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Dinosaurs invade Cascade in new film project

Steve Fogarty | The Chronicle-Telegram

A young girl picks up a weathered treasure map floating in a river. She takes in its details, all the while glancing nervously over her shoulder.

Something’s out there.

A moment later, she whirls around. Her eyes widen in terror as a roaring T. rex stampedes into view. In the next few moments, a vintage World War II fighter plane swoops down over the Black River, an ancient temple looms above the trees, and the girl is chased by a giant spider and scorpion.

The Black River?

Yep, and those big rocks the terrified girl dashes through trying to get away are in Elyria’s Cascade Park, where some of the action is set for “Not in Ohio,” an ambitious adventure-fantasy that will hold final cast auditions at the end of this month at Lorain County Community College.

A trailer produced to hype the movie can be seen on youtube.com and at the film’s official Web site, www.ohiomovie.homestead.com.

The title of the movie, slated to be shot over a month this summer in Cascade, Mill Hollow and other Lorain County parks by Lorain filmmaker J. Carlos Gonzalez, jokingly refers to a line in the script.

“Things like this (movie production) can happen here, and I want to make them happen,” Gonzalez said.

“So many movies for kids and families are so boring because all they have is special effects,” Gonzalez said. “There’s got to be more to it than that. I want this to be a roller coaster ride with smart characters, snappy dialogue and a good story. I call it ‘National Treasure’ meets ‘The Goonies.’ ”

His new film will contain “no swearing or sexual innuendo, but adults won’t be bored with it.”

The movie has a projected $350,000 budget. Gonzalez said the majority of the budget has been pledged by a small number of investors who have not yet been named. The exact sum of money is still being negotiated.

“‘The Blair Witch Project’ success factor is there,” Gonzalez said. “We just needed someone willing to take a chance on us.”

“The Blair Witch Project” was a bargain-basement, 1999 independent horror film made by a handful of 20-somethings. A raging success, the film grossed $140 million on a reported $60,000 budget, according to the Internet Movie Database.

“I’m extremely happy and extremely scared,” Gonzalez said with a laugh. “There’s no turning back now. This feels like a freight train running downhill without brakes.”

Gonzalez is using a lot of local talent, but he also has a pair of legitimate movie pros onboard, each of whom hails from Ohio. One is Gus Park, the film’s stunt coordinator, whose credits include the FX series “Rescue Me.” The other is make-up effects artist George Simpson III, who helped create the werewolf makeup for the 1999 suspense thriller “Arlington Road” and the 2003 horror-fantasy “Underworld.”

“Thank God for the strike,” Gonzalez said with a laugh, referring to the ongoing work stoppage by the Writers Guild of America. “Otherwise, these guys would not have been available.”

“Not in Ohio” tells the story of a group of childhood pals who reunite as adults 20 years later to search for a fabled lost city of gold described in a map they bought online.

“They spend the night together and get lost,” Gonzalez said. “When they wake up, they’re kids again.”

The young actress in the film’s teaser is Jasmine A. Villaneuva, a teen who portrays Chrissy, the main character. Her previous credits include “That Day,” a multi-generational family drama shot in Lorain County by Gonzalez in 2005.

Gonzalez said he is working with the Ohio Film Commission to help secure filming locations. He hasn’t yet approached Elyria city officials about filming in Cascade Park.

“We’re still pretty early in the process,” Gonzalez said.

A formal request to film in Cascade Park must be made through the office of Mayor Bill Grace, but no special permits should be required, according to Jim Hutchson, a deputy safety service director for the city.

“Judgment calls will have to be made at the time, and weather conditions could affect things,” Hutchson said, referring to the water levels of the Black River. “But we’ll do everything we can to accommodate them. The mayor is always willing to work with anybody.”

Contact Steve Fogarty at 329-7146 or sfogarty@chroniclet.com.

This website is owned and maintained by J. Carlos Gonzalez

Jasmine Villanueva discovers a dinosaur in this screen capture from the online trailer for "Not In Ohio"

The Chronicle - Telegram Front Page January 10, 2008

COURTESY LINE 10 ENTERTAINMENT

WANT TO TRY OUT?

The final casting call for “Not in Ohio” is slated for 3:30 p.m. Jan. 26 in Room CC227A on the second floor of the Lorain County Community College Center Mall.

Visit www.ohiomovie. homestead.com for further details.