After two years of shooting short films and commercials for festivals and contests, Nathan Bunker is finally ready to try his hand at producing a full-length feature film.
‘It’s political thriller set in the not-too-distant future,? said the 2002 graduate of Oxford High School, who lives in North Hollywood, California and is cofounder of the company Original 3 Productions.
Entitled ‘The New Republic,? Bunker and his partners, Jeoff Hanser and Devin Marble, are planning to shoot the entire movie in 16 days this November.
They would like to have the low budget film completed next year. Bunker’s hoping to get it shown at the Oxford 7 Theater in order to generate some local buzz.
Bunker indicated the film’s about a kid who gains fame and a following by writing for an anarchist website. He once believed in the things he wrote, but now he just does it for his own amusement. He thinks its funny to make people mad.
‘Basically, like Jon Stewart (host of Comedy Central’s ‘The Daily Show?), but to the extreme,? he said.
A political group called The New Republic, a movement that says it wants to change Los Angeles, recruits him to write propaganda for them, but really they’re just using him to gain access to people in high places.
Bunker said the film follows the main character’s journey from an ‘anarchist boy? to a ‘hero and a man.?
Right now, Bunker and his partners are talking to potential investors and shopping the script around to get more people like themselves involved.
‘A lot of people are starting to work for free and for favors,? he noted. ‘We’re all helping each other out right now because we have low budgets and we’re trying to get into the industry.?
Original 3 Productions is hoping it convince a well-known actor to come in and shoot for one day to help generate interest in the film.
Although he’s focusing most of his efforts on the feature film, Bunker, who graduated from Columbia College Hollywood in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in cinema, has some other irons in the fire.
One is a project called ‘Jimmy Stenson? and it’s about ‘the world’s most hated child.?
The nine-minute short film, which Bunker wrote and directed, chronicles all the horrible, embarrassing and tortuous things that others inflict on poor Stenson at school and home.
For instance, everyday at school somebody puts a small dose of Windex glass cleaner in this lunch thermos until he basically becomes immune to it and can chug half a bottle.
Bunker describes it as a dark comedy in which the audience will laugh at what happens to Stenson, but also feel sorry for him. As the movie goes on and things get worse, the audience will start to feel guilty about laughing, but Bunker lets them off the hook with a hilarious surprise ending.
Although it’s only a short film, Bunker’s hoping it will help garner some interest in the full-length feature script he’s written about Stenson’s life.
Another short film Original 3 Productions is putting the finishing touches on is called ‘Boy Sounds.? Directed by Bunker, it’s a comedy about the fact that guys can make gunshot sounds with their mouths and girls can’t.
It features two guys and two girls facing off in a finger-gun battle in an apartment.
‘They just go crazy inside this apartment,? he said. ‘It’s people jumping over couches, flipping over tables.?
Bunker said the film’s shot, so it kind of resembles the gritty and realistic World War II movie ‘Saving Private Ryan.? When the boys shoot, the audience hears the real sounds of actual gunshots and explosions, whereas when the girls shoot the sounds are ‘bad and annoying.?
Outside the realm of movies, Bunker has an idea he’s hoping someone in the TV industry will notice. It’s called ‘Has-beens? and it’s about two out-of-work actors trying to make their way back into Hollywood.
The twist is one of them is a puppet and part of the show focuses on him trying to restart his career in the puppet world. Bunker likened it to what ‘if the Muppets were real actors instead of puppets.?
‘It’s like ‘Entourage? meets ‘Sesame Street,?? he said.
Ultimately, Bunker’s hoping one of his ?700 ideas? takes off so he can quit his day job and focus full-time of what he loves ? writing and directing.
Currently, Bunker works as an associate producer with a company called 495 Productions. He started there in January as a production assistant on the reality TV show ‘Dance Your Ass Off!? More recently, he worked as an associate producer on a hidden-camera dating show (he couldn’t reveal the name) due to debut on MTV in August.
Being an associate producer for television helps pay the bills, but it’s his work with Original 3 Productions that Bunker’s betting his hopes and dreams on.
‘We’re starting to develop relationships with people inside the industry,? he said.
Bunker and his partners formed the company in 2007. They bought a film quality camera using the $20,000 in prize money Bunker won creating a television commercial for the Detroit classic rock radio station 94.7 WCSX.
Since then, the company’s made about 30 videos in two years. Last year, they had some success when they won $5,000 as part of a contest in which they made a commercial for Ocean Potion sunscreen products.
Those wishing to view some of Original 3 Productions? work can do so by visiting YouTube.com and searching using the names Nathan Bunker, Jeoff Hanser or Devin Marble.
Bunker’s glad to see so many studios and production companies being started in his native Michigan as the state uses tax incentives to lure Hollywood folks here.
In the short-term, he believes the film activity will create jobs and give the state a much-needed shot in the arm economically.
However, he doesn’t see the film industry taking the auto industry’s place as the state’s economic powerhouse.
‘I definitely don’t think it’s the savior that everybody thinks it is,? he said. ‘It’s not going to save the economy out there.?
Why won’t Michigan become the next Hollywood in Bunker’s opinion? Two reasons. One is weather.
‘The reason people come to film out here is because it’s always sunny,? he explained. ‘You can always count on a sunny day. It’s easy to make rain, but you can’t make sun. In Michigan, the weather changes too drastically so you never know.?
The second reason is states giving tax incentives to the film industry isn’t something Michigan invented.
Bunker noted New Mexico and Canada used to be hot spots for shooting for the same reason. Now, Michigan is the place to be.
‘It’s one big rotation,? he said. ‘Next year, it will probably be some other place that will give them big tax cuts.?
For Michigan residents thinking about making the move to California to seek their fortune and fame ? or even just a job ? Bunker said you won’t be alone. ‘You’ll never believe how many people out here are from Michigan. It’s insane,? he said.
Michigan natives are welcome on the West Coast with open arms.
‘They love Michigan people out here,? Bunker said. ‘They talk about how Michigan people are hard-working and how dedicated they are to their jobs. If you’ve grown up in Michigan, and you come out here, you’ll definitely go places.?