In the movies

Shalimar Martinez, 16, dreams of going into the film business.

The Permian student recently took part in the making of the movie “Open When Johnny Can Read,” a film being produced in Midland.

She said her dad found the film online, and she’s interested in the behind the scenes aspects of a movie. She got to take part firsthand, doing lighting and sound, even working with the actors to some degree.

“I kept track of what they wore in each scene. I just enjoyed it so much,” Martinez said.

She described film as a fun job but serious at the same time and said she intends to study the art in college. Laughter permeated the filming throughout the city.

“We had a lot of funny moments throughout each day,” Martinez said. “It was just amazing, and I found how the characters meshed together in the plot interesting.”

Co-director Matthew Griffin is also the film’s scriptwriter and said he pitched the idea to filmmaker Sean Stringer last fall after writing the script in a little over a week.

“We refined it a bit and decided to do it ourselves after a production company wanted more changes,” he said.

The film’s about a college graduate in between college and career who learns a lot by taking a part-time job at a landscaping company. She learns a secret about her boss, who keeps an unopened letter from his father.

“Making the movie was difficult in ways I didn’t expect until we started shooting,” Griffin said. “It was a lot of fun. We got to do different things and brought in people from around the world.”

The production timeline is expected to conclude with a DVD release by some point this fall, as Griffin said the primary filming process is over. Editing all the footage together is the next task.

The lead actor was Andy McPhee, who hails from Australia and plays a role in the FX series the Sons of Anarchy.

“I’m working in LA now, but I was cast in this before I got the part. I loved the script and love to travel to take part in films like this,” he said.

He said he liked the Permian Basin’s fresh air and the complexity to his part.

Actress Venus Monique lives in Midland and is originally from Iraan.

She said she’s excited about how the movie is an open source production, with followers seeing the process unfold through the film’s website and social networking sites.

“We can follow it. Everyone can see it made over time. That’s exciting,” Monique said.

Griffin said this is one of the first few films made by a digital camera with video capabilities, in this case a Canon 7D.

“It’s totally different because you have the ability to change lenses and do all the things you can’t do with a home video camera,” he said.

The smaller camera allows for easier set-up and filming in smaller spaces as well. Making the movie is just part of Griffin’s artistic side.

“I like to do a lot of things and have eclectic interests,” he said.

TIMELINE
>> Fall 2009: Script written.
>> Winter 2010: Auditions held.
>> Spring/summer 2010: Filming/editing.
>> Fall 2010: Editing finished and film released.