On film: Cape Girardeau filmmakers creating a new local industry

There are no lights, no film cameras in Steve Turner's office -- the basement of his home in a Jackson subdivision.

The only evidence the basement is being used for the work of creating a feature film comes in the form of the names of film distribution companies written on a dry-erase board, the profiles of actors and actresses tacked to a corkboard and a small stack of scripts on a desk. Other than those things, the office looks like any other office, the kind one might prepare taxes in.

"There's nothing to photograph here," Turner said Wednesday, opening the doors of his office to the Southeast Missourian. "It's all computers and phones right now."

Turner spends 12 to 14 hours each day making calls, sending e-mails, lining up production crews and investors -- all work necessary to take his new feature film from the page to the screen. With his new production company, Schrader Turner Films LLC, Turner says he's preparing a feature-length indie thriller with a seven-figure budget called "Mary First Words." The film will be shot in Cape Girardeau this year, possibly creating a finished product by the end of the year.

"I'm still shooting for July 30 for first day of photography. There's not much going on here, but I'm working 12 to 14 hours a day," Turner said. "A fully funded film would have an office right now, with secretaries and all that kind of stuff."

Turner knows his undertaking is a large one, but he seems sincere about the scope of his project, and about his dedication to become a respected, legitimate filmmaker who can shop indies to large distribution companies.

"Mary First Words" -- a thriller about murder, family betrayal and other dark things -- will be Turner's first feature, shot on the same kind of equipment Hollywood uses, maybe the exact same equipment "Killshot" producers procured out of St. Louis for their production. Turner's hope is that "Mary First Words" will provide a launch for more films -- pick up enough success and make enough money to help bankroll other movies that will be made out of the scripts he's written over the years.

Turner has been waiting for this day for about 20 years, since he was a film student at Southern Illinois University. But first he worked in the "real world," most recently as general manager of the Cape Girardeau Barnes & Noble Booksellers, to build the capital he'll need to pay the bills while he works to turn his investment into a moneymaker.

"I'm lucky enough, I had a good job and I've got a little time," Turner says with a sense of humor, acknowledging that, yes, he still has a mortgage payment to make. "I've got some time to try it."

Turner is probably the only local resident gearing up to create a feature film with a seven-figure budget, but he's far from the only filmmaker in the area. One of them, Pat Bond, is already slated to work as editor on "Mary First Words."

Dozens of local people are interested in film, and they work with some capacity in local film organizations and in events like the annual Show Me Digital Film Festival, coming up next month at a date and venue to be determined.

Michael Huntington, one of the festival's co-chairs, said in a previous interview that he's seen huge growth in local interest. That growth is evident in the work people like Turner are doing.

But Turner's not the only local producing a feature film. At least two filmmakers are working on getting feature flicks together -- Erik Harper and his partner Charlie Schoen and, separately, local photographer and artist Victor Kantchev.

Harper and Schoen's approach is much different than Turner's. Theirs is more of a grassroots, guerrilla filmmaking effort. Using digital equipment and funding any costs out of their own pockets, Harper and Schoen will soon begin filming a serial-killer thriller called "A Killer's Choice" under the name Renegade Heart Productions.

Renegade Heart will hold a casting call on the top floor of Buckner Brewing Co. from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

"Some people love sports and baseball," said Harper, whose short story formed the basis of the script. "The truth of the matter is, all I've ever wanted to do is write. I write for the love of it, but I met Charlie, and he had the same drive that I did, and we were like, 'you know what, let's just do it ourselves.'"

Using Harper's writing skills and Schoen's technical ability and equipment, the two hope to make a picture they can shop around to film festivals -- the same course Turner will take with "Mary First Words."

"Just because we're local and just because it's a smaller market, we're trying to show people you don't necessarily have to have a huge budget. You don't have to have a budget at all. If you love what you're doing, you can make it work," Harper said.

Of course, for the films to reach the pinnacle of success, they'll need to be picked up by a major distribution company. The odds are against the independent filmmaker.

Harper and Turner both want to make films in the area, and the pair hope those films will generate more interest in film in Cape Girardeau. Turner is even bringing a St. Louis film crew to Southeast Missouri to shoot -- a crew that will earn a per diem for each day they stay away from St. Louis.

But Turner has a way to even out those costs.

"A location I have here for nothing could cost me $5,000 up there," he said.

Another reason to film in Southeast Missouri is his loyalty to his home area. But when you're talking seven figures, money still has to be a consideration.

"I think the area will be happy to have me, I'll be happy to be here, and the crew will be happy to be here," said Turner. "In St. Louis there would be hands out everywhere, and like I said, I don't have the kind of money to pay that."

Both films will give locals the opportunity to participate. Turner said he'll be looking for extras and local actors to play small parts, as well as some interns on the production side. If Turner succeeds, it will open the way for him to make more films, and maybe even put Cape Girardeau and the surrounding area on the indie filmmaking map.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182