Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/929567
Originally, the gold mill was scripted as a way station. It's an important set of scenes, and needed a specific geography to make it work. Lefty and Tom have to approach stealthily under cover, have a shootout with Edward's killers, and then give chase; a tall order. There were no way stations near any of the filming areas, so when I was scouting the town of Bannack, I asked our guide Roger if there were any other buildings on the A C park property. I was delighted when he said there was an old gold mill behind the town. It was far enough away from the town to feel remote, which was essential, and had a really great look and feel. The one issue was the presence of some enormous non-period metal machinery that had to be avoided. When I showed it to the director Jared and the director of photography David, I knew we found our location. The final showdown in the story takes place in the town of Bannack. I fell in love with it while doing my research, and the director had already scouted it on his first trip to Montana the previous winter. The town provided all of the third-act locations, a huge benefit for the production. Plus, there were areas for riding, camping and other smaller scenes required. The town is a true treasure, and is maintained as a tourist attraction, but only using the methods that are correct for the period in which it was built. This was extremely limiting for the film production, especially for a film with finite means. No modification, tear down or repainting was allowed. Luckily, the hotel façade had been kept up well, and the interior lobby and some of the downstairs rooms had been renovated and repaired just a few months before. If not for that, the film would not have been able to shoot there. The front doors were very aged so another set of doors were installed with windows allowing a view into the lobby. This added some depth and also allowed the opportunity to stencil the hotel name on the doors. The exterior wood was gray like the ranch, so linseed oil was used to bring up the finishes. The Bannack saloon offered yet another dilemma. It had pieces of linen on the back wall that could not be removed, but were also too aged for the time period. Looking back at my research, I came up with the idea B