BY DANIELLE HATCH OF THE PEORIA JOURNAL STAR
MARCH 20, 2008
When you imagine a movie set, maybe you see highly-paid actors standing around getting their faces powdered, a catering truck filled with lobster and giant video cameras that pan around robotically.
But that is pretty far from what the set of Into the Woods was like. Just ask Levi Obery and David Zimmerman III, two Metamora High School graduates who created an indie thriller on a budget of about $5,000, filming in Washburn, Metamora and Downtown Peoria last summer.
"Into the Woods," which premieres March 30 at Apollo Theater, centers around five college students who are on a camping trip. After a night of partying, four of them go missing.
The crew's most glamorous memory is of their time spent filming at Johnny's Coffehouse in Metamora. Since the movie was filmed in July and August, it's the only time the cast wasn't completely covered in sweat, they said. Most of the other scenes were filmed in the woods of rural Washburn.
"We were looking for a really remote location," said Obery, the film's producer. "It really was - no cell phone service, which kind of made it difficult, but we survived."
There also were some sequences filmed in Downtown Peoria - as the characters were getting ready to leave for their camping trip - but that wasn't much rosier; those scenes were filmed in a car with no air conditioning, since the hum would interfere with the sound quality. And there were no streets blocked off; they worked with a skeleton crew that day so as not to disrupt Downtown life.
"Most of the time when we were shooting it was me with a camera and Levi would be there taking care of problems that would happen on the set," Zimmerman said.
There were other challenges, as well. Scheduling around the jobs and classes of the cast was difficult; the stars weren't exactly getting paid the big bucks, so it's not like they could put their lives on hold. And the script called for a rundown mansion that they never were able to secure.
Zimmerman, a 23-year-old Columbia College student who served as the writer and director, rewrote part of the script and they settled for a barn in Washburn.
"It's been a long journey," said Obery, 21, a Bradley University student. "We're definitely ready to have the premiere and move on to the next project."
This is the fourth film the two have worked on together, and Obery said things have gotten easier since their first project.
"We're all more experienced now, we can make (movies) a lot faster and there's a lot better equipment for us to use," Obery said. "Things have become cheaper now to make a movie."
After the premiere, Obery said they will look into online distribution sites like iTunes. Since it's not a feature-length film (the run time is 55 minutes), a theatrical release isn't feasible. They'll also offer the movie on DVD.
Many of the cast and crew consisted of friends and family. Zimmerman's 13-year-old brother Jordan worked as a line producer/production assistant, setting up scenes and running errands, and another brother acted in the film.
"I have a hard time shooting a movie if I don't pull in some of my roots," Zimmerman said. "I like having a lot of people I know involved. Because they actually care about what they're doing."
Obery's cousin, Chicago resident Tara Turner, played one of the campers. The Limestone graduate has done some community theater in the past, but this was her first time on camera.
"We shot the same thing over and over and over again, and it was kind of frustrating. Because being from a theater background, you do it once, you do it right, it's over. So that was tough," she said.
Turner said there were days the crew just wanted to leave, but they soldiered on through the heat. The final product will be worth it, she said.
"You have no idea what it looks like when you're filming it," she said. "You can't picture it in your head but they have such a vision that when you see it on film it's incredible."
For the film's creators, it's another project to beef up the resume.
"We just do it to help our careers and keep on top of different changes and slowly move toward bigger projects," Obery said.
"These little projects help filmmakers get their name out there and have something to show when you try to get jobs on a larger scale. That's the main reason we do it - and also to have fun."
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