“Mirror Lake” was shot in the beautiful outdoors at a New Jersey Summer Camp. While a peaceful drive, there were a lot of unexpected issues the crew had to troubleshoot in order to ensure cast and crew safety.
In the script, our lead actress is supposed to fall into the lake. In the casting process we made sure to select a strong swimmer, but that doesn’t guarantee our actress’ safety during production. While on set, we constantly checked water depth using a pole to make sure no depth of water was deep enough for major injuries. The deepest water depth we shot at was only a couple of inches! Luckily, the nighttime setting hid the true depth from cameras.
During pre-production, the crew prepped for two fire based scenes and prepared safety plans for open flame on set. As weeks went by, suddenly New Jersey fell into a major fire watch. Which meant our fire scenes planned for a heavily wooded area could not happen at all. A swift solution had to be created as we had limited shoot days on location and strict actor availability. Using LED lights and camera angles, we were able to fake a fire with a warm orange glow and flicker casted on the actors faces. This eliminated the potential dangers of a real fire while protecting the environment!
Lastly, filming in the fall meant the nights were cold! Actors and crew were encouraged to wear layers on set. A lot of us layered tights under jeans and several shirts under sweaters and jackets. As for actors, they were given blankets and jackets between takes to keep them toasty. They could also go inside cabins or cars to warm up.
Filming outside can be an awesome experience, filled with beautiful scenery and lighting. However, remember to come prepared! Injuries are more common in unknown terrain and shooting in more remote areas risks less access to help in emergencies.
