By Mary Owen
By partnering with a Salem film company, two Stayton brothers have launched their filmmaking career with a short film.
“The movie, Chryzinium, began in September of 2013 from a concept that Rick Lord and my brother, Tim Wade, came up with after watching an end-times theologian discuss the coming Antichrist as discussed in the Book of Revelation,” said Phillip Wade of Ambition Pictures. “I soon became enveloped in the idea, quit my job as a web developer, and plans for the movie quickly transformed into a script written by Rick.”
Rick Lord of Matchlight Films moved from Los Angeles to the Pacific Northwest in 1977 to break into the burgeoning Portland movie scene. Lord worked his way around the camera from actor to gaffer to director of photography. With more than a thousand television commercials and numerous short and independent feature films under his belt, the author of two books on filmmaking now spends his time writing and directing.
Formerly the production manager for Keizer Channel 23, Phillip Wade began his film career in his early teens, collaborating with brother, Tim, whose talent for art blossomed into creating short films and videos. The two have been making films since 2003 and were looking for an avenue to work on larger projects, Wade said.
Their partnership with Lord involved Tim developing the concept art to create the look and feel of Chryzinium and raise the $7,500 calculated to get the project off the ground and onto the screen, Wade said.
Tuesday, Sept. 23, 7 p.m.
Grand Theater, 191 High St., Salem.
Doors open 6:30 p.m.
Admission: two cans of food or
$2 for Salem Union Gospel Mission
In April, the trio and other group members, including set coordinator Todd Spiegelberg and art director Janet Beeson, started building sets in Stayton and Salem.
“A few days after interior and exterior sets were completed, we embarked on the first day of filming at the Macleay Store and completed filming in mid-May,” Wade said. “Rendering the footage and editing took approximately three months.”
The short version of Chryzinium, which the trio hopes to turn into a full-length film, will plat Sept. 23, 7 p.m., at the Grand Theater. To watch a movie trailer, visit Chryzinium Movie Premiere at matchlightfilms.com.
The story revolves around a man and his daughter living in a post-apocalyptic era. Taking the controversial drug, Chryzinium, has become universal law. The film asks how far will the human race go to survive? Based on experiments dating back to the 1940s, the moral and social questions are issues today.
“Our film centers around what life may be like (during the reign of the Antichrist), especially for those who choose not to be controlled by him/it,” Wade said.
Chryzinium joins Rock Bottom and Angel’s Wings as movies produced by Matchlight Films and Ambition Pictures.
“We have continued to expand as a film ministry with the help of over 30 active volunteers. New movies are being developed as we speak,” Wade said. “The actors in Chryzinium hail from Salem, Stayton, Rickreall, Keizer and Vancouver. The crew is local, too, mostly from Salem, Stayton, Jefferson, Keizer, Canby and Scio.
“Our desire is to produce wholesome and though-provoking feature films,” Wade said. “We decided to pool our available resources and produce the 25-minute short as proof of concept.” Matchlight Films welcomes anyone who has an interest in wholesome filmmaking, Wade said, adding they meet Saturday mornings at Bad Girls Coffee Shop in Salem to talk about projects.
