The Story of the Red Pick-Up

Finding A Picture Vehicle, Part I: Friday night. We sit around drinking and welcoming our cast and crew to the cabin. Melissa the AD, Phil the director, and Matt the DP have a clandestine meeting upstairs to prepare for the shoot the following day. Melissa comes down - she has a mission for the producer (that's me), we need to find a truck tomorrow while we shoot, so that we can get the truck shots Sunday AM.

I am reluctant - one day to find a truck in unknown territory? The spirit of filmmaking, however, is the can-do American optimism of Dr. Strangelove. I have no choice but to succeed.

After the crew gets rolling Saturday morning at the location, I take off in my Subaru Impreza down the mountain on a mission. 1) Find pick up truck 2) Get extra gas for the generator 3) Get long johns and beanies for frozen crew 4) Bring back Chipotle for lunch.

As I drive, my mind goes into action - be at Chipotle at 11am. Make stop at K-Mart, will need 1/2 hour. It is 8:15am and the drive down the mountain takes 25 minutes.

My first thought: I will stop at a gas station to get an extra gas jug and fill it up. The worker at the gas station will be a local and perhaps know someone with an old pick up truck interested in making $100 on a Sunday morning.

The first gas station I see is an Arco. In front are a group of teenagers on mountain bikes.

"Hey, are you guys from around here?"

"Yeah - well, from Riverdon (I have no idea what that is)."

"Do you guys know anyone who has an old pick up truck and is interested in making $100 tomorrow morning?" I pat myself on the back. Teenagers - what a great idea, they are reckless and don't have much money and drive shitty cars. That's exactly what we need.

All eyes turn to one guy, what about your old red pick up?

He smiles, "If it works..."

"What kind of truck is it," I ask, pretending to know about pick ups.

"'88 Ford."

"Sounds promising." I don't have a clue what an '88 Ford looks like.

"I can't do it tomorrow, I'm going to Seeton (some other place I've never heard of)."

We chat a little longer, no one else knows anyone with an old pick up.

I go into the gas station, they only have one 2 gallon jug for gas.

"Do you have any 5 gallon jugs?"

"No."

"Do you have another 2 gallon?"

"Just what's on the shelf."

Failure. I hop back into the Subaru to drive down the street. It is 9am.