“You have a great opportunity in this state; perhaps the greatest anywhere.”

— Harry Morrison, 1951

SCENE ROUGH CUT: Dean meets Wallace Riggs (re-enactor) after an elaborate performance on the Thunder Mountain Express.

Writing Mirage, we set out to make “the Idaho film that all others will be graded against.”. A large-scale independent production shot on film that showcases everything Idaho has to offer — and what Idahoans stand for. Likewise, our film will feature real local businesses within the community, and real interviews with Idahoans affected by price hikes across the state. In order to prepare for this film we had to leave for over a decade. In that time we’ve won Emmys, premiered music videos on Rolling Stone, NPR, and with NASA in space! Written a 1950s sci-fi noir book that’s being adapted into a podcast. Made an ALIEN film with Ridley Scott/20th Century Fox, and premiered our latest horror feature Hypochondriac at SXSW with theatrical distribution through XYZ Films… All to bring that knowledge and expertise back home.

THE PROCESS

 

  • Our goal has always been to make big budget Idaho films. In order to build that film infrastructure, we need to not only think of it as art, but as commerce. Making films that people want to see, while ensuring the stories have something to say. Films that will recoup their budgets, putting funds back into the local economy. With all the California money flooding into the state, this will happen eventually — We’re here to ensure it starts with local stories. Along with our film, we’ll be releasing a case study and “making of“ documentary so that future artists and students have a business plan to emulate for projects of their own.

  • Aidan came back to Boise from Los Angeles in 2020 to finish writing/prepping Mirage… Then the pandemic hit. Surprisingly, that presented the opportunity to work within the Boise arts community, to see what is here and what could be built upon. In collaboration with LED, Aidan directed the feature-length dance narrative RUIN, followed by a privately funded ensemble climate-change short that won the 2022 Sun Valley Film Festival “Gem State Award”. Forging connections with food vendors, shops, and businesses through each of these projects — the foundation for a real 208 film industry.

    Now 2023, the script is done. Our distribution plan in place. We’ve shot a full week of production (October 2022) to iron out any potential issues during principal photography, and locked shooting locations, with production slated to begin later this year.

  • Many indie filmmakers never think about how a film will recoup its budget for investors until it’s too late (getting a film made is hard enough), let alone turning a profit. We’ve spent a lot of long hours speaking with other filmmakers, asking advice on how their first features went, and what could’ve been done better. Lining up theatrical distribution across the Northwest, theaters similarly interested in showcasing our underrepresented region. All in an effort to prepare for our own production, and turn a profit for our investors with a sensible distribution plan.

    The future of Idaho film begins here.