Hello there! You may have noticed that you’re on a website called JustBJordan.com. And maybe you’re aware that one of the writers credited on the new indie movie “Mount Adams” is…Just B. Jordan. :)
Yup. That’s me.
Except most of the cast and crew on the film have no idea who I am or that I exist. Lol.
Here’s why, and a little bit of a behind the scenes look of the creation and filming of Mount Adams! (Streaming now on nearly every platform!) ;)
To watch the “Mount Adams” movie trailer, click here.
Behind the Scenes photos below ⤵
Notice the “Contributing Writer” tag next to my name up above. That means that I didn’t come up with the story or write the screenplay. All I did was co-write two parts of the film along with the main writer (Tim Wade)…2 years AFTER principle photography had already taken place.
By the time I was involved the movie had already been filmed!
I didn’t know the Wade Bros (the creators of Mount Adams) when they initially filmed the movie in 2016. I met the director, Phillip Wade, in 2018. He heard that I was an author and read one of my short stories. I believe it was this one. Apparently he thought it was decent, because after talking to his brother Tim, he came to me with a proposition:
“Mount Adams” was the first full-length script they had written, and neither of them were writers by trade. After filming in 2016 and taking the footage to the editing room, they realized that the story had some plot holes and problems that just weren’t working on screen. They wanted to re-shoot one scene and add in some new ones. Phillip thought my short stories were tightly written, so he wanted to bring me on board for these re-writes.
But there was one complication. These scenes would be constrained by the actors available. Only a few of the male actors lived in the area. The female actors were out of state and couldn’t be flown back in for re-shoots.
The 3 main story problems they wanted to fix would have to be done using only the available actors.
I agreed to give it a shot and help. So one day I made the hour and a half drive up to their location. I spent the afternoon brainstorming and writing out those two story threads with Tim.
A few weeks later they went to shoot out the re-writes. They had a very bare-bones crew available, so I volunteered to tag along and fill in as a hybrid of Script Supervisor, 2nd Assistant Camera (the clapper board girl), and costume/makeup.
(Minor Spoiler, fake gore) ⤵
I got to make “Blake” look like he had gotten mauled. I’ve done some cosplay before and I love making outfits look weathered, torn, and bloodied. I had fun stomping his pants into the mud, shredding his shirt with a pocket knife, and layering fake gore on his shoulder. Good times.
Some of the re-shoots had to be done at night. Our little crew drove up the mountain with two cars, basic camera gear, and a camping burner to make hot drinks. Most of the crew was there all night long. It was getting late in the season, so it was COLD! And there were no restrooms. Oof.
We had one light set up for filming. It was this great big orb looking thing that was lifted up on a pole. It looked like a giant firefly rear-end. Haha
For the night shoots this was the entire crew. One of my favorite memories is when (spoiler ahead) Reuben (on the far left holding the boom mic) had to grab “Blake” under the shoulders and drag him through the woods as fast as he could while Tim held the camera and ran along after them. It was chaotic and all three of them got minor injuries from branches and blackberries. Everyone was laughing though.
The Wade Bros reviewing footage. It’s extremely difficult to get good shots when it’s dark out! You have to be able to see the actor, but it can’t look like daylight either!
Getting shots of Mount Adams (to the right outside of the picture) in the early morning to use as backplates and cut-aways.
That was my small part in the writing and filming of “Mount Adams.” I didn’t do a lot, but it was certainly fun!
And in the end, I kind of got a husband out of the deal.
In 2019 Phillip Wade proposed to me.
So I guess Ambition Pictures got a new writer out of the deal. I am currently finishing the script for their next film, to be announced soon. ;)
For updates, you can check out Ambition.Pictures
Just B. Jordan is an award-winning author of fantasy and sci-fi. She graduated high school a year early and received her first publishing contract at the age of 18. To Ashes We Run is her most recent novel. Find it here.
Creating Mount Adams – Ambition Pictures
[…] For more behind-the-scenes stories and photos from “Mount Adams” re-shoots, you can check out Jordan’s post about it here. […]