Columbus and the Golden Triangle have their fair share of high profile media ties.
Musically, we”ve got West Point, home to Howlin” Wolf. Literature is covered right here in Columbus, birthplace of Tennessee Williams. And as far as television, there was Columbus” dubious appearance on “48 Hours.”
But what about movies?
“The Governor”s Daughters” likely won”t put Columbus on the map, so to speak, as far as Hollywood is concerned, but it could be one of the first projects to get the ball rolling.
“I think a lot of producers are looking at Columbus when talking about (shooting in) Mississippi or surrounding areas. I think Columbus in the future is going to see a production industry (grow),” said Lawyer Henderson, producer and director of “The Governor”s Daughters.”
Henderson”s movie, which filmed scenes Saturday at the Lowndes County Courthouse and Sunday at Columbus High School, isn”t what you would call a major motion picture. The independent film will be seen at film festivals as opposed to a nationwide theatrical release. But that”s more Columbus” speed right now. And several local movie producers are walking now so future generations can run.
“We want to get into products you can sell. There”s really no market for short films. But we want to produce films by the southern market for the southern market,” said Arjun Kaul, 28, one half of Glorious Productions.
Kaul, a native New Yorker, came to Columbus two years ago with friend and business partner Andrew Colom, 28, after both tried to break into the industry working for production companies in Los Angeles. Now they sell real estate to pay the bills, but their passion is making films.
Glorious Productions already has one short film in the can, “The Flight of Calvin Waters,” which has played at several film festivals. Their next venture, “The Runaway,” is currently in post-production in preparation for its premier at the Tupelo Underground Halloween Horror Fest 2010 on Oct. 22.
Both shorts were shot in eight days and clock in at a brief 20 minutes, but months of invaluable experience went into each.
Screenplay and script writing generally takes two months or better. Then the search begins for funding. Colom enlisted the help of his father, Columbus Attorney Wilbur Colom, to help finance his first film, but Glorious Productions was on a shoestring budget for the second.
“On the first film, we had no reputation, no nothing. And there”s only two ways to get people involved. Either money or (having) a previous product they respect. We didn”t have either on the first one,” said Kaul.
Funding was lesson one. Number two came when Kaul and Colom paid to fly in a production crew from New York and Los Angeles for the first film, only to end up catering to picky work habits and fielding complaints about heat and mosquitoes.
That”s why for their second film, out of necessity and preference, the duo used local volunteers for the crew. Several local artists chipped in for the movie experience knowing Kaul and Colom, who produced and directed both films, respectively, could see a project through.
The situation was the opposite for the cast. “The Runaway” featured primarily local talent, but the lead went to Brandi Cohen, a Columbus native now pursuing acting in Atlanta.
Colom said the talent used for “The Flight of Calvin Waters” was somewhat limiting.
“You can get a nonactor to convey one layer of emotion. When you need someone to convey multiple emotions or change emotions quickly you need an actor,” he said.
However, one key role in “The Runaway” did go to a local actor.
“In the second film there”s a boy, played by Thomas Markray, who”s a runaway slave, ghost or real. He”s just a local 9-year-old kid,” said Colom. “(The part) wasn”t anything complicated. Just be desperate. Be scary looking. Be hungry.”
Still, the majority of locally produced films are shot with local talent. April Wren, 23, a graduate student at Mississippi University for Women, was in the process of shooting her submission to the Tupelo Horror Fest Saturday.
“I”ve always worked with good actors. There are a lot of good actors in the area,” said Wren, the recipient of the Best Student Film Award in 2009 and 2010 at the Magnolia Film Festival in Starkville.
Michael Williams, 23, from West Point, is also planning to enter a film in the Horror Fest. The Oak Hill Academy graduate has been making his own movies for years using local actors. But a natural process of elimination has separated those who are serious about working in movies from those who aren”t.
“I used to use friends but after a while they realize the novelty of filmmaking is not as cool as they thought,” said Williams.
Kaul and Colom would second that sentiment. They describe filmmaking as an emotional drain and an addictive rush.
“You create lifelong bonds with people in the matter of a week. They got to see us at our most dreary moments. Working 15-hour days, screaming at people. And when the set is over those guys are saying ”We love you,”” said Kaul.
For their next project, Kaul and Colom are developing a “contemporary retelling of the story of Job.”
While Glorious Productions has favored character driven dramas, not all local filmmakers are relying on dialogue to carry their movies.
Johnson Thomasson, 23, from Starkville, is a computer science major obsessed with recreating special effects from big-budget movies on a much smaller scale.
Thomasson, who has submitted films to festivals in Starkville, Tupelo and Birmingham, uses computer software and a 35 millimeter lens adapter for his prosumer model digital camera to recreate the effects.
“I like for things to look larger than life. That”s more of a challenge to accomplish,” he said.
Stephen Lehman, 23, from Starkville, uses his lifetime of growing up in the Golden Triangle to find the perfect locations to shoot his dramas. Lehman has entered festivals in Jackson and Memphis and won the Best Comedy Award in 2009 at the Magnolia Film Festival.
He believes technological progress in filmmaking can take the industry outside of California to anywhere that has talent.
“I think that as the industry grows, shooting in the Golden Triangle, and the state as a whole, will become an even better experience,” said Lehman.
Kaul says the way movies are consumed will also change with technology. The popularity of YouTube and web-based programming, called webisodes, has opened filmmaking up to anyone with a digital camera.
Of course, just because people see a film doesn”t mean the filmmaker will get paid. But the majority of local talent aren”t in the business for the money.
“If it”s not like every time we make a movie we”re losing money, I”d be totally happy,” said Kaul.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
