Hill City celluloid: Behind the scenes at a local movie shoot

By Casey Gillis

Published: October 4, 2008

It’s 10:30 p.m. on a Monday night when a bloodcurdling scream echoes through an empty road in the New London Business & Technology Center off U.S. 460.

“It’s a horror movie,” jokes Freddy Hallaron, the sound mixer for Bedford-based Red Cloud Productions’ first full-length film, “Max VO2: The Potential Inside.”

And no, Red Cloud is not producing a slasher flick. The Christian film is about a retired veteran cyclist who trains an up-and-coming rookie and changes both of their lives in the process. The title refers to maximum volume of oxygen, or the most oxygen your lungs can use effectively.

“The higher your Max VO2,” one character says during the film, “the greater your potential.”

On this particular night, the cast and crew are shooting a pivotal scene, when the veteran cyclist, Chris Carmik (Red Cloud founder and the film’s executive producer Scotty Curlee), is in a car accident with his wife and child.

Oh, and those screams? They were coming from Kera O’Bryon of Newport News, who plays Chris’ wife, Sarah.

This is an independent production, so the filmmakers are relying on a little movie magic to create the crash scene and the moments leading up to it. The car, a silver Ford Taurus, sits stationary on the deserted road, surrounded by lights. Three large ones face it, and another hangs from above.

Director James Burgess has one camera set up directly in front of the car and another several feet back, to get a wider shot through the windshield.

As the scene begins, crew members on both sides of the car begin moving the lights to create the illusion that the car is moving. Burgess shoots about 10 takes from that perspective, then moves the camera behind the car.

Curlee, O’Bryon and Sophia Watson, an 8-year-old Atlanta actress who plays their daughter, go through the scene several more times. Eventually, it’s time to create the crash. Instead of smashing up a couple cars, the Red Cloud crew is doing it all with lights.

The actors do the scene again but this time, out of nowhere, gaffer Chip Lake runs toward the passenger side of the car with his light.

“Whoa whoa,” Curlee shouts, reaching for the steering wheel from the passenger seat.

On the playback, it looks as if another car’s bright headlights are about to collide with the Taurus.

“It’s amazing,” assistant director Quintin Bennett tells a few set visitors, “all the things you can do (on film) to make it look like something else.”

A message
Curlee, a Liberty University grad, founded Red Cloud a year and a half ago with the goal of creating socially responsible, faith-based films.

“There’s entertainment, and then there’s entertainment with a message,” he says. “We want to entertain people, but (also) have them walk away really thinking about their lives.”

Red Cloud’s first film was a short Curlee wrote called “Creasy.” It’s about a pharmaceutical representative trying to stay true to his convictions while dealing with the realities of corporate America.

It was a personal story for Curlee, who was a pharmaceutical salesman before founding Red Cloud.

“Most people want to do something else than what they’re doing. They gotta pay the bills, make a living,” he says. “I don’t want to have any regrets.”

“Max VO2” is another project that’s close to his heart. Curlee was born in South Korea and, at the age of 17, moved to the U.S. to race bicycles. He even competed in the 1992 Olympic trials, but eventually gave up the sport four years ago.

He wrote the script with Richmond-based writer Martin Montgomery.

“We wanted to do something unique, something edgy, something very exciting,” Curlee says.

Picking and choosing
After the car accident, Curlee’s character falls into a deep depression.

“Chris is a troubled soul,” says Curlee. “He (needs to) find his way back to God.”

He starts moving in that direction after an old friend convinces him to train rookie cyclist Jake, played by New York-based actor Michael Cuddire.

“He reluctantly takes him on, and the kid ends up mentoring him,” Curlee says.

In his co-star, Curlee has found someone with similar goals.

Cuddire and his wife are expecting a baby, and he says it’s changed the way he chooses work.

“So often, you get opportunities … (and) you see what it’s about, but you’re not thrilled about it,” Cuddire says. “It does make you think, ‘Is this something (my child) can see down the road?’ We’ve been picking and choosing a little more carefully these days.”

He says “Max VO2” fits the bill “more than you could know.

“It’s a positive message. It’s a family story with a wonderful backdrop of cycling.”

For race scenes, Curlee enlisted some of the best: professional racer and Pan American Games Gold Medalist Jeremiah Bishop and six-time world champion Chris Eatough, as well as a group local avid riders.

“To be able to bring that legitimacy on the set is a big part of it,” Curlee says.

He has spoken with a few distributors about buying the finished film and says he’s encouraged by the recent success of another Christian film, “Fireproof.” Made for $500,000, it was released last weekend and grossed $6.5 million in only 839 theaters.

“There are a lot of ways you can influence people,” Curlee says. “(Film) is one medium where you can reach millions.”

Staying put
Curlee and company began shooting “Max VO2” in September and expect to wrap next month. They’ve been filming all over town — at the Lynchburg Regional Airport last weekend, as well as Peaks View Park, Liberty’s Camp Hydaway and even Curlee’s own Forest home.

The talent in front of and behind the camera comes from as far away as Australia. That would be actor and Curlee pal Declan McGovern, for whom Curlee wrote the part of Dek, the tech expert on Chris’ bike team. McGovern has appeared on the popular Aussie soap “Neighbours,” which counts actors like Russell Crowe and “House” star Jesse Spencer among its alumni.

Ransford Doherty, who plays team director Xavier, is a Longwood University graduate who has guest-starred on TV shows like “NYPD Blue,” “Bones” and “The Closer,” and was in the 2005 Bruce Willis movie “Hostage.”

Behind the scenes, father-and-son sound engineers Freddy and Ferrick Hallaron, as well as director Burgess, are from Texas, and gaffer Chip Lake is from Seattle.

Curlee also found people close to home. Production manager Tessa Sturgill is a fellow LU graduate, while assistant director Quintin Bennett, production coordinator Marc Hutchins and key grip Andrew Potter all live in Roanoke.

On future productions, Curlee says he wants to combine the work of industry veterans with locals.

“There’s talent in the area that doesn’t get the opportunity to go to L.A. or New York,” he says.

And talk of Red Cloud relocating to a larger, more film-friendly city is likely out of the question.

“We don’t need to go anywhere else,” Curlee says. “Look at the scenery. It’s beautiful (here).

“Until you prove yourself, people don’t take you seriously,” he adds. “I think it’s important we stay true and work hard to establish ourselves.”