Secret Ingredients in the Making of Divide

Action/crime/dramas don’t make themselves.  It takes a lot of good people. 

The most recent shoot involved a four member SWAT team apprehending two suspects.  This was done on public streets in downtown Tucson not far from the police station.  Throughout production we’ve had no shortage of visits from police officers.  Maybe because a large crowd of people with odd looking equipment seems suspicious, or because a concerned motorist calls 911 after seeing a man with his hands tied and mouth taped stumbling along the roadside.  Herein lies the importance of securing a proper permit to do what we do in public places.

For a variety of reasons it took a week longer than I hoped to confirm all the people and resources needed for the SWAT scene, which cut into the time required to obtain a permit.  Despite all that, thanks to the tireless efforts of Sarah Sher, who has been a great help on this project, and the willingness of Peter Catalanotte at the Tucson Film Office to go the extra mile for filmmakers, everything fell into place, and I had a permit in hand for the shoot.
Filmmaking is a team sport.  I couldn’t do what I do without the help of the key members of my crew as well as the support of the local film community.