Going the Distance to Achieve a Dream

Shelburne Fall, Massachusetts in Mid-April during shooting of Dexter Season 9 - (view from Iron Bridge)

I have to preface this story by introducing the significance of Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. I have been visiting this beautiful small town since the early 80's.  My father was born in the area and grew up there and my grandparents and uncles lived in the area before then.  That alone makes it an important place in my world, but having visited and experienced this town like it was my own second-hometown for decades solidified it as a significantly special locale.

GOING THE DISTANCE TO ACHIEVE A DREAM . . .

Standing on Iron Bridge in a scene for Dexter S9
    In this case "the distance" is literal and figurative... There are so many types of goals, long term goals you dream about for years or even decades - work towards and try your damnedest to achieve and then there are smaller simpler plans that become goals that you work into your every day. This one was sort of a combination of a general interest or hope and a sudden unannounced opportunity that I didn't even know I NEEDED to accomplish until I heard that not only would Dexter - the Showtime series about a vigilante serial killer (he's way more than just that, but this isn't a documentary) was being brought back for another season and on top of that they'd be filming some of it in Shelburne Fall, Massachusetts - a town that means so much to me and my family!  As soon as I learned of this I set out to make sure I gave myself the best chance to get on set and be a part of this project...


Portion of Bridge Street in Shelburne Falls decorated for Christmas for scenes in Dexter Season 9 - (and closed to through traffic)

    Depending on your knowledge of film and tv, this may sound REALLY DIFFICULT or EASY AS PIE, but in this case it was truly a combination of determination and persistence. I pretty easily found out which company was handling extras casting and registered with them (Boston Casting) so I'd be ready whenever their breakdowns and notices were posted.  I didn't initially know that the show was using a "working title" which is an alternate, almost code-word title for the project which typically helps keep secrecy during production. Once I confirmed that "Marble" was the working title for Dexter Season 9, I knew which casting notices to look for to help figure out when my chance would be. Soon enough the notices for "Marble" looking for extras in Shelburne Falls started getting posted and I began submitting for as many of them as I matched and could reasonably coordinate being available for. This still wouldn't guarantee that I would get called by casting, but I was willing it, submitting for it, and doing everything I could to get this to happen! I can omit the suspense, because you already know I was contacted to work and traveled up to Massachusetts from New Jersey to work my day as an extra on set.

Another view of Bridge Street in Shelburne Falls looking towards Iron Bridge during production of Dexter Season 9.
Me in holding upstairs of Memorial Hall

    I'd been aware of films and tv shows being periodically filmed in this perfect little town for many years - The Judge (2014) with Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall was one of the more recent films that started to get me to add "work on film in Shelburne Falls" to my list of things I dreamed of.

Working on any film or tv show here would have been a thrill, but Dexter was a show with a special place in my life because it was the first show my wife and I watched together more than a decade ago when we were just starting to date. When they were filming the series finale I thought about going to Los Angeles to try to get on set to be a part of it. And yes, I just said the "series finale" - that's another unusual element to this entire experience - it was a show that just shouldn't have been possible to ever get to work on again because it ended, but with a new season suddenly announced it was an opportunity that was brought back to life.
 
So let's get right to the punchline.  I was supposed to portray a Salvation Army bell ringer during a holiday bazaar scene, but due to the weather (it was rainy and a lot of the fake snow had to be repaired and redressed) they switched the shooting schedule. Initially I was a little disappointed, because I thought it would be exciting to be a part of a Christmassy scene in the show (I had recently worked on a Christmas film in Sturbridge, MA so I was on a streak of holiday projects), but again I was getting to work on Dexter in Shelburne Falls so whatever the scene it would be awesome! 

While the assistant director placed background actors for the scene it was becoming clearer and clearer that I may not even end up in the scene. My wife had just texted me asking if I'd "...seen Dexter yet" and pretty much as I looked up from my phone I saw him on set for the first time and responded, "Yes, but I don't think I'm even going to be used..." 

Almost as if a little bit of Christmas Magic was floating around in the mid-April air, the A.D. came up to me and asked how tall I was. I told him I was 5'9" but in my boots I was wearing I was 5'10" tall (which is true). He looked me over and then asked me to come with him. I've worked hundreds of days on film and tv sets so I knew this likely had something to do with standing in, but I had no idea they were looking to have me stand in for Michael C. Hall - the star of the show!

His regular stand-in unfortunately had something he had to leave set to deal with for a few hours which gave me this very unexpected opportunity to have one of the most exciting experiences on a tv show. I was on the set that I wouldn't have otherwise been able to access as the extras in this scene were just passersby outside the store while they shot the interior scenes. Michael C. Hall was on set for quite a while relaxing in the corner as he sent voice-to-text messages to someone as I stood in his position for the cameras and lighting team to setup the next shot. It was crazy cool! And YES, I did get some top secret insider knowledge on a few elements of the new season (but I'm bound by an NDA).

I didn't realize it in the moment but coincidentally the executive producer (and director on several episodes of this new season of Dexter) - Marcos Siega, was actually the director I worked with on an episode of "The Following" when I had a similarly amazingly awesome time working on that show with Kevin Bacon! (Thank you Marcos!).

So that's the gist of what will definitely be in my top 10 most exciting and interesting times on a film and tv set. I literally couldn't have tried for it to happen the way it did - it was a strange sequence of random uncontrollable circumstances that created this fantastic experience working on a tv show in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts and I can't wait to do it again 😉

Story Extras (Anecdotes and Pictures):
  • Basecamp (where a production is centrally coordinated from during a shoot - containing trailers for hair and makeup, wardrobe, grip and electric trucks, actor and producer/director trailers) was setup at Mohawk Trail Regional School where my father attended high school and was in the 1st graduating class at that school back in the late 1960's.
  • On a break during shooting we were directed onto Water Street to the honey wagons (bathroom trailers) and crafty (snacks and refreshments).  This was setup at the VFW Hall where I have attended several events including a Chicken BBQ on Memorial Day!
  • The tent that was setup on the side of the road for stand-ins and background to rest in was directly in front of Good Spirits Liquor Shoppe - a store my wife and I stopped at to pick up some refreshments the first time I took her up to Massachusetts to show her around my "second-hometown."

Exterior of Bridge Street Bazaar turned into "Fred's Fish and Game" (6 Bridge Street, Shelburne Falls, MA)
Looking towards Iron Bridge from the curb in front of Boswell's Books - just SOME of the massive crew making movie-magic!


IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION  ON THE PRODUCTION OF THIS LATEST SEASON OF DEXTER (INCLUDING POSSIBLE SPOILERS) CHECK OUT THESE GREAT SOURCES:

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