\u201cYou mean the one about the fat boy?\u201d Writer Michael Buchanan candidly reflects on the origin of title to the book THE FAT BOY CHRONICLES that he co-wrote with Diane Lang. That\u2019s how the book was referred to by Buchanan\u2019s writing friends when it was in progress.<\/p>\n
The creative journey for novelist Buchanan began in 2006 when he was approached by a teen at a book signing.<\/p>\n
\u201cA young man approached us with his story of how he had been constantly bullied in middle school–simply because he was overweight.\u201d Buchanan says of the watershed moment. \u201cAnd, he spoke of how, with the support of his family and church, he changed his life for the better. As the sixteen-year-old\u2019s revelations unfolded, we began to reflect on our years as teachers and soon realized his issue was but one of many young people face today.\u201d <\/p>\n
During that time, filmmaker Jason Winn, who would later go on to direct the film version of THE FAT BOY CHRONICLES, was working as a commercial filmmaker. <\/p>\n
\u201cI had just directed several commercials for the NBA starring Steve Nash, Melo, Bobby Knight.\u201d Winn told me about where his career was in 2007, when the FAT BOY novel was being written. \u201cIt was right after I directed a marketing video with Vince Young that I decided to not pursue high-end videos anymore because it was taking up a ton of time looking for money and clients.\u201d<\/p>\n
One night Winn had an epiphany.<\/p>\n
\u201cI realized that I was doing the commercials for the wrong reasons and really wanted to get back into making films–my first love.\u201d Winn says of that night when he was reflecting on his future. \u201cSO I quit! I decided that I was going to edit wedding videos and work on raising money for my feature.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was when Winn traveled to Sundance and shot and directed a movie news related television show for an NBC affiliate. The Sundance environment further fed Winn\u2019s desire to give up commercial work and focus on making movies.<\/p>\n
\u201cSundance was awesome! What I realized at Sundance was that I had to make something. Upon returning from Sundance I was hell-bent on making a short.\u201d Winn began to make plans to shoot a short tentatively called DON\u2019T TELL that he was writing with his friend Michael Buchanan. But that short film ran production issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one wanted to let us use a dirty hotel room.\u201d Winn says playfully about the issues with DON\u2019T TELL. \u201cWe could not secure a location, so, we stalled out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Winn and Buchanan then started looking around their communities in Georgia and thinking about what stories they could tell.<\/p>\n
\u201cI called my friend Scott Tigchelaar at Riverwood, and he said we could use the back lot to build a set and blow stuff up and shoot guns etc,\u201d Winn says with a wide smile.<\/p>\n
Riverwood Studios located in Senoia, Georgia, has been the staging ground for many Hollywood productions. The upcoming Ashton Kutcher\/ Katherine Heigl film KILLERS was shot there. The location couldn\u2019t be better for Winn. The studio was literally right down the street from his home.<\/p>\n
The project that Buchanan and Winn came up with was the short film LAST BULLET. It is a lean narrative that Winn describes as \u201cjust ripping the blind fold off the audience and thrusting them into this perilous situation.\u201d <\/p>\n
LAST BULLET was an ambitious WWII short that thrusts the viewer right into the action. A fine film, BULLET saw several festivals and won some awards. But the most important thing was that it showed what Winn and Buchanan could do, and what they did on a limited budget was remarkable.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to show potential investors I could handle something big. A Big crew, Big ideas, and SFX and pyro.\u201d Winn admits. \u201cWe shot last bullet on the HVX200 and we did it in 2 very long nights. ECG agreed to produce with me and we had Bob Shelley do the SFX.\u201d<\/p>\n
Veteran special effects expert Bob Shelley has been working in the industry dating back to the 1970s. He also worked in Winn\u2019s home town recently on last year\u2019s popular ZOMBIELAND. Working with Shelley was a real bounce for Winn, especially on LAST BULLET, a film that involves a fair amount of pyrotechnics. <\/p>\n
ECG is a production and post-production house in Atlanta\u2014less than an hour\u2019s drive from Winn\u2019s home. He was fortunate that all the necessary pieces were close at hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew making a feature was going to be like Last Bullet on Steroids. But I felt I was ready to take it on.\u201d Winn says confidently. The grand adventure of bringing Lang and Buchanan\u2019s popular novel to the big screen as a feature lay ahead.<\/p>\n
In tomorrow\u2019s second and final part of my interview with writer Michael Buchanan and filmmaker Jason Winn, we learn about the process of making a modestly budgeted production so far from Hollywood. Check back tomorrow for Fat Boy Part 2.<\/p>\n