Independent Film Short Wins International Recognition

JAMESTOWN - An independent film co-produced by Gery L. Deer of Jamestown has won a national award at The Indie Gathering International Film Festival, Convention and Competition. The short subject action movie won Best Experimental Micro Film (under 5 minutes) for its use of advanced live-action scenes featuring firewhips. The award will be presented during conference which will be held August 14 - 16 near Cleveland.

The film short, titled "The Overman," was written and developed by Rich Hoffman, originally of Middletown, Ohio. The characters and situations in the production are based on those introduced in Hoffman's dark, futuristic, action novel, "The Symposium of Justice," released in 2004.

Hoffman also co-produced and directed the film and plays the lead character. Principal photography was completed at the GLD Enterprises & Productions Whip Artistry Studio in Greene County in March of 2009.

The featurette combines live action with the latest in high-definition computer generated imaging. The action sequences and fire weapon stunts took more than 12 hours to complete. The background footage was filmed a short time later on location in Cancun, Mexico by Hoffman and his wife, Wendy, then added digitally.

For this film, actors working on a green screen-covered set performed among imaginary Mayan ruins. In post production, specialized computer software is used to recognize the green tinted background and make it transparent, replacing it with digital effects. Final production took more than a month to complete and included visual effects, titles and an original musical score.

"This was an ambitious project and I'm glad it got some recognition," Deer said. "The sets may have been computer generated, but the fire whip stunts were performed live and all of the effects are real." In addition to overseeing production and providing the facilities, Deer also served as technical advisor on the whip sequences. Deer's work has been featured on stage and screen including the 2003 Universal Studios movie, The Rundown, NBC's America's Got Talent and The Bonnie Hunt Show, as well as other independent film productions.

Hoffman and Deer both see this project as a means to an end. The hope is that the final product will draw new business for the cast and crew in this sluggish economy where production capital is hard to raise. "This will be a great way to show what our group can do," said Hoffman, whose previous script, "The Lost Cannibals of Cahokia," won the highest award possible for a feature screenplay in the horror category at the 2006 Indie Gathering.

Both artists will be presenting lectures at the Indie Gathering and "The Overman" will be released to DVD following the premier at the conference. The video version includes outtakes and behind the scenes footage. To see photos or get more information about the project go online to www.gldentertainment.com and click on Hoffman Collaboration.