Parker Hammon and Caleb Hofheinz, Ferris State University freshmen in the television and media program, are combining their talents to produce their first film.
The plot consists of four kids who steal a car at the beginning of the film. As the story unfolds, they discover $50,000 worth of drugs in the trunk and begin to sell them. Soon enough, the kids get deeper and deeper into the drug world as they get involved with a mafia drug lord who commands them to start selling for him.
“It’s been an idea that I’ve been batting around for the last year,” Hammon, the film writer, said. “At some point it clicked where I could start writing it.”
Both Hammon and Hofheinz were inspired to create a gangster film and came together last semester to start producing.
The film takes place in a city with a modern setting. They will be filming in areas around campus, downtown Big Rapids, downtown Grand Rapids, and a tobacco lounge in Newaygo.
The cast for the movie will consist of 10 to 12 members. During the casting process they had each person who auditioned read several lines.
“Most of the people that read did a pretty good job; we have about nine to ten people casted already. Once we get the last three or four people, we will start shooting as soon as possible,” Hofheinz, director of the film, said. “The real work will start when we actually start shooting it.”
Hammon and Hofheinz hope to have the movie finished by the summer. They plan on having most of it shot by the end of the semester and once the movie is filmed, Hofheinz will edit it.
“I really enjoyed writing. The process is fun and it’s rewarding,” Hammon said.
Once the movie is finished, the two hope to showcase their work in local film festivals around Michigan. They would also like to present it to Ferris students.
“Film is a career choice,” Hofheinz said. “Earlier this year, Parker made a comment that stuck with me. ‘If you look at all the great film makers, like Steven Spielberg, they had their first productions by our age.’ I want to get on the wagon and actually make something.”
If any student is interested in being an extra for the movie, contact Hofheinz at hofheic@nullferris.edu for
more information.