MONROE - "Lights. Camera. Action."
Using local actors, early scenes of an Independent science fiction movie were shot at Blackhawk Technical College in Monroe, Saturday.
Written and directed by Howard Waddell, New Glarus, and produced by his wife, Amy Christensen-Waddell, the movie "2012: Devolution," examines what happens when the Earth's solar system aligns with the core of the galaxy for the first time in 25,000 years on Dec. 21, 2012.
Waddell wrote the screen play in about two weeks, Christensen-Waddell said. He did a little fine tuning of the script over the past few months before production started last week.
Making a film is something the couple has wanted to do for a long time. They weren't sure how to do it, but they talked with some friends and friends of friends and realized their dream was a possibility.
"We just went ahead with it," Christensen-Waddell said, with a laugh. "That's how we do most things."
They found a production company in Milwaukee to work with and spent a couple of days last week filming exterior and interior shots for the film.
Filming began Saturday as local actors and extras stepped in front of the camera.
John Waelti, Monroe; New Glarus Village president Jim Salter; New Glarus Police Chief Steve Allbaugh; and New Glarus residents Lars and Leif Hansen and Harry Janisch are just a few of the people who will be playing parts in the movie.
Salter said he wasn't nervous about his first film performance.
"I've done plays in high school and some public theater," he said. "Speaking in front of groups doesn't bother me."
The props were made at Albion Swords, which is owned by Waddell and Christensen-Waddell, and much of the wardrobe was purchased on the Internet.
The couple has 26 days to complete the shooting schedule before sending the film to post production.
It's a daunting task, but Christensen-Waddell is confident they can meet their deadlines.
After the film is shot, it goes into post production, where music will be added and the film will be edited. A trailer, or preview, will be finished so it can be sent to distributors. If a distributor picks the film, it can go out to theaters.
"We'll use some of our connections to find a distributors," Christensen-Waddell said.
An independent film doesn't have the same constraints as a major movie, but it still needs to attract an audience.
"Even though there's no studio telling us what to do there's still a distributor who tells you what to do," she said, smiling.
She hopes the film will be ready by October 2010.
Using local actors, early scenes of an Independent science fiction movie were shot at Blackhawk Technical College in Monroe, Saturday.
Written and directed by Howard Waddell, New Glarus, and produced by his wife, Amy Christensen-Waddell, the movie "2012: Devolution," examines what happens when the Earth's solar system aligns with the core of the galaxy for the first time in 25,000 years on Dec. 21, 2012.
Waddell wrote the screen play in about two weeks, Christensen-Waddell said. He did a little fine tuning of the script over the past few months before production started last week.
Making a film is something the couple has wanted to do for a long time. They weren't sure how to do it, but they talked with some friends and friends of friends and realized their dream was a possibility.
"We just went ahead with it," Christensen-Waddell said, with a laugh. "That's how we do most things."
They found a production company in Milwaukee to work with and spent a couple of days last week filming exterior and interior shots for the film.
Filming began Saturday as local actors and extras stepped in front of the camera.
John Waelti, Monroe; New Glarus Village president Jim Salter; New Glarus Police Chief Steve Allbaugh; and New Glarus residents Lars and Leif Hansen and Harry Janisch are just a few of the people who will be playing parts in the movie.
Salter said he wasn't nervous about his first film performance.
"I've done plays in high school and some public theater," he said. "Speaking in front of groups doesn't bother me."
The props were made at Albion Swords, which is owned by Waddell and Christensen-Waddell, and much of the wardrobe was purchased on the Internet.
The couple has 26 days to complete the shooting schedule before sending the film to post production.
It's a daunting task, but Christensen-Waddell is confident they can meet their deadlines.
After the film is shot, it goes into post production, where music will be added and the film will be edited. A trailer, or preview, will be finished so it can be sent to distributors. If a distributor picks the film, it can go out to theaters.
"We'll use some of our connections to find a distributors," Christensen-Waddell said.
An independent film doesn't have the same constraints as a major movie, but it still needs to attract an audience.
"Even though there's no studio telling us what to do there's still a distributor who tells you what to do," she said, smiling.
She hopes the film will be ready by October 2010.