Behind the Scenes of Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
Chapter One/ Scene One
What People See: Meier Link unfurls his wings and swoops down into the room, sweeping Charlotte off of the bed and whisking her away into the night.
Behind the Scenes: Take #1
As Meier unfurls his wings, the rope holding him onto the tree comes untied and he falls. He's caught by D.
"My hero!" Meier cries, much to D's chagrin.
"You even try to kiss me and you're a dead man." D grumbles, before letting Meier fall the rest of the now relatively short distance to the ground.
"Touchy!" Meier mutters, before jogging off to try the scene again.
Take #11
This time, Meier actually makes it into the room and is about to pick up Charlotte when he hears a strange sound. He pauses to listen.
"What's the hold-up, Meier?" the director asks from off-stage.
"I just heard something." Meier replies.
"D, get up there and see what it is that he's hearing, will you?" the director asks.
"All right, all right." D mutters, as he walks onto the set and looks down at Charlotte, who is strangely quiet. D then gets a bizarre look on his face.
"Well? What is it?" the director asks, impatiently.
"Apparently our damsel in distress isn't all too concerned about being kidnapped. She's asleep." D says, though the bizarre expression remains.
"So? What's so disturbing about that?" the director again asks, a bit put off by the delay.
"She's snoring." Meier and D reply, in unison. This gets a laugh from everyone offstage except the director.
"Cut!" the director shouts, then adds, "Start again from the top!" Everyone except Charlotte groans. Charlotte sleeps on.
What the People See: As the carriage moves though the streets, everything around it reacts to the presence of the vampire; iron crosses buckle, snarling dogs are cowed and go into hiding, electric street lights go out on their own, and the water in the fountain freezes.
Behind the Scenes: Take #13
As Meier Link's carriage whirls through the darkened streets, it takes too sharp a turn. While the horses turn right, the carriage keeps going forward, sending it careening into a wall.
"Cut!" the director yelps, then shouts, "Meier, are you all right in there?" It takes a few moments for a reply to come, yet, when it does, it is weak and shaky.
"I believe I'll be all right, though I think I may have lost a few years of my life." Meier says, as he pulls himself out of the carriage, looking none the worse for wear.
"And you may need some new underwear." D murmurs, smirking when Meier gives him a look that could scald water.
"Are you sure they aren't related?" Leila asks. Carmilla and Charlotte shrug.
"Don't ask us. As far as we know, they could have been separated at birth!" Carmilla mumbles, ignoring dagger glares from the two men.
Scene Two: The Bounty
What the People See: Hired hands watch nervously as a black-clad rider comes slowly towards them; his dark cloak billowing in the hot desert breeze.
Behind the Scenes: Take #50
Ever the perfectionist, D rides up as scheduled...at least until something spooks his horse.
"Whoa!" D yelps, as he's thrown off. He somehow manages to land on his feet and gives someone off set a scathing glare.
"Something tells me he doesn't appreciate that fake scorpion, Borgoff." Kyle murmurs, backing up when he sees D reach for his sword.
"I could have told him that." Grove mutters, giving his two associates something akin to a 'moron look' as D proceeds to chase them, sword raised over his head and fangs bared.
"Who could've thought that our solitary and stoic D could have such a short fuse?" Leila quips, as she takes a sip from her canteen and as Charlotte and Meier play a game of cards.
"I think it has something to do with the heat." Meier says, never once even looking up from his cards. The rest of the cast and crew agrees.
Take #56
With the 'scorpion incident' temporarily behind him, D rides toward the shell of what would appear to be a Catholic church. Before he can get there, however, a shot rings out and a bullet narrowly misses D's head.
"Cut!" the director shouts, but not before D unsheathes his sword, makes his mount rear and, while waving the sword like a saber, motions to someone off set and opposite the director.
"Remember the Alamo!" many voices shout, as some garishly dressed men charge onto the scene and D leads the mad dash into the ruins.
"D! You idiot! Get those re-enactors off set NOW!" the director shouts, angry when he's blatantly ignored by the Vampire Hunter.
"Cavalry, advance!" Meier adds, as he also races onto the set, with another group of re-enactors behind him.
"I don't believe this..." the director mutters, as he watches complete chaos settle onto the scene before him.
"We've gone from post-apocalyptic, to Spanish/American War in just one afternoon. Talk about time travel!" Leila says, snickering as D and Meier begin saber fighting between themselves.
"You're telling me!" Caroline (who had just arrived for a day's shooting) murmurs, shaking her head slightly when Borgoff, Kyle, and Nolt begin to take bets on who will win the day's 'battle'.