Film | Hell is Round the Corner

Lesson learned: If you launch a blog as you’re getting waist deep into a film project, your blog’s opening might not be so grand. I was going to trot it all right out–you know, show ponies, circus peanuts, the works. But it turns out that I’ve only had time so far for one substantive essay, because in my spare time I’ve been incredibly, delightfully busy working on a film project.

That’s me on the left side of the photo, and my good friend Chris Martin on the right. Photo taken by another good friend, Ryan Stadler. And we’re also working with Chris’ good friend Timothy Johnson, who I had not previously known, but am so happy to be working with and getting to know. Ryan snapped this frame ’round about midnight as we were out location scouting in Loring Park in Minneapolis a few weeks back. I can’t quite recall what’s going on in this photo (bromancing? excitedly peeking at test footage?) but in any event it’s been an exhilarating ride already, and we’re kinda just getting going with it still.

So what’s this project all about, you ask? It’s a narrative short film titled “Hell is Round the Corner.” (Yes, it features the Tricky song of the same name, hence the Tricky kick that I’ve been on lately.) This short film is its own self-contained project, but it’s a (slightly modified) excerpt from a feature film (title TBD) we’re planning to produce within the next year or so. So we have several primary goals for this short film: 1) Bring together an amazing cast of on-camera and behind-camera talent, as an intricate and elaborate rehearsal for the upcoming feature film. 2) Submit the short to film festivals and other outlets to network with the wider film making community in Minneapolis and beyond. 3) Screen the short for potential investors to raise money for the upcoming feature production.

We’re thrilled to have cast our two leads, Morgan LeClaire and Matthew Englund, two exceptionally talented local actors who have recently appeared together in the silent film If Memory Serves. (A silent film? That’s amazing–can’t wait to see it.) Though I do want to give a quick shout-out to everyone who auditioned for us: we were genuinely blown away by your interest and talent, and with any luck the feature production will offer us a chance to work with a number of you as well.

We’ll be filming our interior scene at Aster Cafe in Minneapolis. A gorgeous location and building, and I can’t say enough about the great folks there. Send some business their way people! Our exterior scene will be filmed in and near Loring Park in Minneapolis, another amazing locale.

I’ll provide updates here for a while, and at some point in the not-too-distant-future, we’ll launch a dedicated site for the feature film production. For now, you can take a peek at the short film script, and stay tuned for that to wrap and premiere within the next two months. I’ve been dreaming about this project in one form or another for more than ten years now, so I’m relentlessly passionate about it and it’s a surreal thing to be taking these initial steps toward bringing it to life, together with an incredible team. Can’t wait to share more!