Stranger Things” and “Parks and Recreation” are a couple of hit television shows based in Indiana, but rarely has a TV production ever been filmed in Seymour.
Earlier this month, filmmaker Brian Snow brought his crew to the city to direct a 30-minute TV pilot he wrote called “In Justice Indiana.”
Snow owns a film production company called Roamin’ Soldier Productions because he said he is a veteran and is “never anywhere for long.”
He plans on basing his production company in Seymour and wants to build a pole barn for a soundstage in which to shoot movies.
Spending a long time in Los Angeles, California, Snow said he did improvisational comedy, acting and stunts.
The move to Seymour was because of Snow having family in Indianapolis and Louisville and because his wife, Lisa, got a job as a pediatrician at Schneck Medical Center.
Seymour being in close proximity to Indianapolis, Louisville and Cincinnati also factored into the decision to start doing film in Jackson County.
“All of those three major cities are (less than two hours) away, and there’s a lot of production that happens, and I think I can bring a lot of it to Seymour,” Snow said.
Getting students from Indiana University to do filming in Seymour is another one of Snow’s aspiration.
Indiana might become a more popular location for film due to the state not requiring film permits, Snow said. Prior to filming, the state only highly recommends contacting local law enforcement before shooting a production.
If Indiana offered more tax incentives to filmmakers, Snow said he thinks the state would be booming with productions.
“In Justice Indiana” also features local talent. Seymour natives Aaron Boknecht and Robin Redicker are a part of the cast for the production, and Jackson County Sheriff’s Department officers Aaron Wilkins and Dustin Steward are also featured in the film.
At a Jackson County Commissioners meeting in October, Snow was able to get permission from all three commissioners to use a Jackson County Emergency Medical Services ambulance in the shooting of the film.
The crew also consists of cinematographer Sean Mckie and stunt coordinator Isaac Ahmady, who are both from the West Coast, and Indianapolis-based gaffer Adam Rockhill. Snow also is an actor for the pilot.
The tagline for the episode says, “Highlighting issues facing the justice system, two friends are forced to take matters into their own hands if justice is to be served after the untimely death of one of the men’s mothers.”
Snow said the justice system is a focus for the project. Justice is a fictional town that is used as a setting for the show.
“This particular episode highlights some of the issues that law enforcement faces when the justice system just keeps letting people out and how they don’t have enough funding to do the help that they want to do,” he said. “Sometimes, it makes people have to do some bad stuff because they don’t feel like they’re being supported.”
He explained some of the episode’s plot.
“In this particular episode, a fella feels like his mom has been murdered,” Snow said. “There’s no evidence of it, but something ain’t right, and so he’s asked law enforcement to help, but they’re like, ‘We can’t do nothing for you.’”
A couple of Seymour locations where the pilot was shot were Laurel Street and the Mutton Creek neighborhood. On county roads near Waymansville, a car crash site was filmed.
Putting the film together is a nine-month process, Snow said. He wants to have the pilot ready by fall 2022.
Once finished, he plans on pitching the pilot to CMT and other TV networks in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Nashville.
An 18-minute cut also will be created that Snow says he will take to film festivals, like Indiana’s Heartland Film Festival, LA Shorts International Film Festival in Los Angeles and the Austin Film Festival in Austin, Texas.
Police officers and EMTs in Jackson County also will be treated to a private screening of “In Justice Indiana” by Snow next summer.
“End of summer next year, we’re going to have a big premiere,” he said.