–30– Rolling
Production continues on the film adaptation of –30–. Philip Gelatt wrote the screenplay and is directing. Will Battersby and Reno Productions are producing. The film has been in the works for about a year at this point and the crew is down to the last week or so of principal photography
The Kirkus (John DeNardo) description is one of the best I’ve seen:
…It’s about a pair of research scientists who are studying animal behavior and the effects of environmental changes in the isolated badlands where a murderous cult committed their atrocities. As the relationship between the researchers—wildlife biologists and former lovers—deteriorates, primeval forces are unleashed that even their high tech setup cannot stop.
The shoot is taking place in the hills outside Salem, New York. John Langan and I drove up from Rifton yesterday and spent a few hours with the crew. We did not take pictures for various reasons, but you can follow “–30–” progress via its Instagram feed.
This was my first visit to a set and I had a wonderful time thanks to the crew, Philip Gelatt, and Will Battersby. Philip and Will took time out of a hectic schedule to chat with us and discuss the film’s progress. Special thanks to Will for walking me through the intricacies of shoot protocol and nomenclature, and for providing anecdotes about the cursed land where the movie is taking place as well as several incidents related to set-up. I’m grateful Philip and Will permitted us access–thank you guys.
The team has gone through a lot to make this project a reality. It was fascinating to observe the process and the meticulous approach cast and crew are taking. I’m grateful that Sean Kirby is in charge of cinematography–you might recognize him for his work on numerous films and documentaries, including Cthulhu. I’ve read the script, which deviates slightly from the source material, but only insomuch as was necessary to translate to the screen; and we discussed intriguing thematic directions the film is headed. The actors (William Jackson Harper and Rebecca Henderson) are theater-trained and from the footage I witnessed, utterly immersed in the claustrophobic wilderness reality of “–30–.”
There are stages of wishful thinking in regard to adaptations–1. someone please adapt my work; 2. It got optioned, now I hope it gets made; 3. It’s getting made, please let it be good.
From what I’ve seen, I don’t merely dare hope it’ll be good; I dare hope they are putting together something special.
More news down the line as post production gets underway. There has been other nice Hollywood-related activity–in addition to “–30–” I’ve had a couple of major stories optioned recently. An official announcement is in the works.
