At first, McKinnon did not think the project would see the light of day. He felt Dietrich would simply use it as an exercise. However, the filmmaker does not do anything by halves, and the project gained a life of its own, eventually coming in at over 30 minutes.
They recruited local actors – Sam Hall, Chris Manshreck, Kelsey Sunaert and Hannah McKinnon. McKinnon said they may have had the “element of surprise” when getting commitments as they too might not have expected the project to see the light of day. However, everyone was willing, and though not professional actors, did their parts well.
“Those guys and Hannah did an awesome job. They jumped in head first.”
He added he was amazed not only by the professionalism of Dietrich, but also of the results that it brought. They shot over about a week in the winter, and McKinnon saw how long it would take to get certain scenes, how much the positioning of the lighting mattered, how the were able to take a bit from here and a bit from there to make what might have seemed an imperfect performance into something fantastic.
“He did such a professional job filming, editing and everything, I became more excited to show it off,” McKinnon explained. “After I saw it, not following Nick’s career, my response was ‘this is a movie’.”
The packed house agreed, laughing and applauding their fine show. As McKinnon said, people like to see their own people on screen like they do on stage, telling a locally-based story. Those involved were thrilled to be able to entertain their community, while including them in a sense with the storyline.
The premiere was held as a fundraiser. With the $50 a seat tickets and bar sales, they were able to raise over $10,000 for the Deloraine Agricultural Society. McKinnon said they wanted to raise money for something local and they were going to premiere “Whitetail” in the summer. Why not do it at the summer fair, run by the Ag Society? The fair is a great event and nostalgic, which fit a bit into the 1990’s timeframe of the film. The Ag Society is a great success story, rising from near death due to the involvement of younger citizens. It simply made sense, as a place the money would go. They also had the help of the group in running the theatre concessions.
This told the story of the film. McKinnon said whenever they needed something – a ranch or cabin to shoot the scenes, a truck, even a limo for the premiere – the answer was yes. This is the beauty of doing something like this in a small town. Everyone is willing to help.
“Whitetail” was shown again in the theatre the next week for those who could not come out for the premiere, and drew another 85 people. They are looking at perhaps showing it at a film festival and putting it up on the internet for rental or purchase. It is a film he feels could appeal to many.
Plans are for the Deloraine film experience to continue. Having made one professional-quality flick with no money, this is a resume builder for Dietrich. McKinnon hopes in the future they can raise some money and bring him back to do something bigger and better. There are so many stories and ideas, so many vistas to be filmed in the area. There are different seasons. Ag corporations could fund something with farming in it, as an example. Possibilities are there, and the bug has bitten.
“There is a lot to explore there. Who really knows what will happen. Thanks to Nick, we all want to be part of something like this again. This is a way to tell stories.”
“It was all so much fun.”
by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff