Filmmaker Bruce Koehler works at his studio in his home in Valencia. Koehler is almost finished with his latest movie, “Death From Above.”

Butler County is filled with a variety of people doing interesting things. This weekly feature offers snapshots of some of them by asking them five questions. The latest installment appears below.

Bruce Koehler is the Valencia-based founder of North Shore Pictures, which has produced several films shot in Butler County, including “19 Doors,” “River of Darkness” and the soon-to-be-released “Death From Above.”

Koehler weighed in on what makes a good film and the 2012 Academy Awards.

QUESTION: What is the most important asset for an Academy Award nominee to have if it hopes to win?ANSWER: From my limited knowledge and understanding of the Academy Awards, to win, of course begins with a great film and great performances, but there are also quite a bit of politics involved. There are large marketing teams and lobbyists in place behind most pictures to even be nominated. The studios are competing with other studios, as well as independent producers, in an attempt to outmaneuver each other for the attention and honors of the Academy Of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.”

QUESTION: Why is Western Pennsylvania, and Butler County specifically, such a popular spot for filmmakers?ANSWER: Recently, Pennsylvania has been very competitive with other states, offering studios some very good tax incentives to come here. Large movies such as “Batman” and Tom Cruise's “One Shot” receive rebates and incentives to film here. Which is great because it helps our local economy and allows some of our local actors to appear in some big films. In addition, Butler and surrounding regions offer some very unique architectures and landscapes — from skyscrapers and small towns to rivers and coal mines that you can't find in L.A. or out west.”

QUESTION: You have worked both behind and in front of the camera in a multitude of roles. What is the most challenging part of making a film, in your opinion?ANSWER: The most challenging part about making a film is creating it with little money or no budget. But they say “When you mix a goal with an emotion, this is when you get things done.” Then, after it is made, you need to have pretty deep skin, particularly if it is low-budget, and it is compared to multimillion dollar projects. You soon learn that everyone is a critic.

QUESTION: When drafting a screenplay, what is the most important attribute for that draft to have?ANSWER: The most important attribute that producers are looking for from writers are high concept, something special and out of the ordinary. They aren't looking for the movie-of-the-week with the same old plot. I think a story, as well as the characters, needs to have an arc. We begin here and end up there. The character needs to go through some sort of transition. From bad to good, or a waking up, or the achievement of some greater good. A great example of high concept is M. Night Shyamalan's film featuring Bruce Willis titled “The Sixth Sense.” Very thought- provoking with total arc of character. My mouth was left hanging open at the ending of that one.

QUESTION: What is the hardest type of performance to produce from an actor/actress?ANSWER: There are different types of actors. I try to get a feel for their disposition before I put any demands on them. On the few feature films that I have made, I have had the opportunity to work with some seasoned actors. My goal is to allow the actor to develop the character and stay out of their way. I think this is when magic happens. As director William Friedkin would call them “happy accidents.” Someone once told me that “A film will take on a life of its own.” I will try to let it grow legs if I can.