Jack B. Rucker, 32°, Studio Centre, Inc.
Rt. 1, Box 1555, Cement, Oklahoma 73017-1555

Photo: Studio Centre, Inc.

When I agreed with the Scottish Rite Research Society that I would oversee the production of the videotape/DVD A Visit With General Albert Pike, little did I know what I was getting into.

Albert Pike and Jim Tresner were already linked in my mind, having read much on the former written by the latter even before I had joined the Rite. (My father always had copies of the Scottish Rite Journal handy.) The mental depth and scope of both Pike and Tresner are simply astonishing, and I suspected I might understand one by getting to know the other.

I was introduced to Dr. Tresner by Brethren in his production staff the weekend I joined the Rite-they having found in me another theatre person who might be helpful to keep the Degree work flowing across the Guthrie stages.

The video grew from a dramatic dialog Ill. Robert G. Davis, 33°, Secretary of the Guthrie Scottish Rite Bodies, and Jim did for the Bicentennial Biennial Session of the Supreme Council in Charleston, South Carolina, on October 2, 2002. The Reverend Forrest D. Haggard, P.G.M., 33°, Grand Cross, then President of the Scottish Rite Research Society, responded to the enthusiasm of the audience and suggested the Society make the program available to everyone, particularly members of the Society. Sovereign Grand Commander Kleinknecht endorsed the idea, and the final decision was to provide a copy of the tape free to 2003 dues-current members of the Society as a bonus for their support of the Society. (See membership information at the end of this article. The videotape is also available to anyone who wants it, but there is a minimal charge of $10.00, s/h included.) The task was to make the videotape happen.

Filling many roles, including that of make-up artist, Bro. Jack B. Rucker, 32°, Director and Producer of the videotape, applies a prosthetic nose to Pike/Tresner. Photo: Bro. Mark W. Blair, 32°, Valley of Guthrie

In preparing for the Bicentennial Biennial Program, Brothers Davis and Tresner had not written a script, because they wanted the program to be spontaneous. Instead, they had agreed on a list of questions that Bob might ask and Jim would answer, having thought through appropriate responses. But for the video, it would be necessary to reduce the material to script form so that shots could be planned and other visual material added. Thus, Jim began putting the script on paper. The final version of the tape, about 53 minutes in length, does not include all the text. The full, formal script is available as an article in volume 10 of Heredom, the transactions of the Society, which 2002 dues-current members of the Society have already received by mail. This volume is available to non-SRRS members for $35.00.

Jim, in costume, plays Pike in the videotape, and Bob plays himself as a contemporary Mason who, in a dream sequence, travels back in time to visit with General Pike.

The goal of the videotape was to make Pike real to today's Masons and help them see and understand this highly complex man. The most frustrating thing for us all was the constraint of time, which forced us to leave out so much. Thus was born the idea of a DVD version (available to anyone for $10.00, s/h included). It contains a production director's cut of the shoot, plus supplemental materials on the making of the videotape and other materials related to Albert Pike. For example, the DVD includes several of Pike's poems and social essays.

Ill. Robert G. Davis checks the script as Ill. Jim Tresner, costumed as Pike, awaits his cue. Photo: Studio Centre, Inc.

Pike was a great crusader, and not just in Freemasonry. He was an advocate for the rights of women and of Native Americans, and he fought for reforms in both the educational system and the criminal justice system. He was, after all, a newspaper editor at one point in his life, and he composed fiery editorials, which are often interesting reading since they are still relevant to issues today. Some of Pike's newspaper articles are part of the DVD.

It was decided, very early in pre-production, that we would transform the Library in the Scottish Rite Temple in Guthrie, Oklahoma, into Pike's study in the original House of the Temple in Washington, D.C. This one decision came back to haunt all of us. As the production schedule began to take shape, it appeared that in order to make the proposed distribution date of spring 2003, we would be doing the bulk of the principal photography in June or July. Visit us in Guthrie some summer and you'll see the problem. The Library is located in the southwest corner of the Temple and is not air-conditioned. With Jim in very heavy prosthetic make-up and several layers of costume, we couldn't even open windows to allow a breeze due to the noise produced by street traffic outside. (One shot which, by necessity, called for a window to be open, gave us a wonderful audio outtake of a dump truck doing its job up the street.) We would shoot for as long as a take would hold together, then cut, and move fans into position to cool the actors down. A few reminders of where we were in the script, a make-up blotting, and we'd go for the next take.

Shoulder-held camera and sound boom record Pike (Ill. Jim Tresner) as he enters the Guthrie, Oklahoma, Scottish Rite Temple's Library, which is used as a set to represent Pike's Washington, D.C., study in the new videotape. Photo: Bro. Mark W. Blair, 32°, Valley of Guthrie

Once principal photography ended, we did a very fast rough edit to see what we needed to re-shoot or complement with additional coverage. A few hours with each actor on a re-dressed set a few days later (watch very carefully and you'll notice some fun continuity errors in the backgrounds), and the shoot wrapped. Then we encountered a problem with the video's length. The initial edit proved to be about 15 minutes too long, so the script was altered, scenes deleted, and in one case completely re-edited from other sources to fill the resulting gaps. But, whatever the problems were, we ended with a 53-minute videotape and a longer DVD, which I hope you will enjoy. You will, at least, see Pike in a different light, and it is worth the effort to get to know this remarkable man.

Jack B. Rucker is the Production Coordinator at the Guthrie Scottish Rite Temple. He is a professional photographer and video-grapher. He is also an expert artist, specializing in historical painting techniques, and has worked in the restoration of the main auditorium and the Pompeiian Room in the Guthrie Temple. Brother Rucker is currently Worshipful Master of Cyril Lodge No. 405, Cyril, Oklahoma, and a member of the Guthrie, Oklahoma, Scottish Rite Bodies. Some of Brother Rucker's work can be seen at his web site www.StudioCentreInc.com.