ClarkCountyToday.com’s own Jacob Granneman premiere’s his student-made short film for the community on Sept. 12
CAMAS — The historic Liberty Theatre in downtown Camas will premiere a 45- minute short film, written, shot and starred in by area students, and directed by ClarkCountyToday.com’s own Jacob Granneman.
The showing is set for Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m. and will go until about 9:30 p.m. Cast and crew members will be in attendance to talk about the making of the film, and why they love content creation and the arts. Tickets are $5 a person, and will go on sale this week.
The film, entitled, “We Call Them Mountains,” was shot in association with STAGE Student Theatre and Gear Work Films, on location in northern Idaho just outside of Washington State University’s Pullman campus. In four days, with little sleep and little money, the cast and crew of no more than 20, shot the film.
Over a year ago, Granneman and many of his peers were preparing to graduate from WSU. He says he had the idea to write and shoot a short film as a last passion project with his friends at school.
“I learned so much during my senior year, and knew so many talented people, I thought, ‘Let’s just make something, let’s make it right now,’” Granneman said. “I remember sending out a Facebook message to like, 30 people, telling them about my idea. We gained creative momentum from there.”
The film, which stars several students from the Vancouver area, is set in the post Mexican-American War era, somewhere in the mountain foothills of western America.
Following the journey of rifleman Vincent Murphy, the film shows his battle with grief after the murder of his family by outlaws. He is soon joined by his wartime friend, Marcus Luther, and together they set out on a collision course with justice.
Marcus urges forgiveness and legal action, while Vincent is hellbent on evening the scales. Ultimately, the choice lands in Vincent’s hands, and he must make a decision: revenge or redemption.
“Filming ‘We Call Them Mountains’ was a great experience filled with even greater people,” said actor Jonathon Carothers, of Vancouver, who played Vincent. “It was a lot of hard work accompanied by some crazy moments, but that is all just part of the fun, crazy, hectic, awesome, indie filmmaking experience and I am extremely appreciative to have taken part in this film.”
Carothers currently works as an actor in Vancouver and Portland, as well as a software developer at Rightline Design Center in Vancouver. He is also a recent graduate of WSU Vancouver.
Actress Aryn Allen, who played the supporting lead of Madeline Porter, as well as brothers Hayden and CJ Strong, who worked in many capacities during filming, also all hail from the Vancouver area.
The film was produced with period accurate firearms and real horses, which the student actors learned how to use and ride from local ranchers and weapons specialists in Pullman and Idaho.
Editing has taken place over the course of the last year, with help from students in Clark County and Pullman, Granneman said. Dustin Rowe, of Battle Ground, who is currently pursuing a degree in cinematography from Biola University in California, aided in the editing process as well as wrote half of the script.
“When Jacob first approached me about possibly helping him work on a short film, I was immediately excited,” Rowe said. “There’s something about using film as a medium to put creative stories out into the world that has always attracted me. I don’t think creativity has an age limit. I think that ‘We Call Them Mountains’ is a prime example of how someone young with relatively little gear and budget can still get important messages out into the world.”
The majority of the music in the film was also written and recorded by students. Jake Kargl, of Issaquah, worked as composer for the film, and also recently graduated from WSU in Pullman. He will soon go on to pursue a Master’s in Music from the Seattle Film Institute.
The film will be at the Liberty Theatre for one night only, and will have a full-size theater, with 300 seats available. The filmmakers invite everyone to come out and support students and independent filmmaking.
“This is not going to be the best movie you ever see, and it probably won’t even be one of the great movies you see,” Granneman said. “So, the reason people should come out is because creativity is worth supporting, and the people that made this film are full of creativity. They made this, not because they had to, but because they were made to make stuff. They were made to tell stories.”
For more information on the film and to purchase tickets online, RSVP to the Facebook event or visit camasliberty.com.
