It was a tight shooting schedule to begin with — 17 days from start to finish in Augusta with a crew almost entirely made up of local film professionals.
“When we started, we were hearing all these rumors flying around about a new disease,” said Mark Crump, line producer for the film “Altered Reality,” which was released in a limited theatrical run Feb. 16.
In the course of the roughly two weeks in February 2020 that it took to shoot the movie, which was filmed under the title of “Awaken,” life changed dramatically.
Crump said they were in regular contact with the union officials during the filmmaking process. Representatives wanted to know how they were adhering to safety regulations, and Crump said they repeatedly made changes on set during the filming as guidelines evolved.
At the beginning of shooting, for example, Crump said there was a large bowl of M&M candies available. People would use a scoop to put the candy into small paper cups for a quick snack. That was nixed early because of safety concerns. Food had to be prepackaged; hands had to be sanitized.
One crew member quit over safety concerns as uncertainty about COVID-19 spread.
Filming came down to the wire. The world was shutting down; sporting events were being cancelled; schools and businesses were closing.
Crump said about two hours after the Augusta filming wrapped, he got the call saying work had to stop immediately.
With the exception of scenes featuring Ed Asner, the film was complete. The venerable TV and film actor known for many years as Lou Grant from the “Mary Tyler Moore Show” as well as the show “Lou Grant” a well as voices for films such as “Up” wasn’t allowed to fly from Los Angeles to Augusta because of his age, so his scenes were shot later in Los Angeles. He died in 2021 at the age of 91 and this film is one of his last – if not the last, he shot.
Written by, produced and starring Charles Agron, “Altered Reality” is a supernatural thriller featuring actors such as Tobin Bell of “Saw” and Lance Henrikson, who appeared in films such as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Omen II: Damien,” “Pumpkinhead,” “The Terminator” and “The Right Stuff.”
Scenes were shot at Cloister Garth also known as the Thomas-Clay House, a Summerville neighborhood home built in the 1890s by the nephew of Augusta philanthropist and businesswoman Emily Tubman. Other scenes were filmed at the Miller Theater, a home in Champions Retreat and in a conference room at Augusta & Co.
While there was a lot of pressure to get the film completed in scant time, there was something magical about the process and the people working on it.
“Within the first 30 minutes of the first day, we were humming. It was amazing,” said Barbara Zagrodnik, first assistant director.
Crew members had already worked together on other projects leading to this one.
Crump and Zagrodnik said “Altered Reality” was the project that Augusta crew members really hit their stride on, showing they were no longer novices in the industry. They were ready for any film brought to them.
Since then, Crump and crew have worked on multiple projects together, and he sees them only getting better.
Also important to this film were the Augusta background actors who are sometimes referred to outside film circles as “extras.”
One of Zagrodnik’s tasks is to work with the background actors. She’d worked with many of them as well as the crew on other projects, so she developed a trust with them. That was crucial because of a dangerous sequence using lighted torches.
“I absolutely hate working with fire,” she said.
It was still scary, but she said both groups did their best to be safe and keep others safe.
Kelly Harris was one of the background actors. She’s done other films before and was impressed with Tobin Bell, who she remembered as the Nordic man from the Tom Cruise film “The Firm.”
“He came back to talk to the background performers,” she said. “He thanked us. He started his career in background.”
Harris said the interaction was not typical of her experience on set, but it meant a lot to her.
“Usually, you’re instructed not to talk to the leads,” she said.
Crump said there may be a private screening for cast and crew, but a public one isn’t planned at this time. There’s no word on film streaming yet.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for 35 years. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
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