By Bud Elder

 

Once upon a time, there was a man who earned his living by working in a traveling circus. His job was to follow the show’s main attraction, an elephant, as it plodded throughout the grounds on a daily parade, and remove any unpleasant droppings left in the pachyderm’s wake. Once, as the sanitation expert was cleaning up a particularly odious mess, a passerby asked if surely there wasn’t some better career path than the one the “pooper scooper” had chosen for his line of work.

 

“Why, I’d never quit show business,” he answered.

 

It was 108 degrees in the shade of the parking lot outside the Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center on the campus of Oklahoma City University, and a Teamster, working on the film “Yellow,” which had been shooting within the building all day, was raking a large carpet on the tarmac. Others were carrying heavy equipment or props, driving large trucks or generally being of assistance to the production. Even though the heat was stunning and the “hurry up and wait” business of filmmaking could appear to be, well, boring, these men and women were showing obvious signs of cheerfulness – whistling and laughing and greeting set visitors as though they were hosts at a fancy restaurant.

 

Insert your own comparisons to the elephant story here.

 

For those who have toiled both in front of and behind the scenes to bring film production into the state, this past summer has become a “pinch-me” moment – after years of working to create a receptive climate for both studio and independent movie and television projects, the effort seems to have, at least for the moment, paid off.

 

While not one single factor or group can take total credit for this upswing in activity, it can, for the most part, be traced back to Academy Award-winning producer Gray Frederickson, who relocated to his home state after 40 years on the west coast, for the sole purpose of putting the Sooner state on the “map of the stars’ homes.”

 

“Ever since I was in a position to bring films back home, I have always told my peers and other friends that Oklahoma offers the perfect place to make their movies,” said Frederickson, who practices what he preaches, by lensing such films as “The Outsiders” and “UHF” in the Tulsa area, plus several other films made in the Oklahoma City area to his credit. “The locations are spectacular, the cost of living livable, and the people are the friendliest in the world.”

 

 

“Yellow”

 

It is somewhat ironic that Oklahoma’s most substantial independent film in quite some time is being helmed by Nick Cassavetes, director of “The Notebook,” “John Q” and “Alpha Dog.” His father, John Cassavetes, known for his turns in front of the camera in films such as “The Dirty Dozen,” “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Fury,” is truly the patron saint of American “buck-the-studio-system” filmmaking, with such thoughtful, provocative pictures as “Faces,” “Husbands,” “A Woman Under the Influence” and “The Killing of a Chinese Bookie” to his credit.

 

Frederickson, a longtime friend of Cassavetes Sr., having worked together on a 1970 Italian gangster picture called “Machine Gun McCain,” recalls seeing the maverick director at the Cannes Film Festival in the late ’60s.

 

“I’ll never forget seeing John go from car to car at Cannes attaching ‘Faces’ bumper stickers,” he said. “It was the first time I ever saw a director flogging his own movie with such passion.”

 

Today, Cassavetes Jr. sits in front of a classroom full of elementary school children, located in the old John Marshall high school building, entertaining the uniformed students (including his own daughter) while workers hustle about, rigging lights, applying makeup and building dams at the doorway. Say what – building dams?

 

“We’re going to flood this schoolroom as part of a dream sequence,” Cassavetes said.

“These Oklahoma crews are the best.”

 

Upon further inspection one sees, in the non-air conditioned hallway (the classroom and a room for extras have air conditioning piped in), tracks with long fire hoses stretching all the way from the farthest windows to the classroom in question. And, yes, there are those with hammer, nails and boards who are indeed damming up the room in order to contain the water.

 

Described as a true “Oklahoma experience” by co-producer Sean Halloran, “Yellow,” co-written by Cassavetes and his wife, Heather Wahlquist, an Oklahoma City native, is a comic-drama about a private school teacher who attempts to uncover some truths about her past, while trying to deal with a debilitating drug problem in her present. Wahlquist plays the lead role.

 

With strong adult themes, the picture may not be without its share of controversy, much like “The Killer Inside Me,” the last independent film recruited to Oklahoma, which opened to a firestorm of criticism.

 

According to Halloran, the film utilized several Oklahoma locations, making expensive crew moves in order to retain the film’s authenticity.

 

“We shot in McAlester, at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary; the Southern Oklahoma Resource Center in Pauls Valley; at Griffin Memorial Hospital in Norman; and Perry, Seminole and Oklahoma City, where we filmed at both Oklahoma City University, John Marshall and several private homes.” he said. “Since it has been in the middle of a heat wave, we liked the days we filmed inside the best.”

 

Aside from Wahlquist, “Yellow” stars Cassavetes’ mother, the Academy Award-nominated actress Gene Rowlands, as well as Sienna Miller, Luke Wilson, Hank Azaria, Lucy Punch, Melanie Griffith, and noted character actor David Morse.

 

Listed as having a $7 million budget, Halloran is not yet ready to reveal what has been spent in the Sooner state, saying only that it is a “large chunk of change.” Official figures will be known as the production files paperwork for the state’s film rebate, a measure signed into law by Governor Frank Keating in 2002, at the urging of Frederickson.

 

“Our talent and crew have all been treated like kings by the citizens of Oklahoma,” Halloran said. “This is an adult film; however, that hasn’t stopped both state and local officials, as well as business owners and others from accepting us.”

 

As Cassavetes explains to the youngsters the nature of the particular shot he’s arranging, he is also shooting rubber bands and wrestling with his young actors.

 

“I love working with these kids,” he said. “It’s my favorite thing I’ve done so far on this picture.”

 

 

“Just Crazy Enough”

 

Utilizing a unique public/private partnership between local filmmakers Lance McDaniel and Sean Lynch and Oklahoma City Community College, “Just Crazy Enough” completed principal photography on the school’s new state-of-the-art soundstage, employing students in key roles.

 

Both McDaniel (who is directing) and Lynch, both acolytes of Frederickson, say that “Just Crazy Enough” is the perfect picture to showcase the program – a family-friendly comedy about identical twins separated at birth, one a prominent psychiatrist and the other a lifelong mental patient.

 

“This is the kind of picture that’s just not made anymore,” McDaniel said. “It’s truly funny, and I’m sure it will resonate with audiences.”

 

OCCC, under the leadership of Frederickson, offered a summer class for students wishing to work on the film. Paying regular tuition, students received three hours of credit to perform tasks on the film ranging from set building to sound, lighting and camera work. Once the picture is sold to distributors, the college will receive a portion of the profits.

 

“By utilizing these students, the filmmakers are getting a $500,000 film on a budget that’s actually under $200,000, Frederickson said. “The class participants, in the meantime, are getting the invaluable practical experience of working on a real, functioning movie set.”

 

This isn’t McDaniel’s first rodeo – he directed “Unsolved” on the campus of OCU, employing students in the same manner.

 

Some 30 student-filmmakers are enrolled in the class and can be seen finalizing any of the four sets that are built on the soundstage itself, standing guard to the entrance of the set, taking still pictures of each shot so there won’t be any mistakes regarding costumes or prop placement, following along with the script to see that the dialogue is correct, and even making sure that actors and extras have enough water to drink.

 

In order for “Just Crazy Enough” to be commercially viable, both McDaniel and Lynch realized that a certain level of nationally recognized talent would have to headline the picture. After consulting a casting director and exploring several names, the duo landed on “Saturday Night Live” alum Chris Kattan, who will be in town for all four weeks of the film’s production.

 

“Chris has brought a true sense of professionalism to the set,” Frederickson said. “He is a natural comedian and has plenty of constructive suggestions that will enhance this movie.”

 

On the set today, Kattan kids with the students and other set visitors as he sits on a mock mental hospital office built from one of the college classrooms – wearing, yes, a strait jacket. In this scene, he is reacting to a surprise apparation sitting next to him on a couch. His facial expressions leave the crew in stitches.

 

“I’ve enjoyed my time here working with these kids,” Kattan said. “They are very professional, yet wide-eyed and eager to learn more.”

 

It seems that everyone is in on the act, including Frederickson’s son, Tyler, who serves as McDaniel’s special assistant.

 

OCCC’s administration is impressed by the progressive thinking of Frederickson, who serves as the school’s artist in residence, and Greg Mellott, head of the film and video department.

 

“Having Gray Frederickson and Greg Mellott continue to provide their expertise in filmmaking has been of great benefit to OCCC students,” said Susan VanSchuyver, dean of the school’s Arts and Sciences division.

 

Having Frederickson as an interested party in “Just Crazy Enough” will certainly be an asset for the film once it is completed and ready to be put on the market.

 

“I have already called several of my friends in the distribution business and they are eager to see this film,” Frederickson said.

 

 

“Fisherman’s Fortune”

 

Those who know Rick Walker admit that the media personality is almost a force of nature. Today, after finishing his top-rated “Rick and Brad” morning show on the KATT radio station, he is standing behind the lens of a sophisticated video camera coaxing answers out of one Karl White, owner of the largest, most complete and most comprehensive antique fishing tackle collection in existence.

 

“Fisherman’s Fortune” will be a five-part series dealing with White and the almost-underground world of collectable fishing tackle.

 

Walker came to filmmaking vicariously, after many years in the business of being “on air.”

 

“In the beginning, I had decided to help my brother, Tracy, who was an actor in Los Angeles, by casting him in an autobiographical short of my life, called ‘Radio Man,’” Walker said. “Once I started the process and began learning the collaborative sense of accomplishment to be found on a movie set, I became hooked.”

 

After ‘Radio Man,’ Walker next went into production on another short titled “The Deep End,” in which he further honed his craft. His first feature, “Sam and Janet,” a “chick flick” of sorts, was purchased by the Lifetime network, and his second, “The Fun Park,” a psychological horror picture, found DVD distribution in Wal-Mart.

 

“Oklahoma has grown as a filmmaking state,” he said. “It is so gratifying to see the work that Gray Frederickson has accomplished with his film students and his efforts to bring production here.”

 

Another product of the Frederickson school of filmmaking is Clark Deal, whose business venture, Chaotic Studios, is being utilized by Walker for his shoot.

 

“Clark is a very talented filmmaker who is going to turn his studio into one of the most sophisticated in Oklahoma,” Walker said. “He is producing everything from music videos to corporate and educational films.”

 

Back on the set of “Fisherman’s Fortune,” Walker is working with his interview subject as he arranges the camera for another angle.

 

“It is truly amazing to see how the seeds that were planted ten or so years ago are sprouting,” he said. “It’s a true community now, with qualified crew people going from project to project, while still awaiting that major budget Hollywood production to return to our state, like ‘Twister,’ which left many millions of dollars here.”

 

 

“Mudcats” and “Control and Destroy”

Complementing these large-scale independent features are two smaller efforts, which, while micro-budgeted, are nonetheless important as Oklahoma progresses toward becoming a go-to state for movie locations.

 

According to Deana Thompson Elkington, who, ironically, is a graduate of the Rick Walker school of moviemaking and entered the business after working for the filmmaker, “Mudcats” is a television reality series filming throughout the summer in Oklahoma.

 

“’Mudcats’ has six different crews all over Oklahoma filming ‘noodlin’ fishermen’ as they compete,” she said. “The project is being produced by production crews from The History Channel, which is owned by the A&E Television Network.”

 

Elkington explains that “noodlin’,” which is the art of fishing by hand, was made popular by the Bradley Beesley documentary “Okie Noodlin’,” which has been seen around the world.

 

“This has been an interesting shoot, to say the least,” said Elkington, who, aside from Walker’s projects, has worked on other Oklahoma independent films such as “Cowboys ‘n’ Angels” and “The Lamp.” “Each of the six fishermen has a producer and a cameraman following him around in this Oklahoma heat, while our production offices are in Norman.”

 

Embracing a refreshing mixture of artistic and entrepreneurial sensibilities, young filmmakers Nick Sanford and Steven Patchin, both students of Frederickson’s, went to the Internet to secure funding for their action comedy “Control and Destroy,” which is described as “Die Hard” meets “Office Space.”

 

“We found a website called kickstarter.com that allows filmmakers, as well as other artists, to pitch a creative idea and receive donations in exchange for incentives and prizes associated with the project,” Sanford said. “Altogether, we raised a budget of about $5,100.”

 

Utilizing his family’s office building as a location and members of the Red Dirt Improv comedy troupe and stage actress Rachael Barry as talent, Sanford began production on June 18, and has already started on the editing process.

 

“Our plan is to finish this film and hold screenings to potential investors in the hopes that we will be able to remake it with a larger budget and better production values,” he said. “We also plan on entering ‘Control and Destroy’ into festivals such as deadCENTER and South by Southwest.

 

According to Frederickson, the films shot this summer represent a clean industry that leaves both money and plenty of goodwill to the state.

 

“Oklahoma is a true ‘studio under the stars,’” he said. “With all the production going on in the world right now, there is no reason that the state can’t benefit to the tune of millions of dollars each year, while also showcasing our wonderful terrain and incredible talent.”