Lights, camera, local action
VALENCIA— Filmmaker Bruce Koehler, the founder of production company North Shore Pictures in Valencia, has been a busy man this year.
After completing his films "Dark Wake" and "19 Doors" earlier in the year, he is now wrapping up shooting on his latest project, "End Game."
All three movies have been filmed primarily in Butler County. Most recently, "End Game," a crime drama, was filming in Ellwood City, Lyndora and Zelienople.
Due to the success of his past projects, Koehler, 43, attracted big names to the film.
It stars former Olympic gold-medal wrestler turned actor Kurt Angle and Bridgeville native Jenna Morasca, who was the $1 million grand prize winner on the 2003 reality-TV show "Survivor: The Amazon."
"I keep growing. And as I do things, more actors will want to work with me," Koehler said.
Angle plays maniacal killer Brad Mayfield and several alter-egos, including the troublemaking Detective Bishop.
"Kurt is the ultimate bad guy, and he's just a killer actor," Koehler said.Angle, back in Butler County for the first time since a few high school football games brought him here in his teens, said working in Zelienople has been a good experience, as has working with Koehler."Bruce has his own style. He sees the shot before he actually takes it. He's so the opposite of a typical Hollywood director," Angle said.Angle also will soon appear in his first lead role in a feature film, tentatively titled "Rescue from Hell," which is to begin shooting in the spring.Morasca has had several movie and TV roles."She is a beautiful girl who turned out to be a really talented actress," Koehler said of the 27-year-old Morasca.Most recently, she played the lead in "The Watcher," a minimovie that will be part of the "Drive-In Horror Show" anthology due for release in 2009."I love horror movies. It's definitely a genre I seek out," Morasca said."Bruce has a great vision of what he wants, but he lets us take the characters where we think they should go. Some people are afraid to improvise, but I love it."Though she is from Pennsylvania, Morasca now lives in New York City, and filming "End Game" was her first time in Butler County.
"It looks like any Pittsburgh suburb; it's quaint and quiet, which is quite a contrast compared to where I live," she said."End Game" also stars Pittsburgh-based veteran actors Sam Nicotero and Clayton Hill. Nicotero has appeared in "The Mothman Prophecies" and "Children of the Living Dead," while Hill is a casting agent, reprising the priest role he played in another thriller — "Hellraiser III."Makeup artist Mike Thomas, 23, of Burgettstown, lived a few houses down the street from the Hill family during his childhood and credits them with his interest in films."End Game" is Thomas' second project, and it demands long periods of time with Angle, as some of his elaborate disguises take up to two hours to apply."This is the first opportunity I've had to work with a big star. He's been great; it's just like hanging with one of my friends," Thomas said.On working with bigger name actors, Koehler carefully chose his words, saying "they certainly have different personalities," but would not elaborate.He also said his decision to film "End Game" in Butler County was an easy one."If someone offered me a directing job in Hollywood, I might go for a time, but I love it here. This is where I want to be," Koehler said.Zelienople is the most prominently featured location in the movie, with scenes filmed at the Kinsey-Volz Funeral Home, the Kaufman House and the Bob Householder building.
Householder allowed Koehler to install fake walls and paint rooms as needed by the script, which was written by Jim McCartney, who lives in the North Hills."I just want to say thanks to all the Butler County businesses, and the entire Sharpsburg fire department, for that matter," Koehler said.Sharpsburg's firefighters appear in the aftermath of a fire.Koehler, who spends most days shooting commercials for a Pittsburgh television station and for other agencies through his company, Retro Media, said he plans to complete shooting on "End Game" by Jan. 1, then dive right into his next project."I'm working on a horror film next. I'm working on some very big names and it's going to be scary," Koehler said.The horror film will be the first Koehler has penned solo, though he co-wrote "Dark Wake," thus adding writer to his list of credentials."On 'End Game,' I shot it, directed it, did the lighting; I do it all. But I have a lot of help," Koehler said.He owns all of his own filming equipment, but occasionally has to borrow sets: Several pieces of furniture in the film are on loan from the Lyndora Hotel.Koehler is currently searching for distributors for "19 Doors" and "End Game."
