Sunday, June 3, 2012

Typecast!

In July of 1999 I took part in a film for De Soto National Memorial's Visitor's Center, entitled Hernando de Soto in America.


A little under thirteen years later, I find myself back at it again, which is why I wasn't at Drake's Raid yesterday.  Looking over my credits list I've done about fifteen conquistador related film/video projects, and portrayed Hernando de Soto four times before and been "buried" in the "Mississippi River" three.  This projects working title is De Soto and the Chickasaw and produced by Chickasaw Multimedia

I'm ready for my close up.

I
The Chickasaw are the Chicasa mentioned in the various De Soto accounts and were located in Mississippi when Soto's post Mabila  entrada made its winter 1540-41 winter camp in their territory. Chicasa spent the winter harassing Soto's army eventually setting fire to the village that they had taken over.  


 Chickasaw Multimedia sent a large crew from Ada, Oklahoma to Florida to shoot the scenes from the early part of the Spanish expedition to La Florida.  Having done this a few times before, they were a great crew to work with, though like most productions most of you time is spent waiting cameras and lighting to get set up.

I've worked with horses and dogs on set before this was the first time I've seen pigs used.  Soto is noted for bringing a drove of swine to use as a mobile self foraging and replicating food source and is generally credited with introducing the wild pig into North America where it has become a nuisance species in many parts of the U.S.
 




 

Who needs wardogs, those pigs were scary.  I swear it looked and sounded like Jurassic Park when they were off in the woods.  I can see why pig herding was a punishment duty.  

I've need to take another Advil, a day in armor at 50 years old does take its toll, and I've got a truck of assorted  sixteenth century armor weapons and camp accoutrements to unpack.


2 comments:

  1. As a matter fact we did along with some other delicious specialties from Jose's Real Cuban Food. No complaints about Craft Services on this shoot.

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