Pulse
'Wamego' chronicles labor, dedication in filmmaking
Director Steve Balderson
chronicles the making
of a twisted movie about
death, love and betrayal
By Rebekah Hearn
Copy Chief
Films are a constant and welcome
presence in the lives of those interest
ed in pop culture, yet movie buffs may
have been noticing the dry, unin
spired taste most Hollywood movies
leave in their mouths lately. Often
times money can not only speak
louder than, but drown out meaning
in many so-called successful films.
I lowever, in this day and age of big
budget, big-name blockbusters, direc
tor Steve Balderson's approach to
filmmakers is not just a breath of
fresh air — it is a gale-force wind that
just may huff and puff and blow that
famous Hollywood sign down right
before film industry's eyes.
Balderson's production company,
Dikenga, is based in his hometown of
Wamego, Kansas. After attending the
prestigious Cal Arts Film School for
three years, where he oversaw produc
tion on six full-length video projects,
he did the unheard-of: 1 le dropped out
to make his own movie. "Pep Squad"
— which was made for less than
$500,000 — features expensive
looking photography and a stunningly
horrific plot that anyone with a soft
spot for black comedy will cream over.
After the fiery debut of "Pep Squad"
and the critical acclaim that followed,
Balderson took on his second project
with zeal. He segued from peccant
killer prom queens to a joltingly beau
tiful, heartbreakingly sinister murder
mystery. "Firecracker," which is sched
uled for release in the fall, is a dreamy,
fantastical tale of murder, betrayal,
abuse, alcoholism, carnival folk and
small-town dreams — and the best
part is, the plot is based on a due story.
"Firecracker" stars the unique beau
ty Karen Black ("House of 1000
Corpses") and thorax master Mike
Patton, who is currently the lead
singer for Tomahawk and Fantomas
and who formerly fronted Faith No
More. In an interesting casting deci
sion, Balderson chose to have Black
play both Sandra and Eleanor, the
mother of David and younger brother
Jimmy. Similarly, Patton plays both
David and carnival owner Frank. Ar
tistically, the messages are fascinating
and the symbolism heavy. Practical
ly, however, having two actors play
dual roles without it being overly ob
vious presents dilemmas.
Selene Luna, who plays carnival
personality Harriet, believes this cast
ing choice was a successful one.
"It was really a hit-or-miss kind of
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lifted to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
thing," said Luna. "But here, it was re
ally well-done. The way he shot it, it
was very metaphorical, and Karen and
Mike really rose to the occasion."
Balderson discussed the casting is
sues during a phone interview.
"It sort of snowballed," he said.
"(Dennis) Hopper invited my dad
and I to his house in California and
he said, 'I really want to play Frank.'
But when that happened, I was totally
disillusioned and I was sort of hypno
tized by that weird, fame-and-fortune
thing. And that totally denied the way
that I wanted to execute the film ...
And then a year went by and I
thought, 'No, no, no.' This has come
from me visually, and this is a story
that I have to tell visually."
So Balderson, acting with ad
mirable brazen confidence, ended up
politely turning Hopper down for the
role despite Hopper's intense praise of
the script and offer of a multimillion
dollar budget.
The creation of "Firecracker" is
chock-full of interesting stories and
tidbits, and Balderson chose to relate
these stories in a documentary titled
"Wamego: Making Movies Any
where." "Wamego" details all the toil
and joy poured into perfecting this
masterpiece of imagination.
"I did decide that I wanted to do a
tell-all, a bare-bones, what-it-takes-to
make-a-movie-in-the-middle-of
nowhere kind of thing," laughed
Balderson in his idiosyncratic giggle.
Balderson's father, Clark, is the ex
ecutive producer, while sister Brooke
plays Pearl, and "Wamego" shows
how the evolution of the film was a
family affair. The trio, with the help
of a small but dedicated crew, built
and painted much of the set with
their own tired hands. In fact, not one
element of the film went unscruti
nized by Balderson's perfectionist eye
— not just the script and casting, but
the costumes, lighting, photography,
makeup, sets and accommodations as
well. If he didn't work to make it
himself, he supervised the making of
it — and not to mention closely
counted every penny spent.
"This was a project of passion," said
Luna. "(It was) a team effort. It was
stressful, but the kind of stress that
comes from your typical Hollywood
film wasn't there, because there was
n't that Hollywood pretension."
Not only is the audience of the
screener treated to a behind-the
scenes look at the creation of "Fire
cracker," the DVD features interviews
with the cast and crew, as well as a
monthly play-by-play of the pre-pro
duction and filming process. And,
true to its title, "Wamego" shows how
a truly original movie not only can,
but should be filmed wherever the
story's heart lies, and not always in a
Hollywood studio. Balderson's
unique approach to filmmaking is a
Turn to FIRECRACKER, page 5
Today’s crossword solution
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