Picture 1 - Ken Kelsch on his dolly
Picture 2 - Willem Dafoe at rehearsal
Picture 3 - Shanyn Leigh and Willem Dafoe rehearsing

Director of photography Ken Kelsch and his team start setting up the lights for the first day of 4:44’s two-week shoot. Kelsch is a pro. He is tall, doesn’t smile a lot, and might come across just a tiny bit intimidating, but we know him better than that! He has been collaborating with Abel Ferrara since day 1 (literally). They shot Ferrara’s first hit, Driller Killer together. Remember that guy who went around New York City, drilling into people’s heads? Yes, that’s the movie. Since then, Kelsch and Ferrara collaborated on maybe a dozen productions. Also, Kelsch’s latest film Dessert Flower is now playing in theaters, so make sure you check it out. Getting back to pre-lighting… It’s around two in the afternoon, and Kelsch seems pretty happy about his new dolly. “This is a real dolly,” he tells us. “This is my office right here.” We are reminded of his affectionate side and his love for his equipment. Then, he points at the lights behind him, tells us that they are a great innovation. Flicker-free, long source, and they don’t burn. “These do sound like the best lights ever invented. Where do I get them?” you might ask. We’ll get back to you on that.

Now, the set. There has been a huge change on the set in terms of furniture and décor since the last time we visited. We are actually looking at a real apartment here! (See the pictures above). An apartment where Skye (Shanyn Leigh) and Cisco (Willem Dafoe) will be sharing on the last day on Earth! I think I just told you what the movie is about, but no spoilers here, because it’s part of the title: 4:44 – Last Day on Earth. If you read the first entry of the production journal, you will probably remember that there was nothing in the apartment. Set designers were actually still painting the walls and cleaning the floors. But now, we are in the middle of a 1970s inspired, Buddhist-scented, book-shelved, and painting-filled studio apartment in the heart of the Lower East Side. In the corner, we spot Willem Dafoe and Shanyn Leigh, the two main characters, rehearsing their lines with Abel Ferrara. Dafoe is wearing almost all black as usual (yes, he is an underrated style-icon): Black leather jacket on top of a black shirt, jeans, and black shoes. He has thin, black-framed glasses on. Leaning back in a lime-green leather chair with a pen in his mouth, he scans the script, looking deep in thought. He is not super fond of the fact that we are filming him, but hey, we’re doing our jobs too. Leigh, a young actress who was recently in Michael Mann’s Public Enemies is sitting across from Dafoe on top of a white dresser, swinging her legs like a little kid. Ferrara, with the script in his hand, walks in circles, discussing the scene with his actors.

We look around a bit more to discover a tiny kitchen with the tiniest stove and a chubby, old school Frigidaire refrigerator (1 point goes to the art department, because I love and want one of those fridges). There is a Buddha statue on the chiffonier in the living room across from a wooden coffee table stacked with dozens of art books. And finally, a cocoa-colored leather sofa that makes you want to crawl in it and go to sleep whether it is in fact the last day on Earth or not.

-- Eren Gulfidan (www.filmannex.com/ErenGulfidan)