Local film writers hit the big time

When most people think of film writers they think of Hollywood and big name celebrities, but for two local writers, Hollywood is calling their name.

Bart Vanbemmel and Jason Wheeler are both schoolteachers in Carrollton. Vanbemmel teaches history at Dan F. Long Middle School and Wheeler teaches the same subject at R.L. Turner High School.

Both teachers have a passion for writing, and when Wheeler met Vanbemmel while substituting at Long, the two connected and found out that they shared a common dream.

“After a year in sales I wanted a change of pace and decided to become a teacher. I always had an interest in history and started a long-term sub position at Dan F. Long which led to a permanent assignment,” said Wheeler. “Bart was in the history department and we became friends and found out we shared a passion for film. That is when we sat down and wrote our script.”

The script was for a short film called “Butterscotch” a dark comedy about three people who meet in a suicide therapist’s waiting room who plan the trip of a lifetime before they kill themselves.

“It is an oddball, quirky comedy for sure,” said Vanbemmel, “We took stories that we have heard or read and small parts from our own lives and twisted the situation for the story.”

Vanbemmel’s friend and local actor Reece Rios, who starred in their short film and the HBO film “Living and Dying,” told the two teachers to send the script to his friend Academy Award finalist director Jon Keeyes.

“We sent the script to Jon not expecting anything. Why would an upcoming Hollywood director read our stuff?” said Vanbemmel. “Turns out he loved it and he wanted to direct our short.”

The short film, “Butterscotch,” was shot and made in March 2009. The two teachers then entered the film into multiple festivals not expecting much, but once again the film succeeded and was able to get into five festivals to date.

“They say you are lucky to get into one festival,” said Vanbemmel. “We have made it into five festivals so far, some big, some small, but we feel very lucky to have just gotten into one.”

As “Butterscotch” began to make its way through multiple festivals, buzz grew about the film. The movie has generated so much buzz that now the short film is being converted into a full-length feature film.

“We were ecstatic. All of our hard work finally paid off,” said Wheeler. “You don’t read about the process involved in making a film. There are a lot of things that have to be in place before the cameras start rolling. To make it this far is amazing.”

What makes “Butterscotch” unique is that the movie currently has no financial backing; however, it has multiple actors and Keeyes attached as the director. For most films in Hollywood, it is the opposite: the money must be in place before any actors or directors will even read the script.

“It is rare; nobody will read your stuff unless you have a financial offer on the table,” said Vanbemmel. “If I called up Brad Pitt and told him about our movie but did not have a financial offer, he would hang up on me.”

Keeyes and the other actors involved believed in this movie, according to the two writers, and they have some relatively big-name stars in their film. Actors such as Jason Priestly from the 90s hit television show “90210” has signed on to play the lead male character. Corbin Bernsen, from the movie “Major League” and the television show “Psych,” will play the father. Debra Jo Rupp, who played Kitty Foreman on “That 70s Show,” will play the mother, and finally Lindy Booth, from the movie “Cry Wolf” and “Dawn of the Dead,” will play the romantic female lead.

“We didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” said Wheeler when asked how they got these movie stars for their film. “We took that positive energy, and with help from many people, made it happen. I still pinch myself that a famous actor is going to read my lines.”

The two teachers have multiple potential investors lined up to give the film the financing it needs to get made. While they are waiting to see if and when the film will get made, Vanbemmel and Wheeler have multiple scripts in the works for future projects.

“We are always writing,” said Wheeler, “There are a couple making their rounds with producers and production companies. We have our fingers crossed.”

Time will tell if the world will get to see this dark comedy from two local teachers who love to write stories. Anyone interested in “Butterscotch” can go www.butterscotchfilm.com for more information

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