Bowling Alley! (almost)

I am very happy to report that things are certainly coming together with the bowling alley. Today I talked with the owner of Tuttle's for about an hour; we chatted about various production details, the times and dates of shooting, plus stepping back and looking at the film as a business standpoint for the bowling alley: Would this hurt business or cause customers to look at the alley in a different light?  It's a valid question for business owners, and ultimately the answer is no. The idea is that nothing is shown in a positive or negative light, but rather a neutral and truthful light.

Why do I want Tuttles? It's a biased reason I suppose. I've been going to this alley for years; back when it was Hopkins Bowl too. I've bowled at other alleys, but nowhere has felt right to me. Whether it was the atmosphere, the people, and even being as picky as saying the lanes at other places don't feel right. And to get even pickier, I can't bowl at a place where the lobby and the lanes are on the same level. It's odd, but there has to be a step or two down from the lobby to the bowling floor.

Soon I will know if we can for sure shoot at Tuttles. The owner has to talk to someone else, then we'll need to come up with a schedule. The schedule might be trickier than I originally thought. There is a fairly heavy bar scene that needs to be shot at night, but because we can't shoot during the rush of operating hours, we'll be shooting that particular scene late Saturday night/ Sunday morning from 1am to maybe 3am or 4am. The details have yet to be worked out, but that's how it will roll.

Another thing that we'll work on is a bowling alley logo. We won't show the Tuttles logo, so I'll need to come up with a new name and have someone work on a logo (possibly Jenn or Corey or someone else interested). Burke's Lanes? Something. But we talked about having the logo on the flat-screen television monitors above the lanes for a short amount of time if I'm doing a wide shot. The owner said we could work that out. It's one of those small details that someone may or may not notice, but it will certainly add to the realism of this location we're using.

A lot has changed over the years at this alley, but that only adds to the film. The characters from a very young age bowled here, and even as adults, they still don't go anywhere else, even if the alley has mostly transformed into a more family friendly environment. I like that. I like it a lot.

One of the three entrances to the building. Front desk is right next to those bowling balls.

Entrance to the bar to the right of the frame.

Looking in to the bar from the doors.

 One idea that I have, that the owner seems to think could work out, is to have Rudy and his band come in on a Saturday night and play one hour worth of music in front of a live audience. I want to get the acoustics of the music in the room to exactly match scenes that we'll be shooting at the bar. Plus I think it would be fun to do. Of course we're just in the idea phase of the music; it's not top priority right at the moment.

So far it's all going well. I hope to report more good news in the coming days!