Even before the first frame is screened, the people behind a locally shot movie can already call it a success after facing an up hill battle to get it made.
Making a local horror film wasn’t on Ryan Byrne’s radar when he started to think about making a movie in Sault Ste. Marie, using all local talent in front and behind the camera.
“I was dreaming up more of a dancey type script that I thought would be our first production but it just seemed so unrealistic with the budget it would take” Bryne said, a local film maker who is premiering his first feature film, October 30: All Hallows Eve this Thursday at the Kiwanis Community Theatre.
I took a film course at Sault College where I met up with Zack Trunzo, and after talking with him we thought breaking into the industry was through the horror genre” Trunzo, a talented young film maker who at the age of 15 ended up being Director of Photography for the film.
Written and Directed by Bryne, the plot centers around an unhinged director who leads an amateur film crew through his secluded childhood home in an effort to recreate the disturbing events of his past. Under the watchful eye of the director’s demented father the crew must uncover the family’s hideous secrets if they are to have any chance at survival.
Despite working with almost no budget, the film has a polished professional look and feel to it with it’s numerous trailers and behind the scenes stories and videos available on the film’s facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/events/1510175022531458/
“We basically found people who believed in the project, everyone who worked on the film was on a volunteer basis who worked long 12 hour days filming” said Brendan Garlick, Producer. “It was a lot of work, in the cold and the rain and no one ever complained about being paid, the people who worked on this film really believed in it”
“How we did it with no budget, we had to be smart. We had to find locations that we could film that fit the script, so we didn’t have to build from scratch, we had to work this as a labour of love instead of a financial reward” Garlick said.
The film however did allow many talented actors and crew people to shine , many with their first attempt work on a feature film. Bryne said the little money raised managed to get the appropriate equipment to get the movie made thanks to donations from family, friends and businesses.
But making a film always has its challenges and an independent film with no budget almost seems impossible. “One of the biggest challenges was the weather and getting everyone we needed to location” Garlick said.
“We had to re-write the script everyday, often on the fly” Bryne laughed,”we had a script supervisor who managed to keep us on track and we were able to re-write scenes when certain actors couldn’t make it for one reason or another”
The final cut of the film went from 2 hours and 20 minutes to one hour forty four minutes.
The film was shot on location mainly in the Echo Lake area east of the city with a cast and crew of about 50 people. Sadly, one of the actors , Adrian Gabrylewicz died suddenly last month. A dedication will be made at the Thursday night premiere.
The cast and crew of the film are extremely proud of how their first venture into feature film making turned out. “Wer’re proud because it shows with teamwork and dedication, you can achieve anything”
After Thursday night’s premiere, Bryne says they are heading to the film festivals and hopefully pick up a distributor for the film. “if we aren’t successful in finding a distributor, there are various means of independent distribution we can use”
October 30th – All Hallows Eve is one of three movies planned for the franchise. The sequel is slated for production in 2015.
Those wanting tickets to the special Sault Ste. Marie premiere can purchase them at The Roadhouse Bar and Grill and Sault Ste. Marie’s Square One Mall as well as Station Mall Box Office or online at www.kctc.ca
Tickets are $15.00 The evening kicks off at 6pm with a meet and greet and photo opportunities with the cast. The film screens at 7:15pm
