MORE PERSONAL ADVENTURES WITH THE FILMING OF THE NEXT THREE DAYS

December 6 and 7, 2009

My daughter, Laura, was scheduled to be an extra again for the filming in Pittsburgh of Russell's new movie,

The Next Three Days.  The location she was to report to at 7 AM on Monday, December 7th, was behind the

post office in Monroeville, a far eastern suburb of Pittsburgh and much closer to where we live, which is still

more easterly than that. She and her husband, Jeff, were in Monroeville on Sunday, the 6th, for other reasons

and decided to drive around behind the post office to check out just where it was she was supposed to go

the following morning.  As they were leaving there, she called me and told me what they had been doing, so

Carl and I arranged to meet them for lunch in Monroeville, then the two of us would check it out for ourselves.

Below is a series of pictures I took that Sunday, followed by my account of what Laura told me about her

Monday on the set. The pictures are in the order in which I took them.

Link HERE to my account of the day (Oct. 6) when both Laura and I were extras in downtown Pittsburgh.

There was still a dusting of snow on the ground as we drove back behind the post office to an area where I'd never been before.

A lot of wide, mown spaces were bordered by various tech buildings. It was easy to figure out that THIS one was the right one.

We were going first to the parking lot behind this building, but this is the view looking down its front with the

equipment trucks parked there.

Heading down the side drive, we saw a series of empty squad cars parked there.

The main back parking area with the trailers opens off to the right.

More trucks were parked on the left side, though.

First row of trailers on the right in the back lot. I didn't realize it yet, but that's Russ' trailer just barely seen on the

far left edge of the picture.

Trailers on the left at the very back of the lot. Elizabeth Banks' trailer was in this row.

The rear of Russ' trailer with the black exercise trailer just to its right.

The first set of entrance steps had lights and a small Christmas tree lashed to the railing support.

Carl acting like he's going up that first set of steps.

The fitness trailer. VERY close to Russ' doorways!

The main entrance to Russ' trailer with its Bunny and all decorated for Christmas. I liked very much that

it was all done up like this and was the only one that was. I think it says a lot of nice things about the man

that he bothers with such matters.

There was still snow on the cold metal steps to the main entrance, so, being me, I left, um, these...so

very, very ephemeral, but what can one do?

Looking back down the length of his trailer, with both trees showing.

Icicles on the front end of his trailer...Pittsburgh's attempt to make him fully appreciate the Sydney summer he returns to.

Driving now along the front of the building. I took this out the windshield.

Main entrance of the building with the sets inside.

Through some of the windows you could see the back of the sets that have been constructed.

The last piece of equipment as you pass the building.

8:30 AM

She called at 8:30 and was sitting in her car...big black Ford Explorer...in that parking lot behind the building where
Russ' trailer is. She was second in line of 5 cars and an older man was backing Russ' car into position just
to the side of them. She didn't know if Russ Himself were going to be driving it or not. Is very cloudy today
with snow maybe moving in before evening and maybe they want to get the driving sequences done this morning?
She's got her cell with her, at least, so can keep me posted. They are going to be going down the Parkway
East and she's supposed to get off at the Wilkinsburg exit (before the Squirrel Hill tunnels) and she has a map
but she hates driving around that area and really wishes I were with her to navigate as I always do. This is
Jeff's new car and she's only driven it very little and isn't terribly comfortable with it yet. They wanted it, tho, and
not her cranberry Jeep Commander. At least this time she's got a full tank of gas unlike the fumes we ended
up with in October. Walking thru that building this morning she saw Paul Haggis but hasn't seen Himself yet.

10:30 AM

Well, she sat in her car for about 45 minutes and now (10:30) has been sitting in a holding room back inside the building ever since
with the other 4 extras and some crew. She's been talking about me and Libriscrowe and she held the phone up and they all
called out, "Hello, Jo!"  A man has been coming in and starting to take people out one by one. There is an older couple in their
70's, not a real-life couple, who play a married couple who help Russell, his wife and son escape Pittsburgh. They've ridden
around with him in his car in earlier scenes, too, and say he talks with them and he's just the most down-to-earth, friendly guy
you could hope to meet. The older man says he's the kind of person you'd want in your circle of friends. The woman is a pretty

lady with smooth, silver hair in a bob. Laura had talked with her a lot and she put Connie on the phone and we talked until the

man came to take her out to the car, too. She hadn't heard of Libris, but Laura is my PR gal, and since this lady will be spending

most of the day in a car with Russell, she said she is definitely going to make sure he knows about it.

Evidently two different boys play his son and the one they are using today just came in the room with his mother. Laura had to
hang up because things were starting to happen but will call when she can. So I guess they are actually filming the end of the
movie the last week of shooting. You never know about the order of things. Sweet Laura is trying to make me as much a part
of this as she can.

11:30 AM

An hour later and she's still in the holding pen. The lady came back in all glowing and said Russell had come up to her outside in the parking
lot and given her a kiss on both cheeks and presented her with a Bunnies cap. He's wearing a black jacket and blue jeans. You can only
go out into the parking lot if you need to take a smoking break and Laura, who doesn't smoke and never has, has suddenly taken up
smoking. Urp! She still hasn't seen Russell yet, though. They have all kinds of sets built in the interior of the building they're in from
jail cells to bedrooms, so they may have been filming there longer than we knew. When Carl and I drove along the front of it
yesterday, we noticed some windows were blocked with plywood as though sets had been made behind them. Her car is still
parked in the lineup behind the building. She thinks they're filming some on the interior sets, especially one entirely self-contained

room in the building with its own windows, through which lights and cameras were aimed. Oh, and the boy turns out to be the
double for the little actor. He's got a blonde bowl cut.

12:50 PM
She's still in the room. The older couple left again an hour ago and they recently took the two men of the 5 extras,
leaving the women. Elizabeth Banks has passed by a couple of times when Laura was getting coffee, but no Russ
yet.  There was a big green tent...circular...inside the building she'd go by and was told that it had a circular green
screen inside it and the silver Prius Russ is driving. They were filming in there so they could put his car later any
where they want. She thought as she passed that once she heard his voice from inside. The Prius is up on some sort

of platform. They just took the green tent down, though. She went back out in the parking lot and her car is still there.
She saw which trailer was Elizabeth Banks'.  My Laura is getting tired of drinking coffee. They were starting to set

up food in the room where she's waiting...has long tables in it. In October they kept the crew separated from the extras

but here there are so few extras they're letting them be with the crew. She saw a shooting schedule for today and there's

a lot of John watching clocks or his watch as the minutes count down. He also checks his gun, picks up a tennis ball (?)

and forged documents. Props included things like John's phone, his laptop with a family photo, his camera, a carseat

for Luke (the son), a Luke dummy. The black Escalade she'd seen in the back parking lot is not Russ' car IN the

movie but what he drives around town when he, himself, wants to go somewhere. Has a bike rack. The silver Prius

is the car being used now in the film as his character's car.

1:15

Well, she's on the move! She's in Jeff's black SUV heading out to get on the Parkway East toward Wilkinsburg.
She's a bit nervous about this as Wilkinsburg is a warren of rather unfamiliar streets. She was talking to me as
she drove. One of the other women was driving the car in front of her and another the car behind. So she got there
at 7 and they're using her at 1.  Such is the filming of movies! They headed them out before she got lunch. The

Prius, though, is not driven on the highway, but taken there on a flatbed truck.

2:30

Well, my girl is parked by herself on a grungy street under a big ol' yukky (to use her words)
bridge with a car wash nearby. She's been sitting there for 45 minutes as the crew is late in arriving.

4:30

She's just getting home...which is fine by me as its getting dark now and the roads may be getting bad.
She ended up being the only extra's car used in Wilkinsburg and other than driving there and driving back,
she didn't have to drive during the filming, tho she was in the car. The gal who plays Elizabeth Banks' double
drove her car with Russ' double driving the car right behind them. His name is Stuart (Stewart?) and we saw
him standing near Russ when we filmed in October. He looks quite like him, just a teensy tad shorter. This
gal who's Banks' double was also the AD who directed us in our street crossing scene. Haggis directed the
Russ running into us to hide scene. Laura asked Melissa if she remembered me from October and she did
and said, "Oh, your Mom is so cute!"  Laura was glad Melissa was driving as she was really comfortable
with the SUV and executed a lot of U-turns, backups, turnarounds, etc. on Route 8. The road would be blocked

briefly just on their side and they'd drive down it about 40 MPH, with the AD/double on her walkie talkie

getting directions as to how fast she could go, where she should turn. They went up and down the street at least

8 times, with Russ' car right behind them...and the older couple also in it...so in the movie if you see the silver
Prius Russ is supposed to be driving, the black car right in front of it has Laura in it. Melissa said she
still had a headache from that green screen this morning because she was being Banks in it and they had
her upside-down for a long time...so long she was getting nauseous. They are really working up to the
getaway here and tomorrow is helicopter day. Stuart is scheduled to do some of that for Russ. Melissa has

been with Russ a lot during the shoot, both as Banks' double and an AD and she also couldn't say

enough nice things about him. They already had the wrap party Friday at the Cantina. Soooo...anyway,
Laura didn't see Russ but she talked with two women who see him a lot and told them both about
Libris.  How today went makes me feel ok now that I didn't get to go along.

BACK TO LAURA'S AND MY DAY AS EXTRAS WHEN WE DID SEE RUSSELL

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