The Filmmakers:They Took a Vow to Spend a Year of their Lives on an Indy Film

We‘re living in the Golden Age of the Indy Film. *The Blair Witch Project, Amelie, Full Frontal, 28 Days Later, Trainspotting, Bowling in Columbine, Chasing Amy...* When film critics such as Roger Ebert go to a big festivals on par with Cannes, Sundance or Toronto, they write with special reverence of independent film projects, even if they‘re crap. That‘s because within the breast of the indy filmmaker burns the soul of an artist-entrepreneur who‘s so much hungrier and dependent on bold, daring ideas than his or her counterparts in Hollywood.
Traverse City partners Tim Hall, Eric Gustafson and Patrick McDonnell hope to capture some of Hollywood‘s lost stardust with a film project they‘ve sweated over for the past year: a two-hour psychological thriller called *Vow* which they hope to premiere in late July or early August.
*Vow,* shot entirely on digital cameras, is the first effort from their Tempest Cinematique company.
The plot?
“It‘s a psychological, co-dependent tryst -- the plot is pretty much about a stalking case,“ says writer/director Tim Hall. “A guy and girl fall in love and things seem alright at first and then get a little weirder and then weirder still.“
In, short, the perfect puzzle-in-an-enigma indy film plot, starring local actors Paula Rahn, Dominic Ramzetti, Michelle Perez, Mike Kelly and John Dew.
“I‘m biased because I wrote the thing, but it seemed like I did a good job of not walking the audience through it,“ Hall says. That touch of mystery has served many independent filmmakers well on such projects as *Memento,* where things aren‘t spelled out and spoon-fed in dumb and dumberer Hollywood fashion.

GEARING UP
Thus far, the project has been a labor of love. McDonnell serves as executive producer while Gustafson is assistant director and cinematographer. The actors are unpaid, but will receive a percentage if the film is bought by a distributor.
Like most indy filmmakers these days, *Vow* was shot on digital cameras to save tens of thousands of dollars, compared to shooting on film.
“With digital, there aren‘t a lot of challenges,“ Gustafson notes. “It‘s easier than shooting on film and you can shoot a lot of different takes and angles without worrying about costs. There‘s also more freedom with lighting and digital is more forgiving than film. For our budget, digital is the way to go.“
The three shot *Vow* on mini Korg DVD cameras -- the same equipment used to create the new *28 Days* film. The tough part was editing hundreds of takes and 45 hours of footage on a Macintosh G4 computer using Final Cut Pro software.
Hall notes that on standard, studio-produced films, huge budgets are required to rent equipment, build sets, pay salaries and actors, for catering, costumes and endless other needs. “We were fortunate to have an executive producer who allowed us a budget to purchase equipment outright so we can make other films.“
For McDonnell, that next film could be “a new take on the vampire film genre. I‘ve never been satisfied with what‘s been done with the mythos of the vampire legend.“
McDonnell is writing a variation of the Sumerian legend of Gilgamesh, considered one of the great stories of ancient literature. “Gilgamesh,“ the epic poem is about Herculean hero who is half-man, half-god, questing for immortality. McDonnell is writing a reverse of the story in which a modern day immortal seeks an exit. Director Wim Wenders had an indy film with a similar plot dealing with angels in 1988‘s *Wings of Desire.*

SHOPPING AROUND
Now comes the tough part, marketing the film. After its premiere in Northern Michigan, the plan is to send *Vow* to art-house theaters in Detroit and Chicago and submit it to film festivals. If the film gets picked up by a distributor, great; a fall-back option is trying to get it picked up by a cable network.
“We want to see what the response will be knowing the amount of work we‘ve put into this,“ Hall says. “There‘s definitely a market out there and we‘re definitely going to make other films.“
Hall has a background as a music promoter and rock bassist, and stages the annual Spike & Mike‘s Sick & Twisted Film Festival at the Bay Theatre in Suttons Bay. Gustafson has a degree in video production from Ferris State and a seven-year background in graphic design. McDonnell spent two years in Central Michigan University‘s broadcasting and cinematic arts program and worked on 10-15 short films in college.
Their real education, however, has been in spending a solid year filming, writing and editing *Vow,* based out of their offices on Grandview Parkway across from the Open Space in TC. Like any itinerant indy filmmaker, they hope the endless hours and loving care will pay off with a must-see thriller.
“We‘d like to see this do well enough so we get the kind of notoriety you need to get a real budget, real crews, and see our dreams come to life, making more films,“ Hall says. “I want a career where you‘re making films that are memorable.“
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