San Benito County scenery featured in short film,
”
So Shall We Reap,
”
which debuted at film festival
San Benito County hit the big screen July 23 when filmmaker
Jessika Satori premiered her short film,
”
So Shall You Reap,
”
at the Action on Film International Film Festival in
Pasadena.
Satori discovered San Benito when she was scouting locations for
an historical Western film.
San Benito County scenery featured in short film, “So Shall You Reap,” which debuted at film festival
San Benito County hit the big screen July 23 when filmmaker Jessika Satori premiered her short film, “So Shall You Reap,” at the Action on Film International Film Festival in Pasadena.
Satori discovered San Benito when she was scouting locations for an historical Western film.
“I drove through Panoche and stopped at the Panoche Inn,” she said. “The rest is history.”
Filming over two and a half days in April, Satori used locations in Panoche at the Douglas Ranch and at the San Benito County Historical Park.
“Your county is beautiful,” she said. “The county is very welcoming.”
Satori’s film, which was nominated for two awards at the Pasadena festival (results were available after the Pinnacle’s deadline,) centers around the Myre family. The family is trying to preserve their ranch against all odds. As Satori described it, the movie follows a sister and two brothers who are trying to keep their property. The corrupt ring leader of the town wants to marry the sister, but she doesn’t want to marry him and her brothers against the proposal as well.
“A posse is after him and it’s quite an action film story,” Satori said. “It’s inspired by a true story. It’s the history – it’s why I wanted to shoot up here, because it is so unique.”
As a former college business professor, she said her scripts often involve family businesses.
“I wanted to focus on family business and a ranching story,” she said.
She had to get her Los Angeles film crew and the cast, most of home are from the Fresno area, to come on board. She had about 11 crew members and 10 actors. She even recruited New Idria resident, Kate Woods, to play a role in the film.
“The challenge was that it was remote from Los Angles,” she said. “The most challenging was getting the grip truck and making sure we had enough electricity. But working on the Douglas Ranch was very easy.”
While the cast and crew were in the county, they stayed at the Cinderella Motel, in Hollister. They ate at local restaurants and the staff of the Panoche Inn fed them one day.
Though the shooting on location was short and the post-production only took six weeks, Satori said she dedicates a lot of time to her films in pre-production.
“I am really a stickler on rehearsals,” she said. “I came from a theater background. We’ve been rehearsing for a year. The script came out in about six months.”
Satori, who produces the films under the studio name Audacious Aperture, has made five short films. She has written original scripts for each film. She embraces the film festival circuit.
“There is this wonderful website, Without a Box (www.withoutabox.com,)” she said. “You put in your film and its characteristics and they have all the film festivals in the world and give all the deadline dates.”
Attending film festivals provides a chance for filmmakers to market their film as well as find future opportunities.
“It’s being seen by people who have seen your work and can see how it’s improved,” she said. “You can show off your actors and crew. Always after a showing they have a Q&A. There are a lot of celebrities, as well as distributors and other directors who are looking for fresh talent.”
Lon Hannah stars as Quentin, one of the central characters in the movie. Hannah has worked with Satori on several of her other short films.
Ron Vidor worked as the director of photography on “So Shall You Reap.” He is a 40-year veteran camera and Steadicam operator. He worked in the camera and electrical department on more than 80 films or television series, including “Romancing the Stone,” “ER,” and “Lethal Weapon.”
“He took a big chance on me,” Satori said. “He’s an incredible person and director of photography. He’s the person who made the film look so beautiful.”
