When tragedy strikes, Malachite walks away from his life as
a warrior, a vigilante. a hero and embraces the sedentary existence of "Michael", a
man who's only wish is to spend his days in quiet ambivalence only to find that
though we may never find the destiny we seek, destiny always has a way of finding
you.
For a Hero on the run, salvation means
"Turning Back"
NO ‘TURNING BACK’: Wichita Filmmakers Shoot Superhero Film by Monique Mitchell
September, 2006 edition of
Screen Magazine
Director William Brown took a big chance on creating his latest superhero flick, "Turning Back."
According to Brown, the film required a lot of dedication and resources. Unfortunately, the
filmmaker found that he did not have a clue as to what he was doing. "I was open with everyone
about it. My plan was to surround myself with people who did know what they were doing, and then
take all of the glory," the Kansas-native jokingly retorts. "But, what actually happened was
somehow a lot of things became available. It seemed like there was a little bit of God in there
[helping us out]."
Brown, who is also a published poet and screenwriter, says that he has an amazing crew, and a
story that does not offer an ordinary account of what a superhero is. According to the filmmaker,
"Turning Back" shows characters who are "broken, but who are also trying to find some normalcy
in their lives."
The film stars Stuart Bogle as Michael a.k.a. "Malachite." Bogle, who is also the film’s stunt
coordinator and safety director, depicts Michael as an introversive, everyday man, who just so
happens to be at the right place at the wrong time. "[In the film], there is a hostage situation,
and eventually, a woman gets killed," explains Brown. "Michael decides to intervene." This is an
action that, according to the film’s assistant director, Ginger Bynorth, can happen to anyone -
including herself.
"[Not too long ago], a woman was being severely accosted just on the other side of my fence,"
says Bynorth. "I had to make the decision to call [the police] and tell them everything that I
was seeing and hearing. [I] had to get over the fact of how badly she was being accosted and
[then] make the decision to step in and possibly get hurt. And that’s something that people do
everyday in this world. So, I thought ‘Well, I like that. In this story, it gives a touch of a
superhero image and it gives viewers something that they can identify with."
Brown says that he based the story on real-life experiences. "We have characters that were once
superheroes, but are now alcoholics and homeless. Michael’s love interest is a prostitute,
struggling with a drug addiction. And Michael is a guy with a crappy security guard job. He’s
the type of guy who sits in the back of the diner and observes everybody else. This film asks
the question, what if these types of superheroes really exist. What would it be like for them?"
While the film explores that notion, Brown and Bynorth found that putting this type of a film
together would be a little more difficult. "We had some really dedicated people that stuck it
out [for a long period of time]," says Bynorth. "The weather conditions were bad, we were even
in swamps. I was filming up to the tops of my ankles in water, there were snakes swimming by."
Bynorth, who also worked on the film’s pre-production and did most of the camera work, says that
she wanted to be involved with the project because she felt that Brown was a talented storyteller.
"I thought that we could do this," she says. "[Not too many people] have done anything like this
with a feature film in Wichita. We initially had a huge amount of cast and crew and then it sort
of weeded itself down to the people who were really dedicated and interested in working on this
film." The crew worked on the project for over two years, and during that time, they spent close
to $10,000. According to Bynorth, that expense mainly went toward the equipment.
Most of the crewmembers provided supplies and even money to keep the project going. Bynorth paid
for the Panasonic AG-DVX100A camera that was used to shoot the film’s local scenes. Brown says
that he paid for production space for the web site, video tape and some local advertising.
Fortunately, almost everything else was provided for free. Brown and Bynorth say that many of the
actors provided their own costumes and props. Brown says that additional props were "picked up at
thrift stores and garage sales. Locations were free; lighting was makeshift." In addition, Susie
Davis from NuModel and Talent Group offered Brown their facility to hold auditions. Some of the
models from the agency were cast as extras.
Brown says that although filming the project has been trying at times, he is proud of what he
and his crew have been able to do. "This film has high production value," says Brown. "And, I
believe that this project is going to [shine some light on] all of the local talent that we have
right here in Wichita."
