DOC: The Ballad of the Baker - (the story of Mineral Wells & The Baker Hotel)

[Luis Caffesse]

http://bakerhotelmovie.com/

Director: Kevin Pruitt
Cinematographer: Luis Caffesse
Editor: John Gremillion

THE BAKER HOTEL:

Opened in 1929.... closed in 1972.
It sits like a monolith in the middle of the small Texas town of Mineral Wells.

450 rooms, 14 floors, it is by far the largest building in a town of roughly 16,000 people.
And it has now been vacant and abandoned, smack dab in the middle of downtown, for nearly 40 years.

After many failed attempts by many developers it seems this time the hotel may actually be renovated.

The Ballad of the Baker will tell the story of the hotel, as well as the town of Mineral Wells.
It's past... as well as what this means for its future.

Below is a preview which is currently being shown around in order to raise the remaining needed budget.​

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[Luis Caffesse]

Here are some behind the scenes shots from the weekend we spent shooting the preview.

Here I am setting up the GoPro HD on the tail of the Cessna (luckily it not only held, but came off without messing up the paint)

And here is a portrait of the director, Kevin Pruitt, sitting in the Baker Hotel:
(taken by my lovely and talented wife, Nadia Caffesse)

 

[Luis Caffesse]

And here are some shots from the interior of the hotel (also all taken by Nadia)

 

[Luis Caffesse]

More photos and updates coming (relatively) soon.

Production will continue in the coming couple of months - at which point we'll (hopefully) be able to spend much more time in and around the Baker. Spending one afternoon in a building that size is nowhere near long enough. And honestly, I'll probably do better work in October than I will in July.... considering it was unbearably hot in there.


More news as it develops....