Production Notes: Susan

After extensive pre-production, the Dutch crew and cast were assembled for 3 weekends of shooting re-enactments for “Mata Hari- The Naked Spy.” I flew in from San Francisco as a record heat wave hit Amsterdam. The initial production days were predicted to be over 100 degrees Farenheit with the first location on a beautiful party boat, The Princess Orange, but wait-for-it- there was no air conditioning. We would have to close all the heavy velvet drapes because every room was surrounded by windows. This was sure to create a stifling shooting situation. What to do? Continue reading “July 4 & 5, 2015: Everything Heats Up and the Shi*#! Hits the Fan”

Production Notes: Machiel

We decided to do a test shoot to see if the results would warrant proceeding with our concept of dramatic re-enactments of key scenes from Mata Hari’s life. I found a beautiful mansion in Rotterdam for the location, but had to bring in all the props for the day. I knew it was going to be a hectic day setting up and shooting both photos and video at the same time. Continue reading “August 17, 2014, Rotterdam: The Litmus Test”