Tehachapi News
Local movie producer at the forefront of technology and pop culture
Local movie producer at the forefront of technology and pop culture
By: Matthew Chew
Description: Russ Appling lures willing ‘victims’ to theaters with movie about geocaching
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Posted by editor Tue May 29, 2007 09:11:53 PDT
Viewed 828 times
0 responses 0 comments Local movie producer and director Russ Appling has just returned from Louisiana where he filmed his latest cinematic project, Geo Hunt, The world’s most dangerous game.
The movie is a suspense-thriller about a maniacal killer who uses geocaching, a type of high-tech-treasure hunt utilizing Global Positioning Satellites (GPS), as a way to lure his victims to their deaths.
His co-director on the project was John Land, and with this film Appling and Land attempted to create a new process by which films are made, bridging the gap between digital and the visual quality of analog. Analog film cameras capture consecutive images, or frames, on film. Analog video cameras record images on various videotape formats as rows of continuous waves of red, green and blue intensities.The new process involves modifying digital cameras with special adapters that create the quality of analog, while utilizing the speed that digital photography affords.
“I’m trying to bridge that gap because electronically, right now movie makers don’t have the ability to let High Definition [HD] process the same amount of information that 35mm film will. By emulating the look, I think that it fools the mind’s eye and we get a resolution that comes pretty close, and I’m pretty excited,” Appling said, adding that many people can see the difference between the quality of 35 mm film resolution and that of HD video .
He said instead of trying to re-invent the wheel, he’s trying to get rid of the wheel all together.
Appling said Land was the technical partner while he (Appling) was the “get anything done guy.”
Appling’s film career began innocently enough in 1984 when, as a young Marine fresh out of boot camp, he was hired by producers Ulli Lomel and Suzanna Love to be the military casting director for a film they were producing in Tehachapi.
“That sort of sunk the hook into me,” said Appling.
Appling was stationed at Camp Pendelton when Clint Eastwood filmed Heartbreak Ridge there. Since that experience, he has stayed connected with the film industry as much as he can while maintaining his family obligations.
He has owned a bail bonds company in Mojave for 19 years and his devotion to his family has only allowed him to dabble in his passion. Now his daughter is old enough to run the family business and he is young enough, in both body and soul, to follow his dreams and passions.
Appling’s enthusiasm radiates, and his love for the film industry shines on those who come in proximity of him.
“This is my idea of happy retirement,” said Appling.
He worked recently with local film producer John Heavener on his production of Costa Rica: Confessions of an Exorcist as unit production manager.
He credits Heavener as a major influence in his film career. He said Heavener was an inspiration and has steered his career in the correct direction without the mistakes many new filmmakers experience.
Appling also credits Eastwood as an example of a director who cares sincerely for all those who work on his productions, learning the names of all who were on the set of Heartbreak Ridge, and often asked them what he could do to assist them to be their best that day.
Appling said he does the same thing now. One of Appling’s crew paid him a compliment recently, saying, “Coming to work is like coming to a party, except we work.”
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