That's a Wrap!
Local residents included as actors, cameramen and crews swarm Wharton locations during shooting of 'Mindsight'
By BARRY HALVORSON bhalvorson@journal-spectator.com

Staff photo by Barry Halvorson Getting inked for the screen, cast member Gene Bolton, right, allows tattoo artist JR Budz to pen gang symbols on Bolton's arm in preparation for shooting scenes at the Wharton County Jail.

Everyone is entranced by the glitz and glamor of red carpet movie openings whether they be for a Hollywood blockbuster or an independent film being debuted at a film festival in hopes of finding a distributor.

But getting to that opening is a different matter.

A number of Wharton County residents got a close look at the kind of effort that goes in to the making of an independent film during three days of shooting "Mindsight" at various locations in Wharton. The Wharton County Courthouse was the background for Saturday, the Wharton County Jail was the shooting scene on Sunday while the former jail was used Monday to take advantage off the cells still upstairs in the building.

"Mindsight" is being produced by Gut Check Productions, a film company based in Richmond that includes former El Campo resident Jon-Michael Foshee as one of its partners. It was Foshee who convinced his partners Wharton County was a good location and made arrangements with the county to use its buildings.

Photo contributed by Elmer Cavender Two "inmates" act out a knife fight in front of the camera during the filming of a movie behind the Wharton County Jail this past weekend.

In discussing Wharton County as a location, Foshee said it more that lived up to its billing in impressing his partners Billy S. Cox III and Rodney Acevedo.

"Everywhere we went, the people were great and more than accommodating," Foshee said. "The county, the jail and Jim and Ann Gooden (who own the old jail) just opened their arms to us and we couldn't have asked for more hospitality."

When the production company arrived in town, the cast included a number veteran actors along with others less experienced who are trying to establish themselves in the business by getting another appearance on the resume. But several of the people appearing in the background of the film will be Wharton County residents who volunteered to serve as extras out of an interest in seeing themselves in a movie or because they were recruited.

Staff photo by Barry Halvorson Getting the lights, camera and sound ready for the call of action, cast and crew prepare to shoot a scene in the courtroom of the Wharton County Courthouse for the film Mindsight. Described as a "psychological thriller," the independent film is being produced by Gut Check Productions out of Houston. Among those appearing in the film was Wharton County Sheriff's Bailiff Troy Albrecht, who is in full uniform for this shot. The script had Albrecht being shot moments later in the film.

Friendship was the big reason El Campo residents Ronnie Carroll and Freddie Douglas were at the jail Sunday morning. Both were sought-after as extras by Foshee.

"Jon and I were in theater productions in high school and he's been trying to get me into the business," said Carroll, a University of Houston business major. "From what I've seen, its pretty neat. Jon's been doing this awhile and really is excited about being in Wharton County for a shoot."

But while Foshee's career path is acting, Carroll said being an extra is probably a one-shot deal for him.

"I wanted to see what happens," he said. "I'm naturally curious about how it works and I could fit it into my weekend. But I'm here as an extra more out of friendship to Jon than to see myself on film. He wants me to get an agent but I'm just doing it because I thought it would be a experience."

Douglas seemed even less enthused about acting. Happy in his career as a car salesman, he couldn't turn down his former football teammate when Foshee called needing additional bodies to be in the background.

"He called me out of the blue and asked for my help," Douglas said. "What are you going to do? He's a teammate and when he called me up, I told him I'd be there for him."

One of the more experienced members of the cast is Houston resident Scott Jefferies. A former high school quarterback in San Antonio, Jefferies has 15 years of acting experience on his resume.

He said he was attracted to the project by the film's director, Cox, who also wrote the script. Acevedo is serving as the film's producer while Foshee is assisting as producer as well playing a role in the film.

"I was in his first film and it was a good experience," Jefferies said. "Billy has a great vision as to what he wants to put on film. A lot of films today are candy-coated fantasies that have gotten away from the realism of life. Billy has the ability to tap into the realism of life. This film is along the lines of 'Pulp Fiction' or the 'Kill Bill' movies - they are exaggerations but still have a spark of reality in them."

While not scheduled to shoot Sunday - the middle of three days of filming at Wharton locations - Jefferies showed up to help in any way he could to keep the film on schedule. That help included making a bagel run in the morning so the cast and crew could eat.

"The independent film community is really tight-knit," he said. "And you take jobs when you can find them but this production company is one of the better ones I've worked with. After a while you work with a number of people on various projects and you become a family.

"(Gut Check) works at keeping things professional and as a professional you appreciate that.

In this business, you develop reputations as to people you want to work with and people you don't.

And you try to do your best for the people you don't, but in this case you want to do more because it is a good group of people."

In the movie, Jefferies is cast as a tough police interrogator. Another Houston-based actor, Garwin Feggins, was cast as a jailed gang leader.

Having never worked for Gut Check, he said he got involved to add another appearance to his resume.

Like Jefferies and Feggins, Toby L. Hogue is also out of the Houston area and was contacted through his professional agent.

When not appearing in films, commercials or stage productions, he's a high school teacher and coach.

And because he's got several tattoos, he was hired for the film to play a jailed skinhead.

"It's type-casting but that doesn't really bother any actor," he said.

"You're looking for parts and this was an opportunity. I did some acting in high school and college and then took some time off, so this is the first big thing I've done in a while.

"I've been in a few commercials and had small parts in other projects. I remember my first acting job since I started again was in a workplace safety film where I was stabbed in the hand with a pencil. But it was work so I couldn't complain."

An aspiring professional wrestler, Nick Mitchell showed up on the set with a contract to appear in the film. His friend Josh Turner made the trip with him and was signed up as an extra.

"I came because I thought I might show up in the film," he admitted. "I don't think of this as being a career but I did some acting in high school and thought it would be a fun experience."

Combining the greeting received with the locations available, Foshee said Cox and Acevedo are as ready as he is to return to Wharton County in the future.

"Both said they'd welcome the idea of coming back if it fit a script," he said.

"Billy said he was amazed at the response and how our needs were taken care of immediately. And then there is the scenery and authenticity of the people and the communities. Wharton County is a great location."