South Carolina Filming Day 2

The inlet on the way to Charleston Harbor

On the second day we rented a deck boat to do some filming in Charleston Harbor. We started at Castle Pinckney, the first fort captured by the Confederate forces in the Civil War. There we hit an underwater pillar when we were backing up to leave. Next we went to Fort Sumter, which was fired on by the Confederates to start the war. As we were trying to dock the water was rough. I grabbed the ladder, and at that moment my father decided to back the boat up to try again. I fell off, and the bottom of my legs got wet. While we filmed at Sumter, my mother and Stephen waited in the boat, fell asleep and got sun burnt. Our trip back to the boat rental place took three times longer than going out. We assumed it was because the tide was going the opposite way, but when we finally got to the rental place we found out that when we hit the pillar at Pinckney, we had bent the propeller. Before sunset we were also able to film a few scenes at Fort Moultrie, where we also saw a very nice sunset.

Castle Pinckney

Getting ready to shoot

Filming Fort Sumter from the boat

Glidecam at Sumter

The Stephens on the ride back

Sunset at Fort Moultrie

South Carolina Filming Day 1

South Carolina State House

Last week we did our last major filming trip for our video series, Discerning History. We started out our first day of shooting on Wednesday at the South Carolina State House in Columbia. We were there to film some scenes about what caused the secession of South Carolina. We had some technical difficulties, but thankfully they happened the first day because it had the loosest schedule. After finishing up all the shots we could before dark, we headed down to Charleston, South Caroline where we stayed for the rest of the weekend.

Filming Trip Blowout

We have been way too busy to write blog posts recently, but here is a quick one from our filming trip to Richmond, VA and Washington, DC last weekend. Just a few minutes from home, I was driving, and we had a blowout. It had rained a lot in the last week so I ended up steering into an extremely muddy ditch. Even the four wheel drive could not get it out, since the wheel was completely shredded and popped off the rim, but some nice people pulled us out, and then one of the deacons from our church brought two bigger jacks so we could get the spare on. We were pleasantly surprised at how many people stopped to help us, and one said he had the type of jack at home that he would bring. Here are some pictures:

Filming at Arlington Cemetery

Civil War Tour - Battle of Bloody Lane

A clip from the traditional yearly "reenactment" from the tour. Here are some pictures as well:

Civil War Tour - Day 6

On the last day of the tour we went to Federicksburg Battlefield. Our first stop was the Sunken Road/Stone Wall where Burnside's Troops charged fruitlessly against Longstreet, and then we went to Prospect Hill on Jackson's end of the line. There we had another reenactment. We finished off the tour with a closing lunch

Group Picture at Fredericksburg Battlefield
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Charging Prospect Hill

Opening Fire

Closing Lunch

Civil War Tour - Day 5

On Day 5 we visited Sharpsburg Battlefield in Maryland. Although it was rainy, it was really great to be able to see the landscape and locations that were important in this battle, the bloodiest day in American History. The landscape remains pretty much unchanged from 1862.

One fun part was our small "reenactment" of the boys against the men at the Sunken Road. Check back soon for a video of that.

The boys gathering to march to the Bloody Cornfield

Men prepare for Battle

Leading the troops forward

Burnside's Bridge

Speaking at Burnside's Bridge

Listening to Talks

Civil War Tour - Day 4

We started off back in Richmond at the Museum of the Confederacy and the Confederate White House. At the Museum they had a lot of really neat artifacts from the Civil War. Next we went to Hollywood Cemetery, where many important military & political leaders are buried. We then went to Cedar Mountain Battlefield, where Jackson defeated Banks. We finished up with a dinner from Mrs. Sides.

Museum of the Confederacy

Artifacts from Lee's Tent

A field notebook through which an officer was shot

Grave of Douglas Southall Freeman
Historian of the Civil War

My father at James Madison's Grave

My father at Jefferson Davis's Grave

Me at Cedar Mountain

Cedar Mountain Battlefield

Civil War Tour - Day 3

Yesterday we started off at the Marinier's Museum, specifically focusing on the first ironclad vs. ironclad battle, the Monitor and the Merrimack. We next went to the Richmond battlefield visitor's center, and Malvern Hill battlefield, the last combat of the Seven Days Battles.

Taking Notes at the Mariner's Museum

Full size replica of the Monitor

Me speaking at Malvern Hill

The Confederate forces attempted to charge up the hill on cannon like these

Civil War Tour - Day 2

Today we started at Harper's Ferry, an strategically important location in the Civil War. There we talked about John Brown's raid to free to free the slaves. We next went to Manassas battlefield, the first battle of the Civil War where the Confederates routed the Union and Jackson earned the name Stonewall. 

Street at Harper's Ferry

My father speaking at Manassas

Audio Recording

Me at the Jackson statue

Exploring the Henry House at Manassas