It was a chilly morning as the sun began to rise, the newly assembled crew arose to begin their adventure.  Their single most important challenge for the coming week.    Bleary eyed but itching for the chase.   The first time they had all come together.   All in one place and all at the same time.  To carry out their long-prepared mission.   

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Carefully selected for their ninja skills, prowess and particularly for their passion for telling a good story with film and light, sound, costume and makeup, effects, props and period-accurate locations.  Everyone ready to give it their all, working together, solving problems and taking on new challenges.  To make this the best production.     

One by one their stealy transports rattled and rolled along the country lanes and finally on to location, to deliver their valuable cargos and skilled partisans.   Voices, creaky and yawning, quietly bid good morning.  Then, quenched with strong steamy coffee, tea, smoothies, cakes and Mars bars, they quietly hustled and bustled, preparing for that first penultimate moment - the first Take.  Lights and rigging clunk and roll in to place, cameras happily whir, microphones buzz and hiss, drones whirling and whizzing overhead.   And then the production's machinery slowly but magically appears, AD's, Camera teams, Producers, Set Designers, Gaffer and Sparky, Script folk and Runners,  pace quickens as their bodies tune in to the adrenaline pickup, and then the Director itching to go and buzzing from long hours of coffee and preparation. Checking the set and props, storyboard and schedule.  They jiggle and jive in to their positions. 

Costumes and makeup, a hive of activity back in the green room, carefully but speedily manouvre their pray, the actors, in to character dressed and ready for the day.   They have been here many times before.  Nonetheless they approach the day fresh faced, prepared and ready, and eager.     A different project, a different character with different words and actions, but nonetheless they have rehearsed and rehearsed, made new friends, and still in these final minutes before the first Take, they set about rehearsing once more. 

Then finally those inevitable but still epic words cut through the air:   'Quiet On Set', pause, then the 1st AD checks the room, then 'Mark It'.  The clapperboard swings and claps before the lens, 'Set' says the DoP.   The Director makes one last sweep with his head to check everyone is ready,  lighting good, sound good, camera good, actors good and ready, he turns his head forward, foccusing hard. Readying himself.   All the preparation this last 4 months has led to this.  Intense energy ripples through his body as he relaxes, ready to listen to every word, every syllable, every pause.  Ready to witness every emotion, every breath, every action unfold.             This is it ...

                                                                                                                                                                                                          ... and 'ACTION'.

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