Palace Hotel captures movie magic

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When short-film director Kit Wilson made a visit to Port Townsend a year ago, the Palace Hotel was one of the various architectural wonders on Water Street catching his eyes, so much so it led him to write a screenplay and eventually shoot a film in one of its vintage rooms.

“I started walking up the staircases and looked at the glass ceilings and said to myself, ‘This would be a fantastic showpiece to tell a story,’” Wilson remembered. “I didn’t expect it to be decorated completely authentic for each room,” he continued about what he found on his tour.

Wilson noted how each room, along with its lobby and hallways is a period Victorian room, which would save an immense amount of production funds rather than opting for a building a traditional set.

Inspiration

He did not know what story he wanted to tell through short film just yet when he returned home, but as a filmmaker who spent time in Los Angeles before making Gig Harbor his home, Wilson knew resources are limited in the Pacific Northwest compared to Hollywood.

With the location serving as inspiration, Wilson came up with a story that would function in just a handful of locations, and got to work on a treatment of the plot. When he decided the story would work, Wilson jumped on the short film screenplay of “A Twist of Time,” a historical science-fiction piece he would shoot in just three short days.

In the past three years, Wilson has directed three films of similar length and workload, giving him a better idea about the many benefits of the sized-down cast and crew.

“I can concentrate and compact the characters, strip it down and isolate it … to make it simple unlike a feature film would be,” Wilson said. “In consequence, you reduce the amount of people you need to film it.”

Wilson’s previous movies were shot in Port Gamble and Seattle, including his debut “TrickShop,” and follow-ups “Drowned World” and “Remnants.” He joined film groups in Seattle and Tacoma to assemble a crew for these three projects.

Like his previous movies, “A Twist of Time” has a peculiar pitch.

“A courageous Princess Anastasia risks everything to save the Czar’s family from a grisly death - with the help of a time machine and three hours to alter history,” stated a synopsis in a press release from Wilson. He added that the the Russian princess and a modern woman, who looks to end her own life after a tragic accident that took her husband and child’s, form a friendship to save them both.

“If I can add a little magic and science fiction, it can put twists in places a regular narrative wouldn’t have,” Wilson said.

Though the plot rests on the science fiction device of time travel, Wilson understands what intrigues his audiences.

“I want my characters important to my audiences,” he said, “so I have to make things happen to bring them to that point where they’ll have an exchange.”

Production

To bring the story to life, Wilson hired on Eryn Rea, who appeared in a 2017 episode of “Grey’s Anatomy,” to co-star and co-write the script with Wilson. As a working actor, spending half her time in Los Angeles and the other half in Seattle, Rea appeared in “Remnants,” which is showing in film festivals all over the world, including Rome, Venice, Rio De Janeiro, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Rea’s co-star, teenager Nicole Moriarty, has appeared in the 20-minute “Hunger Games” fan film, “Weeping Willow” in 2014 made in Maple Valley. Wilson was impressed with her animated face and hired her to play a part a couple years above her actual age, trusting in her natural acting abilities.

William Michael Paul will play the innkeeper. He also worked with Wilson in “Remnants,” and worked on sets in Los Angeles.

“He’s a well-respected, seasoned actor,” Wilson said.

Rounding out the cast is a Kent-based actor, Dave Shecter, playing the part of a Russian Bolshevik soldier who tumbled out of the time machine and left a time bomb for the heroes to work out diffusing.

“He has a very stern, sinister face,” Wilson said.

Along with the talent, Wilson was accompanied by cameramen, make-up artists, grips and other crew during the filming in Port Townsend. With a dozen members of cast and crew, along with all the equipment that needed to be used, it caused cramped and claustrophobic quarters, especially in the restroom. Using a hotel room, a bathroom and exterior shots, the well-oiled machine of cast and crew captured all they needed in order to tell the majority of the story within two days of shooting in Port Townsend. Wilson estimated the back-to-back days make up around 90 percent of the movie. “It was a reflection of their professionalism,” Wilson said about their knack for efficiency.

The following day, they wrapped up the principal photography at the Boeing Museum of Flight, which will be a stand-in for a Russian landing for the film’s final scene.

Distribution

Wilson had nothing but compliments for the Port Townsend community, likening it to his own hometown of Laguna Beach, which has its own art scene and “funky” shops in its own right. He also gave praise to the hospitality of the Palace Hotel, saying the staff was accommodating to the entire crew.

With principal photography behind him, he is now hitting the editing room for post-production for about the next six months with Dave Patterson, who will also handle sound and visual effects. Around Christmas time, it will be ready to show to crew and private screenings, making its way through film festivals in early 2019.

Once finished, Wilson is willing to hold a screening for locals to see what came out of those couple days of shooting.