Shoot day 3: Hudson, bears and cities on water

It’s day three and the crew and I are snugly poured into a people carrier heading upstate to Hudson. It’s a 2 hour drive (in good weather and good traffic) but based on the line of red brake lights ahead of me I think we’re going to be some time.
We’re off to interview Melora Krueguer from the cello based band Rasputina beloved in Goth circles. As a (these days sadly lapsed) cellist I’m really looking forward to meeting her and will have to resist all urges to try and show off my terrible skills and embarrass myself.


Hudson Statue of LIberty

Today is the first day of waking up and feeling better. The combination of ‘the fear’, a bad cold and jet lag has left me feeling decidedly ropey. I’ve been knocking back the strong drugs and mainlining carrot juice and the packs of anti oxidant vitamins from the deli next door to our hotel, ignoring the suspicious looking lumps I’ve been coughing up.

We’ve just driven past the Hudson River and seen a cruise ship sail past, it is shockingly big and I am grateful that we’re going to have walkie-talkies onboard ship. It really was like a city on water.

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Melora’s house was a wooden Tardis like house way out of Hudson. It reminded me of Lawson Park, overlooking Coniston water where my good friend Karen Guthrie lives – all wide floorboards, taxidermy and antique cross-stitch.

We did the interview in the doll room, which was decorated like a Victorian drawing room but with many spooky dolls and a decorated bear head. It later transpired that almost all the objects in the room had been sent to Melora by fans – she wrote a song about a spooky doll in red shoes.



Melora was an intensely charismatic interviewee and I liked what she had to say very much. She provided an interesting counterpoint as her music has definite spooky overtones; it is melancholy, sonorous and is performed by Melora and her band mates in ‘Victorian whites’. It ticks many of the Goth boxes but I liked the organic development of her style and approach and think she provides something truly unique. A review I read of Rasputina described them as ‘too good for Goth’



After our time in the country it was back on the road to Mont Clair, New Jersey to meet up with Mike and Amanda. For an engaged couple less than 24 hours from the aisle, they were astonishingly together and contained.



They were thrown straight into a portrait jib shot outside their house as we were pelted with acorns from generous squirrels in the oak tree above.

Their interview was endearingly sweet illustrating how their relationship dynamic works – finishing each other’s sentences and throwing in snarky witticisms. I think they’re a good match.

There's been much discussion about the best way to film the cruise liner leaving port on Sunday. A large ship slowly leaving the harbour doesn't offer much visual excitement but filming from the Jersey shore will enable us to see scale of the ship set against the Manhattan skyline. A reccee this evening has found the perfect spot to locate Chris Clements, our camera 3 on the day.



Back to stout, now officially our local, for late night food and lairy football fans bellowing at the unfolding NFLgame. Every now and again the LA Galaxy game would cut in and Beckham was shown forlornly keeping the subs bench warm.

By 11pm the pub was packed with Springsteen fans all recently having left the gig at Madison square gardens. Their drunken bodies littered the pavement as we made the short trip back to the hotel.