Here are the highlights from the set of the indie feature film Shifting Gears. Day one included a long opening tracking shot on a Ronin as we introduced the Williamson family. Tom (R Keith Harris), Carol (Brooke Langston) and their children Jeremy (Adam Hicks) and Stephy (Tate Clemons). I thought this shot was going to kill me and it just about did on take 10. It was about a 5 min shot that had me holding the Ronin rig with about 35 pounds up over the my head as we follow Tom through the house to gather his family for a photo.

Shifting Gears – Go Kart Race

The middle of the week 1 we filmed an epic go kart race / action scene. Production did a great job corraling hundreds of extras including a high school marching band. We started off the shots on a make shift ronin/camera car rigged up by talented grip team. Then followed it up with some aerials cinematography and establising shots of the high school and go kart race.

The scenes climax included a go kart jump through a banner on way to Jeremy winning the race. It didn’t come with out a price, a stunt man accidentally shatter a window on the building, no one hurt, but production wasnt to happy having to replacing the window

Additional Cast for Shifting Gears

Also joining us on set this week was John Ratzenberger known by most as Cliff from Cheers. John plays Conrad Baines our films protagonist, C. Thomas Howell (Jenkins) Tom’s uncaring Boss, M. Emmet Walsh (Hank) A fixture at the inherited Gas Station and M.C. Gainey (DH) Friends of Tom’s deceased father.

About Shifting Gears

Tom Williamson is a hard working manager at the retail super-store Quality-Mark. Tom is passed up for promotion. To add insult to injury, the company wants to relocate him and his family… again.

After he receives news of his estranged father’s death, Tom and Carol decide to uproot the family and move them to Bainesville, NC.

Tom’s Father, Clem Williamson was a heck of a race car driver, he won the deed to an old service station from the local rich kid, Conrad Baines, in a race some years earlier that had some personal matters at stake. He left the service station to his son Tom in his will with hopes it may salvage some sense of peace from their broken relationship.

Unfortunately for Tom, the terms were not free and clear. Now the title to the property is on the line again and the service station is set to be sold at public auction. Conrad has his eyes set on the old property in the name of “economic development” –he wants to knock the garage down and build a Q-Mark.

In a last ditch effort to restore the balance, Tom joins forces with Clem’s former teammate, “Dirty Harry” Hawkins, and enters the Dirt Track Grand National to try and win the money they need to save the service station and his family.