Lights, camera, action in Post Falls
Take 1: "American Romance" is about to be filmed in Post Falls.
Crawford Anderson-Dillon, executive producer of Hub Media in London, and Zackary Adler, director, spoke on Thursday to the local Northwest Independent Film and Video Entertainment Society (kNIFVES) about the upcoming filming of the movie, which will be a combination of a thriller, horror and comedy.
"It's a darkly comic thriller in the same vein as 'Fargo' by the Coen Brothers (Joel and Ethan)," Anderson-Dillon said.
The main actress in "American Romance" will be Daveigh Chase, who was the voice of Lilo in the 2002 animated comedy "Lilo & Stitch."
"She hasn't had a breakout role," Adler said of Chase. "We're hoping this will be that. At the auditions in Los Angeles, she was extraordinary."
Chase is best known for playing Rhonda Volmer in the HBO series "Big Love" and Samara Morgan in "The Ring."
The movie will be about a young honeymooning couple who are traveling across the country when their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. They cross paths with another couple and it changes all of their lives forever.
"A lot of it is about love ... in a twisted way," Adler said.
Anderson-Dillon added: "There is a lot of blood."
Most of the independent film will be shot in an old home south of Post Falls along the Spokane River starting the week of Sept. 22. The rest will be shot at a truck stop in Montana.
Anderson-Dillon's mom lives in Post Falls, not far from where the film will be shot, and he visits here often.
W.J. Lazerus, kNIFVES president, is helping make local connections for the filmmakers.
Directors were set on filming in this area last spring, but then decided to zero in on Los Angeles due to the sunsetting this year of a film industry incentive program in Idaho. The site recently switched back to North Idaho, Lazerus said, when directors were convinced they could save money here.
"It's much less expensive here even without incentives," Lazerus said, adding that costs such as housing, food, transportation and permits are cheaper here.
Lazerus said the filming is a big deal to the local industry as it's been five years since the bulk of a movie has been shot here. That was "Teenage Dirtbag" shot at Coeur d'Alene High. It was based on a true story on the challenges of mental illness.
Lazerus said the hope is that "American Romance" will cause a ripple effect making way for other movies to be shot here. It will also offer training opportunities for those in the local film industry and provide a boost to the economy.
"We've been working for years to increase media production in this area," he said. "This is huge for the local industry, especially with the sunsetting of the incentive program. As of two weeks ago, they were pretty certain they'd be shooting it in L.A."
Anderson-Dillon said as much as $100,000 is expected to be spent on local services during the two to three weeks of filming.
He said there will be 10 to 15 paid positions available that pay between $100 and $300 a day assisting with the camera department, lighting, design, sound, security and other duties.
Volunteers are also being sought.
"What I need a lot of is labor help to prepare the locations, so people weed whacking, moving furniture around, that kind of thing," Anderson-Dillon said.
He said the entire crew will be about 30 people, including 12 who will stay at his mom's house.
"We can bring some people up from L.A., but we are keen to minimize that so we're looking at as much local talent as possible," Anderson-Dillon said. "We want it to be a community project so everybody feels a degree of ownership."
Help wanted
- Those interested in being involved in the filming of "American Romance" can email wjlazerus@gmail.com.