Shipley Spies DVD Market With One-Eyed Horse

By Mark R. Smith, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

It's Missouri in 1887. But it's also modern-day Jessup. At the moment, you can call what is usually simply known as Shipley Farm a movie set.
That's due to the production of "One-Eyed Horse," a concept that is becoming reality due to the vision and determination of retired Anne Arundel County schoolteacher Wayne Shipley. He has been working with a crew of about 200 actors and production workers since early spring to lens the independent (or "indie") western that is set in the post-Civil War Midwest 120 years ago on the family homestead.
While Maryland is a state that lacks a strong enough tax incentive program to lure many Hollywood productions with multi-million-dollar budgets - and the temporary jobs and ensuing sizable economic impact that they bring - the indie market is valuable in giving dozens of professionals opportunities to work outside of their given boxes and hone their skills.
As for Shipley, he's made what he termed "a substantial personal investment" in this passion of his and he envisions success, but not through the box office; he's contemplating the retail market as he searches for the right distributor for the film's DVD release.

Like a Dream
Shipley said the idea to produce "One-Eyed Horse" had been "floating around in my mind for a couple of years, and I felt that we could shoot most of it here on the farm."
Calling himself "a real big John Wayne fan," Shipley named one of The Duke's classics, "The Searchers," "one of the finest films ever made," noting that "no less than [director/producers such as Steven] Spielberg, [Martin] Scorcese and [George] Lucas agree."
Deeming it "certainly a flawed film, because Director John Ford used too many 'green sets' [to shoot scenes indoors on soundstages instead of exterior shots]," Shipley feels that the central character, Ethan Edwards (who is portrayed by Wayne), "is such an enigma that he can't overcome his seminal influences."
Indeed, Edwards' "inability to deal with the past is what 'One-Eyed Horse' is about," he said. "The tragedy in my film is that this brilliant person who has everything in the world going for him can't find contentment unless he confronts his nemesis face-to-face. But the guy he hates is really a good guy. They lived parallel lives, in that they were scarred by the Civil War. But one hasn't been able to let go."
Shipley stressed that "One-Eyed Horse" "isn't a cowboy movie, but more of a five-act Shakespearian tragedy" that he privately financed by leveraging "whatever assets I have. I want to recoup the money even though I don't know if I will," he said. "I've only been able produce the movie with the support of many people who have, in many cases, volunteered their services and resources."
His dream will hit the big screen at a showing that has been tentatively set for May at a local theater. "There are lots of ways to fritter away money," Shipley surmised, "but I don't play golf."

Actor's Workshop
Leanna Chamish, an actress who has appeared in several movies (with budgets of varying sizes) that have shot in Maryland, spoke of the creative opportunities working on indie movies presents.
"The Maryland Film Office has done an incredible of job of attracting major movie production to Maryland, especially considering the intense competition from states that often offer more significant financial incentives," said Chamish, who appears as Juanita the housekeeper. "I'm happy when a major film comes to the area since so many professionals and businesses benefit."
But from her perspective as a non-union actor, the big budget Hollywood films "have very few roles which are cast locally, and those roles are filled with union actors," unless a non-union actor has something specific that cannot be found in the union ranks, she said.
So with a smaller budget, non-union productions such as "One-Eyed Horse" offer opportunities for challenging roles and greater exposure for an actor like Chamish who is "looking for ways to expand my skills and try out new types of characters." Actor/producer Mark Redfield stars in "One-Eyed Horse" as the male lead, Justin Gatewood. He said he "agrees with and supports" Chamish's observations, "100%.
"There are really good, strong actors here in Maryland," Redfield said. "But from my producer's side, the good news for Screen Actors Guild (SAG) members is that, after many years, SAG is working out a contract that makes it easier for indie filmmakers like Wayne to work with SAG actors."

Appropriate Channels
While Shipley said he hasn't thought too much about film festivals or distribution yet, he and Redfield think that the DVD market represents the right opportunity to make some money for their efforts.
Redfield, noting that the market for DVDs is driven by huge retailers like Best Buy and Wal-Mart that normally carry big Hollywood titles and multi-disc TV hits, knows that the Internet plays a key role in making indie movies available to the masses.
"The big guys don't risk carrying small indie films with no advertising and marketing budget," he said. "They want volume so they can move as much product as they can."
It's doubtful that a movie like "One-Eyed Horse" will be found at many brick and mortar establishments, period. "A place like [the recently defunct] Tower Records was an example of a place where you could find the huge hits, as well as indie films, and that underscores the battle all filmmakers have," Redfield said. "It's about shelf space.
"But now," he said, "that market is shifting to the Internet and sites like www.amazon.com [and www.tower.com, for that matter]. Unlike 20 years ago, you can go online and find any film you want today."

Who's Next?
As for Shipley's efforts, Jack Gerbes, director of the Maryland Film Office, said that there are many talented local filmmakers in Maryland "that work in various genres, not just long-form movies," he said, ranging from science fiction to horror, to drama, to period pieces.
"One never knows which indie filmmaker will end up hitting it big," Gerbes said, noting a famous Maryland-born and bred producer who produced "Pink Flamingos" with virtually no budget in Baltimore 35 years ago: He's now known as "The Pope of Trash," John Waters.
Gerbes offered a more recent example. "Several years ago, our office helped a couple of local filmmakers from Montgomery County," Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez, produce an indie movie. That effort became "The Blair Witch Project."
As for westerns, Hollywood does not produce many these days. But Redfield said he doesn't think they have ever gone out of style, noting the upcoming remake of "High Noon" from acting legend Robert Mitchum's son Chris (and others) and the recent update of "3:10 to Yuma," which stars Russell Crowe and Christian Bale.
"Middle America still enjoys this type of production," he said, "and that market has largely been untapped. I'm not expecting a break-out hit like 'Blair Witch' with 'One-Eyed Horse,' but we anticipate solid success with the DVD."
Indeed, their spirits are already so buoyed by the experience that Shipley, Redfield and some of their colleagues already have plans to work on two more western stories that Redfield is developing.
As for the current endeavor, "If we have a muscular, medium-sized hit that people might want to watch on TV five or 10 years from now," Redfield said, "that would be pretty cool."