opportunity to write the opening special program for two of them.  It was a great spiritual experience.  I know the Lord loves our servicemen!



The pictures below are miscellaneous ones that I took during filming.  If I had planned on doing a blog while in the midst of being an extra, I would have been more careful with retaking lost pictures and taking certain other ones.  Since I didn't, these wil have to do.

Bruce talking with Dianne.  Notice the equipment in the background.
It takes a lot of equipment to make a movie.
It all has to be transported when doing scenes away from the studio.

Yes, they even had to bring horses out for one scene.

This horse and  buggy, used for filming, became a fun ride for one couple.

I unfortunately missed the shot during the filming.

I will be interested to see it in the movie...if it survived the cuts.

This couple got a ride in the buggy. 
Unfortunately, I didn’t get the picture taken during the filming. 
Hopefully, I will see it in the movie.

I put in a large copy of this picture so that you might see the details of all the equipment.  The metal track in the middle of the picture is one that the camera would be mounted on.  Then T. C. would set on a chair behind the camera.  He and camera could glide back and forth, or side to side to get a smooth take.  The mike was mounted on the big long pole you can see sticking up in the air on the right center.  That guy would hold it up above the speakers for an incredible amount of time.  I know that the combination pole and mike were heavy!

I got this picture of Annie giving directions.  So I am just going to throw it in too.
Preparation for a take was a hectic time, especially for these workers.
Everyone is trying to get their costumes, get dressed and get out to the set at the same time.
This pictures gives a small clue.

Many people were involved in the making of  "17 Miracles."

They made it positive for all--including the lowly extras.

To them, a special Thank you!