The Herald-News - News Story

    What happens to the guy in alien movies who never sees the creatures from outer space? Filmmakers Matt Rogers and Josh Long explored that question in their newest short film shot exclusively in Dayton.
    Screenwriter Josh Long, a 2005 Bryan graduate, penned the comedy-drama "Larry vs. the Alien" in early 2007. He said he got the idea from watching alien flicks and wondering what happens to the people who don't witness the alien invasion.
    The only on-screen character, Larry, played by Jack Harkleroad, is a farmer who hears of an alien invasion on the news and prepares to have a close encounter, only to be sorely disappointed by the end of the film.
    Harkleroad hails from Chattanooga and has a 30-year professional acting repertoire, including television movies, independent films, commercials, short films, operas, ballets, plays and musicals. Long said he and Rogers held auditions for the role of Larry, and chose Harkleroad out of the eight who vied for the part.
    Rogers, also a 2005 Bryan grad, said he and Long weren't able to produce the film last year, but when Rogers' company, MacVille Productions, based in Knoxville, purchased the necessary equipment this year, including the Red One digital cinema camera, they were able to make their vision a reality.
    The Red One camera costs about 20 percent of the price of most professional high-definition cameras, averaging only $40,000, according to producer Kelly Rogers. She said it is likened to shooting a 35mm film in a digital format.
    "It's bringing professional-quality images to a non-professional budget," Kelly Rogers said.
    "Larry vs. the Alien" is the third short film Matt Rogers has filmed using the new camera, he said.
    Matt Rogers, president of MacVille Productions, has produced many TV spots and has filmed for Entertainment Tonight, CSPAN, NBC's "The Biggest Loser," and CMT's "Trick My Truck," among others.
    According to his wife, Kelly, Matt Rogers has been in video production since junior high school but made his first big hit as a senior at Bryan College with "For the Title," a full-length feature mockumentary about ultimate frisbee, a leisure sport combining the rules of frisbee and football. Written by Long and produced by Rogers, the film won the People's Choice Award in Southern Fried Flicks Film Festival in 2006.
    Long began his filmmaking career in high school, but has seasoned his acting talent throughout the years as well. During his senior year at Bryan, both he and Rogers spent a semester with the Los Angeles Film Studies Center in Burbank, Calif., where they worked on over 20 short student films.
    According to Matt Rogers, "Larry vs. the Alien" had a budget of under $1,500, and he had to apply for a grant to pay for costs related to the film, even though the film crew worked for free. Other than Rogers, the cameraman, Long, the director, and Kelly Rogers, the producer, the crew consisted of eight current Bryan film students and one Bryan graduate.
    The crew shot the film at a small farm on Hiwassee Highway Saturday and Sunday, where their only difficulty was dealing with a clothes-munching mule on the farm. Rogers shot over three hours of footage for the 8-10 minute film.
    The long hours prepping for shots were only a precursor to the weeks of post-production work yet to come, according to Matt Rogers.
    "We hope to be done editing the film within a month," he said.
    The film was recorded without sound, so he will need to insert sound effects, voiceovers and music using editing software at his home studio in Knoxville. Once that is finished, Matt Rogers said he hopes to debut the film at Bryan College's Homecoming during the week of Oct. 3-5.
    Michelle Friesen can be reached at michelle.friesen@rheaheraldnews.com.