Working with Horses on the RMI Set

Well, to begin, I would like to officially announce that the first ever screening of RMI will take place at the Manship Theatre on September 15th, at 2pm!  I would like to thank to theatre for giving us the opportunity to show our film at their facility.  The feature will be in conjunction with the theatre, and because of their support admission will be free!  The theatre is a magnificent location with seating for 350, so we should have plenty of room!

While we prepare to watch the film, I would like to take the time to remember Velvet, a Tennessee Walker who played a very significant role in the making of RMI.  Horse owners Ti-Lou and Gordon Hutchinson were kind enough to help us with the making of the film by giving us the chance to work with their three horses, Velvet, Buster, and Lady.  I have just recently found out that Velvet has passed away, and she will be missed!  Velvet was an all black horse that was ridden mainly by our lead actress Alicia Hanley and child actress Margaret Beatty Joffrion.  She was gentle and kind, and a great addition to the film.  She was the horse that we could put anyone on, without worrying about her spooking or getting too excited.  She was a beautiful animal, and we will all miss her!

 Director Kerry J Villnuve riding Buster, Actress Kristin Bodin riding
Velvet, pictured with horse owners Gordon and Ti-Lou Hutchinson

      The famous comedian W.C. Fields once said, "Never work with animals or children."  With Remember My Isa, we managed to do both...at the same time.  This was mainly thanks to Gordon and Ti-Lou Hutchinson and their horse Velvet.  They opened their doors to their home and their barn to the cast and crew.  We had riding lessons for the actors and actresses in preparation for the scenes, and the gentle nature of the horses even allowed for child actress Margaret Beatty (then age 12) to ride unassisted for the film.

Actress Margaret Beatty riding Velvet while preparing for a
scene with horse owner Gordon Hutchinson

Of course, we had our share of crazy incidents!  Alicia Hanley, who plays the role of Onyx, had to learn to gallop in a very short time.  After a few tumbles, we have some great footage!  We also had several scenes where the actresses and actors rode the horses bareback, which can be difficult for even the most experienced riders.  Again, actors managed to successfully ride while staying in character to produce some great footage!  We all came away with a few bruises and many wonderful memories.