Community film project showcases Davis County
Community Film Project organizers stand in front of the Kaysville Theater in the project's pitch video.
Imagine community theater — but for film.
That’s exactly what a group of professional and wannabe Davis County filmmakers did. Now, they are striving to bring their vision to life, and they’re calling it “The Community Film Project.”
“Community theater has always been very successful,” said Lucas McGraw, producer and director for the project. “What would it take to make a community movie?”
A dream come true
Making a community film has been somewhat of a dream for McGraw for years.
“I finally found a group of like-minded individuals who think it’s a great idea,” he said.
McGraw, a film/video producer for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Layton resident, said there is about seven such individuals who have been meeting during lunchtime and via Skype for the past six to eight months, working on a plan for the project.
With the goal of creating a feature film, the organizers are in the process of launching the project, which includes a production schedule that features courses and activities once or twice a week that will give volunteers the chance to participate in every aspect of filmmaking. The courses, or what the project organizers are calling “community workshops,” will begin in June and last eight weeks.
Although there will be a course fee, all the money earned or raised will go back into the project or future ones.
When McGraw first took the idea to local organizations, the response wasn’t great, he said. That all changed once the project’s pitch video was released on YouTube and Facebook, issuing a call for interested Davis County community members to volunteer. The video has received over 9,800 views on Facebook, and over 90 volunteers have expressed interest since the launch.
“For someone to tell me there isn’t a need there or people that want to be involved — there’s a need there,” McGraw said.
Anyone can volunteer, McGraw said, whether they have filmmaking skills or not. The project needs people to assist with everything from wardrobe and makeup to directing and writing scripts.
There’s no place like home
What would a community film be if it wasn’t filmed in the community?
McGraw said the team is looking for a film script that can be filmed entirely in Davis County.
“If we found a really great story about Davis County, even a true story we can reenact, that would be great,” he said.
Justin Cook, a producer for the project and Kaysville resident, said using Davis County as the backdrop for the film will bring film to the community in an abundant way.
“It’s the place where we live,” Cook said. “We wouldn’t want it to spring out of somewhere we don’t have direct access to. If it’s passion coming out of us, why not have it come out of where we live?”
While Ogden is known for its outdoors industry, Davis County is really only known for Lagoon and maybe Antelope Island, said another producer for the project, Justin Lether.
“I think it’s a great idea to kind of expose some of the unique traits of Davis County,” Lether, of Kaysville, said.
Clinton resident Rachel Child, business manager for the project and McGraw’s sister, said she thinks there is enough talent in Davis County to accomplish what they want to do. Child, who is participating in the project for the grad program she is in at Weber State University, got data from Davis County School district that shows there are 6,100 high school students alone enrolled in musical and theatrical performing arts.
Before the pitch video was launched, the project released a couple of teaser videos. The teasers features scenes from all over Davis County, such as Hill Air Force Base, Cherry Hill, Lagoon, Antelope Island, the Farmington FrontRunner Station and more, with the slogans like “Davis County: This Is Your Canvas,” “Davis County: Have Fun Let Others Watch” and “Let’s Make a Movie.”
“We’re trying to showcase the beautiful scenery in Davis County,” McGraw said. “It’s going to promote the pride in our own community.”
The magic of filmmaking
Along with community pride, the project will promote education, McGraw said.
And for Cook, who misses the sense of community he felt while going to Columbia University in New York City — where one’s backyard is the park, museums and art galleries — the project will bring an opportunity to get to know others and build friendships he might not have otherwise, he said.
He also said it’s an opportunity to educate those who may be interested but not know much about filmmaking.
“I love that discovery that happens when you learn about films and their impact, reflecting what’s happening in society,” Cook said. “It comes from both watching and creating a film. It’s such a communal experience, it’s not a solo act.”
Lether said he was attracted to the idea of a community film project when he discovered his son would rather make a movie and upload it to YouTube than play competitive sports.
“One of my goals with this is to provide a safe environment and an avenue for … those interested in something other than sports to … be creative and do something they enjoy (and) build their skill set,” Lether said.
Thinking ahead, Lether said he would love the project to get to a point where a parent could say they are going to go drop their child off at the Community Film Project instead of something like basketball.
McGraw said it takes a large dance of many people to make the image of a film look the way it does, and that after the project is over participants will be able to watch a film, read the names on the credits and understand the effort they took.
Child, who is a long-time participant of theater in the Davis County community, explained that there’s something film can do that theater can’t. Once a play is done, you can’t show anyone how you did unless they filmed you, she said.
“There’s something magical about being able to perform and see the performance yourself,” Child said.
To volunteer for the project, visit http://www.communityfilmproject.com and click on “Volunteer.”
The Community Film Project has two upcoming events to get community members and those interested involved. A meet-and-greet with project organizers will be from 3-4:30 p.m. Saturday, March 14 at the Centre Stage Theatre for Youth, 615 W. Boro St. Suite C, Kaysville.
On the following Saturday, March 21, a writers pitch meeting will be at 3 p.m. at 11 N. Main St. Kaysville. Those interested in pitching screenplays can visit the project’s website, click on “call for writers” and download the story pitch form.