One doesn’t expect to find giant carnivorous bugs in a quaint New England town. Or better yet be scared to the bone by a tale of mad scientists and time machines. So if you’re looking for a peaceful nights sleep while on your weekend getaway, stay clear of Rutland, Vermont. Just kidding! Much to my surprise this small town in Northern New England is quietly becoming a haven for independent filmmakers.

In 1988 Edgewood Studios opened for business bringing the film industry to Rutland. Over the last 15 years they have produced many feature films, independent film and documentaries. Through these processes they have learned the ins and outs of the industry and have worked hard to secure employment for many New Englanders. Over the last three years, as a coordinator, I have had the pleasure of working on various productions at Edgewood. This has given me the opportunity to meet many great people in our industry.

In the spring of 2000 Brett Piper, an independent filmmaker, known to his core of cult horror fans as the “Scare Master”, found himself in Rutland. He was part of a special effects crew working on a film called TRAPPED for Edgewood Studios. This proved to be the vehicle that led Brett to an introduction to studio head David Giancola.

At the time Brett had just finished a rough cut of a horror movie called PSYCLOPS. His story line centered on a video geek named Shep Franco who unleashes killer bugs and corpses when he discovers a machine that can bridge dimensions.

The bulk of the film had been completed but it had not yet been through postproduction. Piper was at a standstill. It was then that he and Giancola decided to form a partnership. Edgewood would handle the postproduction and sales for the film. Over the next three months they utilized Edgewood’s extensive postproduction facilities. Touching up scenes and reworking new ones PSYCLOPS was completely edited and the sound was mixed to develop a final cut. With the film polished and ready for distribution it was time for Giancola to go into overdrive.

David proceeded to secure financial backers and get the video released internationally. The film that started in central Vermont was soon traveling to contacts in Africa, the Pacific Rim, and South America and beyond. Best of all Piper and Edgewood still maintain ownership of the film. They were even able to negotiate distribution rights allowing Blockbuster Video to rent domestically.

With the success of PSYCLOPS Edgewood Studios and Piper decided to tackle a second film. In the spring of 2002 production began on ATACHNIA. The film tells the story of a group of college coeds who find themselves in deep trouble when a meteor awakens a nest of giant spiders! They must battle the arachnids and save their own lives.

With script in hand, the objective now was to create the entire film from start to finish. Piper was now able to utilize the extensive stages and equipment at the studio. Edgewood has over 18,000 sq. ft. of space and the lighting rental house New England Light and Grip right on site. This allowed the film to be shot on an incredibly small budget. The entire shoot from casting calls to rolling film was scheduled by Edgewood’s production office. Sound stages were quickly transformed by the art department into lifelike caves, airplane interiors and a rustic cabin. A crew was assembled from around the country and ARACHNIA began to roll film

Everyone had a blast during filming - Giancola even lent his hand as Director of Photography. A film crew from Burlington College was on set to record behind the scenes footage for a documentary they were producing. Planes were crashed and arachnids destroyed! Within three weeks principle photography was complete. It was time for Piper to take over.

It took many months for Piper to film all of the special effects sequences. Using miniatures and models built to scale, Brett created some very scary scenes. During this time Edgewood was in production on another film but Piper was able to continue shooting on a private stage. This enabled him to take as much time as he needed to see his vision through to the end. The film, after everyone’s hard work, turned out great. It is set to release on video this August.

In the world of film there are many creative minds that dream of transforming their visions to the screen but are sometimes hampered by limited resources. They may lack the necessary access to key personnel and equipment that is essential tools for profitable filmmaking. The dream of creating their own masterpiece has been there since childhood, once idle thoughts scribbled on a napkin slowly turn into pages of a script. Simple drawings turn into storyboards that tell a real tale. The challenge becomes manifesting these dreams into the reality of a film - a film that will be enjoyed by an audience. We in New England are lucky to have a place such as Edgewood where the little guy in the film industry finally has a voice.