People are inspired by great works of art. Even bad works of art can inspire, in a different way. Take, for example, the Hollywood action film Kent Johnson saw about 15 years ago. He doesn't remember the name of the film, but it was a memorable experience for other reasons. “It was terribly written,” Johnson recalls. “I walked out of the theater saying, 'I can write a better script than that.’”
That was the start of a personal journey that has taken the Woodbury filmmaker to his current project: trying to finance and shoot a $4 million film about pro motorcycle racing, called Full Throttle.
Back to that terrible action film in the late ‘90s: Johnson didn't let the fact he had no screenwriting training or experience deter him from putting talk into action. He knocked out a 100-page script (written in longhand) for The Rebels, about a semi-pro basketball team based in Rochester, Minn. He presented it to the owner of a local industrial filmmaker, who showed him how to format and design the script, and paid him to do several rewrites.
Johnson would still like to make The Rebels film, but he's also moved on to other film projects. While continuing to work his day job as director of talent acquisition for IT solutions firm Comm-Works, he founded his company, Rebel Filmworks.
In 2005, Johnson—with the help of Twin Cities screenwriter/director/producer Bill Kruse—scripted and filmed a short (18-minute) film to serve as a “calling card” for his filmmaking talents. He spent about $40,000 to finance the film, H-E-N-R-Y, shot in super 35mm film at Stillwater State Prison and edited at Bill Pohlad's River Road Studios. The film was well-received and picked for showings at several festivals, including the Los Angeles and Minneapolis-St. Paul film fests.
Now Johnson is focused on raising the money to film Full Throttle. Johnson has had conversations with the Los Angeles talent agency that represents actor Zac Efron, who has a personal interest in motorcycle racing. “We'd like to get the film 'attached' to Zac and get funding that way,” Johnson says.
Independent films often wind up showing at “art houses” rather than competing with Hollywood blockbusters for screen time at multiplex cinemas. But with his racing film, Johnson opted to aim for the commercial market, and indulge his love for spectacular action films. “We asked ourselves, 'Why can't we make a kick-ass action film that would really stand out?' A concept like this one almost writes and produces itself,” he says.
Kruse, who worked in the indie film world before joining Pixel Farms, the Minneapolis-based production house, says Johnson' s idea has the kind of commercial potential that backers look for. “He has conceptually built a project that could be a potential vehicle for sales,” Kruse says, and in an industry that requires uncommon persistence, “he certainly is driven.”
Just as essential as the film pros to Johnson's effort has been the support of his wife, Stacy, and their daughters Alyssa, 12, and Madison, 8. The Johnsons have lived in Woodbury since 1998. “My wife and our extended family have been hugely supportive,” says the 53-year old Edina native.
The filmmaker continues to spend quite a bit of time trying to line up backers for Full Throttle. “Until we get it financed, the pitching never ends,” Johnson says. “Part of that is talking to the Best Buys, the Yamahas, the Pennzoils...It could be financed via that avenue; the film could be a fabulous vehicle for their products.”
Johnson is fully aware that his chances of succeeding face long odds. But a quote from the author T.S. Eliot on his website sums up his attitude: "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."
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For more information on Kent Johnson’s film production company, go to rebelfilmworks.com
