And this was the INSIDE OF THE AIRPORT when we arrived...I must say I have NEVER seen an airport like this before!
AND...just our luck...due to the very short layover we had in Denver, ALL OF OUR VIDEO EQUIPMENT (FIVE CASES) and the film crew's luggage did not make the connection, and was delayed until later that night (thankfully, mine was just one carry-on, so I had it on board). That's what we knew that night -- but all afternoon, we didn't know what happened, if it had been lost, routed to Japan, or what. A little anxiety going on, as the value of that film equipment could have probably PAID for that small plane!
WARDROBE MALFUNCTION:
We had to go to the initial client meeting dressed as we were. Now, I was dressed fine, in my Corizon gear. BUT THE FILM CREW, were in t-shirts, shorts, flip flops, etc. because they planned to change before we went to the DOC! HAAAA!!
So...no problem, we'll just stop by a local mall and pick up some khaki pants and a polo for them. RIIIIIIGHT...there IS NO LOCAL MALL. There was, however, a WalMart, so we stopped there, found what we could for them, and went to the site. (It was hilarious, because when we told the folks at the DOC what happened, they said we "could go to the mall." We told them we didn't see a mall, and they said, "Yeah, it's right over there, a WalMart on one side and KMart on the other!" And you know, I think they were serious!!)
This unique institution is a minimum security "ReEntry Facility" where inmates come for about 9 months just prior to being released back into the community. They come from maximum and medium security prisons with very little 'real life' activity. But here, everything is designed to help them learn life skills, responsibility, learn to interact better with others, take care of their own property, hold down a daily job, and generally be productive citizens.
Anyway, we had a great shoot at the site...lots of great stuff about their wellness initiatives for both employees and inmates. They were real strict about taking cameras/tablets inside the gates, so I had to leave everything in the car. I HATE THAT! But these shots were taken by the film crew...
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| The Medical Unit at the Wyoming Honor Farm |
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| Inmates on the truck coming in from the fields (they told us not to wear blue jeans or red shirts, for obvious reasons). |
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| Some shots of the grounds...I love this sunflower one! |
MY FAVORITE: One of the awesome programs there is the "Wild Horse Program" where the inmates tame wild horses off the prairies, and 'gentle' them -- they work with them every day, and the inmates learn life skills like patience, cooperation, responsibility, etc. Then the public can come in and adopt the horses. Some of the inmates actually adopt the ones they've worked with when they get out. This whole horse thing was really COOL to watch!
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| FILM CREW: Tom Zaleski, Me, Jimmy Chaffin |
This group of employees, some Corizon and some DOC, get together weekly for a volleyball tournament. It gets pretty competitive, and gives them good exercise (and so, another wellness initiative)!
In a town like Riverton, WY, there were very few FOOD options for after the filming was done. And...by the way...it is a PEPSI town, not a Coke product to be found anywhere (what's up with that?!) But we found some good stuff...
I took this beautiful sunrise shot the morning we were headed to the facility. Wyoming definitely has its own brand of GORGEOUSNESS!
Now I won't go into detail about their ridiculously STRICT one-gate Regional airport where they thought I was carrying too much in my toiletry bag -- and actually made me throw away a toothpaste and a lotion, because there were just too many things in that quart-size bag. SERIOUSLY, PEOPLE? I guess in Riverton there are lots of terrorists who make bombs out of Crest and body balm...UG.
But all in all, another successful filming expedition. This makes TWELVE for me since I started working at Corizon. I LOVE this stuff...!
