Day two of filming last weekend took us again to Hakone Gardens in Saratoga. We filmed scenes of Qiu Jin discussing political ideas with a group of Chinese female students. The actresses’ kimonos were prepared expertly by Yuki, who is a master at tying the obi! Hakone Gardens was also used as a fill-in for China, where Connie and Li Jing discusses their plans for the Chinese Women’s Journal.
Our garage set once again was transformed into the Datong School. Finally, we had Richard return to reprise his role as Sun Yat-Sen for a quick portrait.
We had a 16-hour film shoot spread across three locations: Hakone Gardens in Saratoga, Overfelt Gardens in San Jose, and our Qing Dynasty House Set in our garage! Filming and photography yielded a lot of good footage and photos. Thanks to everyone who came out and participated! Tomorrow, we do it all over again, although our shooting schedule will be a little less hectic than today.
At Vista Point, we filmed scenes of Li Jing as Qiu Jin practicing Tai Chi and reading by a tree, mirroring those we shot in April with Melissa as Young Qiu Jin. The following day, we were at Berkeley’s Tilden Park for the Chinese Women’s Army. We had 34 extras for the army scene, all dressed in black kung fu uniforms. Led by Li Jing, the troops were drilled in wushu basics and taught female empowerment.
We got some great footage and some wonderful photographs, which you can see below. Thanks go out to Eric, JP, Edna and Erik, and Petrice for organizing and helping out with the shoot. Finally, big shout out to the members of the Chinese Women’s Army. You all did a fantastic job, and we couldn’t have pulled it off without you!
Click the link below to see photos from the shoot!
We’re headed to Berkeley for the evening. Tomorrow morning, we’ll be filming the Chinese Women’s Army scene with Li Jing and thirty extras. Here’s a photo from today’s shoot at Vista Point, between Edgewood and Highway 92.
This morning, we primed the walls in our Chinese house garage set. We’ll be painting the walls in the next few days. This weekend, we’ll be filming several dramatic recreation scenes with Li Jing and members of Qiu Jin’s Women’s Army.
Enjoy this short 12-second time-lapse photography movie of us priming the walls.
We spent the weekend building our Chinese house set in our garage. With help from our neighbor, Jerry, we got all of the walls raised and set up by the afternoon! Right now, we’re sealing the joints and screws with joint compound before we tackle priming and painting the walls. Soon, our furniture will arrive, putting the finishing touches on a late 19th-century Chinese house!
Yesterday, we photographed and filmed Melissa, who is playing the role of a young Qiu Jin. Melissa was very patient as we fought through the cold, harsh and unforgiving wind at Vista Point and San Jose. More photos from our shoot to come soon. Thanks to JP, Sammy, and Melissa’s parents for their assistance in yesterday’s events.
We are looking for traditional Chinese furniture items to be used in several scenes set in Qiu Jin’s residence and school. These scenes will be filmed in the Bay Area. If you have traditional-looking furniture similar to the ones pictured below that you can lend to the production, let us know!
We are currently looking for supporting actors and extras for various scenes to be filmed in the Bay Area during weekends in May and/or June. If you or someone you know fits into one of these categories and would like to be an extra, send us an email at info(at)qiu-jin.com
Asian men (able to pass for Chinese) with shaved heads, 20’s - 30’s yrs. old. Both non-speaking and Mandarin-speaking roles. We will need about 7-10 people to play soldiers and scholars.
Filming dates: May 10-11, 17-18 (Note: Extras do not need to be present for all days, most likely 1-2 days, 3-4 hours each day.) Location: Santa Clara and San Jose
Asian men (able to pass for Chinese) with short or slicked back hair, 20’s - 30’s yrs. old. We will need about 10 people to play students.
Filming dates: May 10-11, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. Location: Hakone Gardens, Saratoga
Asian women (able to pass for Chinese), 20’s - 30’s yrs. old. Able to speak Mandarin (basic level okay). We will need about 5 people to play students. We have filled all of these spots. Thanks for responding.
Filming dates: May 10-11, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Location: Hakone Gardens, Saratoga
Asian women (able to pass for Chinese), teens - 30’s yrs. old with knowledge of wushu basics. All levels welcome, from beginner to advanced. We will need about 40 people to play soldiers training in the Women’s Army.
Filming date: Sunday, May 4, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Location: Tilden Park, Berkeley
Asian men with shaved heads, 40’s-60’s yrs. old.
Filming dates: May 10-11, 17-18 (Note: Extras do not need to be present for all days, most likely 1-2 days, 3-4 hours each day.) Location: Santa Clara and San Jose
Asian women, 40’s-60’s yrs. old.
Filming dates: May 10-11, 17-18 (Note: Extras do not need to be present for all days, most likely 1-2 days, 3-4 hours each day.) Location: Santa Clara and San Jose
Extras will be provided meals and a free copy of the DVD when completed!
We just got accepted into the Fiscal Sponsorship program at Film Arts Foundation in San Francisco! This means that Film Arts, a 501(c)(3) organization, will be accepting funds and donations on our behalf. These donations can then be tax-deductible. Visit our Support The Qiu Jin Project page for more details.
