Brandon Twp.- The backyard of Marilyn and Aaron Burns, siblings and township residents, is expansive with many trees. It might look like many others, but with one notable exception? it has what appears to be a fortress? remnants of a movie set.
The structure shows signs of being burned and was, as part of a scene in the movie, ‘Pendragon: Sword of His Father.? Marilyn, 22, and Aaron, 20, recently completed the full-length feature film, much of which was made at the home they share with their parents, Tracey and Andy, and siblings, Shannon and Nathan. The movie was set to be distributed through Christian retail stores this week and is available for a purchase price of $19.99 at their website, www.pendragonmovie.com. They have already distributed more than 3,000 copies.
The formerly homeschooled students, now both attending Oakland University, experienced every aspect of filmmaking with ‘Pendragon?? from acting, to composing a score, to costume design, to creation of the set and writing of the script.
‘We learned incredible amounts of how to do stuff? from how to contact people, use software, and make armor? we learned crazy things you never think of,? said Marilyn. ‘It was crazy trying to do this and work and go to school. But in the end, all the craziness was worth it.?
‘Pendragon? got its start about four years ago when Marilyn and Aaron decided it would be fun to make a larger movie than the few small ones they had previously made with a ‘cheesy video camera.? The siblings combined their love of doing things with their extended family and passion for history and came up with the idea for ‘Pendragon.?
The story is set in Britain during the Dark Ages, about 400-500 A.D. and tells the story of Artos (played by Aaron), the son of a village chieftain. The Roman Empire retreats and leaves the village to be destroyed by barbarians. Artos? father tells him the Lord has called him, but when the village is destroyed, Artos gives up hope. Through a series of events, Artos ends up with another leader and meets Marilyn’s character, Wenneveria.
The story is based on three facts from the King Arthur period, the rest are legends, from which Marilyn and Aaron developed ‘Pendragon,? which has a main cast of 14 characters, most played by their cousins and other family members.
‘Really our goal was to make a Christian project,? said Aaron. ‘The message is what God calls you to do, he gives you the grace to accomplish it.?
Aaron said that what is ironic is the message held true for their them in real life as they made the movie. Their project’s starting point was the script, but they continually revised it throughout filming and it was never completed until the editing was finished. When they were ready to begin work on the set (built from dead ash trees), they sent out mass e-mails seeking assistance, with 17 people showing up the first day and 25 the next. The Burns? home soon turned into a full-fledged studio.
‘We had men, women, and kids working here,? said Marilyn. ‘We had chainsaws going, eight sewing machines, shields being painted, fabric everywhere, cutting being done on the floor.?
‘I got greedy,? adds Aaron. ‘I said, ‘With all these people here, let’s make it bigger.??
The project began with about 40 extras and a budget of $6,000. By the end of filming, they had roughly 400 extras and the budget had ballooned to $80,000, most of which was donations.
Besides their backyard, where they drained a swamp, built a tent village and put boxes around generators supplying power so as not to bother the neighbors, they filmed at other locations in Michigan, as well as in four other states? Missouri, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. They borrowed horses and filmed at all different hours of the night.
‘Organizing and scheduling was the hardest,? Aaron says. ‘We had to categorize to where I had a beard and didn’t; when we needed this number of extras this night and more another night; these costumes here and those there. We didn’t shoot chronologically.?
The movie was filmed using Canon XL2 and Canon XHA1 cameras. A cousin used photoshop to manipulate mountains and cities into scenes of the movie, but the special effects were real, such as the burning of the fortress in the movie.
What wasn’t burned during filming is now being used in the family’s fireplace, laughs Aaron. He notes that he learned a lot from the experience of making a movie.
‘The scope of working on something bigger than yourself is rewarding,? he said. ‘It was also great fun to ride horses, play with swords, and blow things up.?
Marilyn and Aaron say they would someday like to make another movie, but on an even larger scale, and they would hire actors.
‘It was really neat to be part of this,? said Aaron. ‘Not too many people get to do this and work with a team as committed as we had and we would like the opportunity to do it again. I hope ‘Pendragon? will change people’s lives and be a positive influence.?