Filmmaker to bring apocalypse to Otter Tail County

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OTTER TAIL COUNTY

— An independent film will begin production this summer, filming in locations including Perham, Ottertail, New York Mills and Wadena

A casting call for parts in the movie, with a working title of “Darkness,” is set for Thursday, April 9, from 6-9 p.m. in room 108 at the New York Mills High School Media Center (209 N Hayes Ave., New York Mills). A variety of acting roles are available, as well as work for makeup artists. The film is set to begin production in late May through early June.

Filmmaker Joel Trujillo of

JFT Film Productions

explained the film is a gripping, character-driven survival thriller set in modern times. After a pandemic, many of the dead rise as zombies. As societal collapse continues, to stay alive, a group of survivors must navigate uncertain times and moral conflict.

“This film explores not only survival in a physical sense, but also the psychological and emotional toll of a world turned upside down,” Trujillo said. “We’re excited to bring this story to life right here in central Minnesota and to involve local talent both in front of and behind the camera.”

When the film is complete, Trujillo hopes to have the film play in a local theater in October. He explained that he plans to offer the film for free, allowing a participating theater to collect ticket sales, while holding a fun event for an industry that he has loved since childhood. In addition to a possible theatrical showing, the film will be available on his YouTube channel, as well as DVD.

This will be Trujillo’s 12th film, with most of them being in the popular genre. When he is not making films, the New York Mills resident works at a local mass communications company in Perham and spends time with his wife and six children, two of whom are adults.

Anyone interested in being part of the movie is encouraged to try out.

“You can bring a resume and cover photo, but it is not necessary,” Trujillo said. He added experience with acting is not necessary either. “I’m not Hollywood.”

For those who attend the casting call, Trujillo said they will be provided an excerpt from the script and direction as to what emotional characteristics their part requires. After some rehearsal time, a read for the part in front of a camera will take place.

“Afterwards, I will look through the footage with the casting director, and then the casting director and I will choose who we think is best for the parts,” he said, adding the cast should be announced a few days after the tryout.

Trujillo said he hopes to have a cast comprised of those 18 years of age and older. He added there may be some exceptions for actors who are minors to have a role in the film, but parental approval would be required.

When filming begins, Trujillo said the cast can expect to work 10-to-12-hour days, many of which will start in the early evening and go to midnight. He emphasized that it is important for the cast to have a flexible schedule during the short film production window.

Being a low-budget film, the actor’s pay day includes having a credit line in the film, gaining experience in the industry and having a fun summer project to work on. Trujillo added he also provides meals for the crew members during film production and provides a copy of the movie on DVD for the cast.

“I typically will also hold a final wrap celebration dinner for the entire crew,” he added.

Trujillo grew up in Colorado with his mother. Some holidays and summer break were often spent with his father, who resided in Oklahoma.

“The summer of 1993, he had borrowed a camcorder from one of his friends — a VHS camcorder,” Trujillo said.

His father wanted to make a home movie of their road trip to a Six Flags amusement park in Illinois. Afterward, the camcorder began collecting dust on a shelf.

Trujillo picked it up and began creating stories while using his action figures as the actors.

“I decided to give live action a try,” he recalled. “I went to my dad and said, ‘let’s do a zombie movie,’ and he’s like, ‘OK.’”

Around that time, Trujillo also became fascinated with science fiction movies from George Lucas and George A. Romero. He even sought out special features that explained how special effects were done and how makeup was used to create character features.

“The behind-the-scenes stuff just really caught my imagination as a kid,” he said. “So I grabbed toilet paper and Elmer’s glue and started making flesh rotting off my dad’s face. I didn’t have the makeup, so I used watercolors.”

After his uncle, who was staying with them that summer, saw what Trujillo created, he wanted a part in the movie. A short while later, Trujillo was filming his uncle chasing his zombie father and created his first five-minute film.

“That’s when JFT Film Productions was born,” he said.

His love of creating movies grew with him, and when he was older, he made his first

full-length feature film

. The topic: zombies. He explained it was a way to pay homage to the time when his passion for filmmaking first sparked. It also became his niche in the independent film industry as one film led to another, until he completed 11 full-length films.

Trujillo moved to Otter Tail County after spending much of his young adult life as a resident of Kansas. He explained love brought him north, as his wife grew up in the Bertha area.

His scenery changed, but his love of creating films has remained. Trujillo said the technological advancements with AI provided a perfect opportunity to bring his latest screenplay to life. He explained that AI provides filmmakers with more opportunities for action sequences, as well as quickly made movie scores.

When production begins, Trujillo hopes people from the region join him for the fun ride that is movie-making.