New Door Opens for Independent Filmmakers

Gary Wood
Photo by Linda Karn

(posted Feb 19)

Gary Wood, Justin Escue and Georgetown Stadium 14 Cinemas are paving the way to help local independent filmmakers have a chance to screen their films by forming a group called Indypendent Films.

Wood and Escue are the first to show their film, Saving Star Wars, as a kickoff to the launching an independent film series at Georgetown Stadium 14.

Joyce Sutton, who is writing a screen play, was researching for her own information about film production when she crossed paths with the two men. Sutton referred the two men to Mitch Bryson, theatre owner, and the idea was spawned.

Bryson said that he was really unaware of the growing number of local independent filmmakers and amateur filmmakers attending local universities. He saw this as "unused opportunity" to capture. Bryson hopes to fill a void since Hollywood has dropped production by about one-third.

He estimated there are about 100 independent local filmmakers. Bryson's goal is to show a new movie every two weeks. The format will offer the public a chance to view films at $3.50 a ticket with free popcorn and Coke. Part of the proceeds will go to the filmmaker. With an HD camera and editing software, a DVD movie can be made as low as $4,000.

Wood said it cost about $50,000 to make Saving Star Wars. That was starting from scratch with no equipment. He admitted the movie is technically flawed but the audience is forgiving. He said the sound was so bad that the actors had to go to a sound booth to redo their lines. He shot the film in various places in Indianapolis including Riley Hospital, Emmis Building, Westin Hotel, and the Embassy Suites in 2003.

The movie features Dave Prowse as Darth Vader. Wood met Prowse by a chance happening and Wood asked him to be in the movie and handed him the script to read. He said Prowse almost backed out but Wood convinced him to read past page 30 and that was when Prowse agreed to come on board.

Wood said his movie has played internationally for about four years now in places like Canada, France, England, and the Middle East. Wood said he is now looking to raise about $1 million to remake this comedy.

Wood said Prowse is returning to Indianapolis to join him for another film, Open Mic'rs. He expects this movie to cost about $15,000.

Wood is also working on two documentaries that include George Harrison's visit to Benton Illinois to see his sister Louise prior to the Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Wood is using some never seen before footage and photos of Harrison in Illinois. His sister said that Harrison had a glimpse of what America was really like at that time before anybody knew him. Wood said Harrison played in a concert at the VFW and described how Americans interacted with him before he was known in the US.

The other documentary is based on the 1979 Terre Haute insult from Steve Martin. Wood has not contacted Steve Martin yet to see if he can have 20 minutes of his time but he already had commitments from Indiana State University as well as other city leaders involved at the time of the event.

Wood said he was glad to see the Indiana State Legislature override the governor's veto that would give $18 million of incentives to filmmakers. He said Indiana is losing Hollywood money. People do not realize the amount of money involved that would be spent locally to produce a film.

State Representative Phil Hinkle, co-author of the bill, said the new law will help local independent filmmakers like Wood. Hinkle also stated that a misnomer is floating around about the bill. He said the $18 millions is not being given away, but it is applied as a credit to filmmakers after they have committed and spent money on the film production. "It is a credit when they file their income tax," Hinkle said.

Wood said he is glad that he could bring the program to the Lafayette Square Area to help with the revitalization efforts. Returning to the area brought back some fond memories of Wood's youth where he spend many of his Saturdays watching two and three movies at the mall.