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 The set monkeys prepare the firearms for the militia scene. |
The mood was somber as we passed through the final checkpoint at the Pacific Realm Urban Militia's (P.R.U.M.) headquarters in downtown Sleezeville. The heaviliy-fortified building was set in a long neglected sector--a strange mixture of urban blight and encroaching forestland that left little doubt that the city council's attention had been directed elsewhere...for many years. Master Sergeant Leroy Lunatele Hernandez-Pratt (affectionately known as "Luna" to his fellow militiamen) was our guide through the rows of concertina wire that had embroiled the militia in so much legal trouble. "The neighborhood kids are about as well-equipped as we are," was his frank confession, "but they've learned not to play frisbee 'round here, lemme tell ya." While the Pacific Realm's youth gangs, criminal element, and law enforcement may not appreciate the presence of a private army in the midst of a zoning nightmare of warehouses, waste disposal sites, and elderly housing for active seniors, many members of voting district 482 have nothing but praise. "We need the urban militia in our community," said Mr. A. G. Gutson, well-known philanthopist and community activist, "They bring a sense of security to our streets and help my, that is, our people to...remember their place. And that place was hell, at least for the filming of the upcoming Sleepless episode entitled "Crimestory" (check your local listings). The Urban Militia had agreed to lend their support to the project to insure a sense of realism for veteran public access writer/director Trembly. "I am more than pleased to have these wonderful human beings aboard for this project of ours," he said, sipping nervously from a large bottle of grapefruit soda. "I am, quite frankly, elevated and perhaps even stunned." |
The filming progressed smoothly, evidencing the high level of training and expertise that F. P. Cuthbert, founder and acting figurehead of the militia (known to his men as "Poppa"), had instilled in his troops. The commanding and scatterbrained presence of Poppa and Master Sergeant Luna carried the militia through a tumultuous filming session. The fiery explosion of the Sleepless smoke machine and the accidental discharge of live ammunition (and subsequent critical wounding of a militia recruit) did not slow production.