The Volokh Conspiracy

In 2004, I blogged about what it was like to attend The Night Before, a pre-Oscars party at the Beverly Hills Hotel, and a year later I updated it here. Yesterday, I sent to Aspen the revised manuscript for Constitutional Law: Cases in Context, a new constitutional law casebook I have been working on for the past year. Today, I am at Riverfront Stages in Sylmar California, just north of LA, for the filming of "Inalienable," and independent sci-fi film that culminates in a hearing in federal district court. The script was written by Walter Koenig who played Pavel Chekov on the original Star Trek. On his website, he lists the principal actors and describes the plot:

Still guilt-ridden over the accident that took his family's lives, Eric Norris discovers that his body is host to a parasite from another world. Except, it is more than a parasite: it carries his DNA. Is this his new son or — as the government believes — a threat to mankind?

I will be playing an assistant prosecutor sitting at counsel table with main prosecutor played by Marina Sirtis, who played Counselor Deanna Troi on Star Trek Next Generation.

As I am live blogging this, the crew is setting up a shot for a scene between Walter Koenig and Richard Hatch of Battlestar Galactica. They are both being miked mic'd in the room where the video monitors are, along with the food for the crew. After some problems with the mike they are now rehearsing a scene that takes place in the bathroom. We're watching the scene on a monitor. It's a confrontation between the two principal protagonists that takes place early in the film. We can see the monitor of the bathroom but cannot hear the sound.

Tomorrow begins four days of shooting the courtroom scenes that are supposed to take place over three days. I have just two lines before the final climax on the last day that won't be shot until Monday morning, but I will be at counsel table throughout the hearing. Fortunately, I'll be seated the whole time which should be easy.

I came by today to get the feel of the place, and settle on wardrobe. [now they are getting ready to get the shot and everyone is yelling "quiet!". . . I think they will have to reshoot this because Koenig moved into a position where he was blocked by Hatch.] Tomorrow's shooting starts at 7:00am.

I'll try to provide more info later, but wanted to live blog this whenever possible. (It is 5:45pm here and shooting ends around 7:00pm) I hope to be able to live blog this over the weekend when my scenes are being filmed, but don't know how much I will be able to do. Fortunately there is WiFi throughout the studio.

They are now reshooting the scene but each actor keeps blocking the view of the other. . . . so now they're shooting take 3. . . . & 4, now they're moving on. The whole shoot is just around 15 days so it's going to go really fast.

Hatch and the director just came in for something to eat. It is pretty spartan in here. I am sitting here typing at one of a long bank of folding tables in the back of the room. On the other end of the table the props guy is mixing up a substance that will pass for vomit. It seems pretty trial and error from here. I see instant mashed potatoes, instant grits, food dye and hot water. In the props guy's words, "now it looks like yams," which is not the look he's going for.

Here's a photo (very blurry, sorry) of me on the courtroom set which is the same set used by Law and Order.