Rick Walker Enterprises SECOND feature film in production!  

FEATURE FILM BEING SHOT IN OKLAHOMA CITY  

 Here's the website for "MIND'S EYE."  Check out www.MindsEyeMovie.com to see a few stills and the new trailer. 

Half of KATT’s Rick & Brad morning show, Rick Walker is currently in production with his second feature film, “Mind’s Eye.”   A large portion of the film is being shot on location in Oklahoma City. MAGNA actor Randy Colton has been cast’ to play the lead male role, Detective Will Adams.   Randy recently completed shooting “Return To Sender” starring Kelly Preston, Aidan Quinn, Connie Neilson (“One Hour Photo”) and Tim Daly. Other MAGNA actors cast in major roles are 12 year-old standout, Rachel Perkins, 11 year-old B.J. Wallace, Jennifer Ferguson (“Sam & Janet”), Chris Freihofer (“Eye of God”), Gean B. Atkinson, Ginger Gilmartin and Debra Davis. Written and directed by Rick Walker, the story revolves around a single mother who kills her abusive boyfriend and the only eyewitness is her 11 year-old autistic child who doesn’t speak.  Once completed, the premiere of “Mind’s Eye” will serve as the centerpiece for 8 black-tie fundraisers for “Cure Autism Now” around the U.S. (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, Miami, Phoenix, Dallas and Oklahoma City) before its nationwide release.  Rick Walker’s first feature film, “Sam & Janet” is currently available nationwide on DVD at Hollywood Video and a variety of outlets.  “Sam & Janet” is scheduled to premiere on cable at the end of 2004.    Production Company website: www.BladewalkerFilms.com  

 

Rick Walker Enterprises first feature length film,

 
 
Best Screenplay Winner Announced
 
 The independent feature film, "Sam & Janet" has just been announced as the winner of 'Best Screenplay for a Feature Film' by the New York International Independent Film Festival.  The film was chosen from over 250 American and International films that were selected for this years festival.  The screenplay for "Sam & Janet" was written by Rick Walker.  "Sam & Janet" screened in New York City as part of the Festival on September 23, 2002 
There was a great turnout for the New York City screening of "Sam & Janet".  Prior to the film we were presented with the award for "Best Screenplay"   Several cast members were in attendance, including singer
Also in attendance was Les Paul, the inventor of the electric guitar.
October, Seventeen Magazine.Also, while in New York, Shawn Jefferson was a guest for 3 hours 

Sam & Janet  wins BEST FEATURE FILM in Oklahoma's Dead Center Film Festival 

Feature film, "Sam & Janet",  made its World Premiere on Saturday, May 4th at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art in the Noble Theater!   Everyone was there, Cast, Crew, TV personalities, Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin, and more! Then, "Sam & Janet" ran in the theater the following weekend!   We were thrilled to be the first World Premiere Movie at the new Noble Theater at the Museum of Art. I hope everyone had a chance to come see the film! 

4/24/02   Congratulations!  Your movie was SUPER!  I wanted to personally notify you that "Sam & Janet" was the Grand Jury Selection for Best Feature and Audience Choice for Best Feature!  3rd Annual Bare Bones International Film Festival  April 16-21,2002 Muskogee, OK USA
  www.barebonesfilmfestival.com  "The World's Friendliest Film Festival"

TV PREMIERE  SEPTEMBER 21st   CBS Channel 9----  Here's the stats!!!

"Sam & Janet" averaged a 4.0 rating and 8 share for its 2 hours on Ch. 9. To put it in perspective, they've aired only one other 2 hour movie in that
time period this year. "Downhill Racer", which did a 1.5 rating and 4 share. They normally have paid programs from 12-2pm Saturday,
which average about a 1 rating. 12-2 on Saturdays, "Sam & Janet" ranked #5 for the ENTIRE YEAR! for the entire year.  

Rick Walker, Well Known Morning DJ and Producer / Director of two independent short films shot entirely in Oklahoma using local  actors and production personnel, has just finished filming his current project.  The full length film, Sam & Janet ,  a love story, stars Ryan Brown (of TV's Guiding Light), and features MAGNA actors Jennifer Ferguson, Vanessa Altshuler, Verna Vaughan,  Blake Allen, George Back, Shawn Jefferson &  Angela Erwin, Anna Beck , Tyler Woods, Emily Coughlin, Karen Magirowsky, Jessica Stone, Lauren DeBrus, Leah Snyder,  Matt Payne, Billy Georgiana & Kristen Leeper-Bruss.  Academy award nominee, Gary Busey,  played Blue, the bartender, in the film.  The production moved west to L.A. at the end of February for a few days to shoot Gary's scenes. MAGNA actor & Makeup artist, Darin Moore handled makeup & hair, and even made his home part of the film as a shooting location. Click this link to play the trailer:  http://SamandJanet.com/trailers.htm 

Letter from Rick Walker:         SEPTEMBER 22, 2001

I wanted you to pass along how much I appreciate each and every cast and crew member from Magna.
First of all to my friend Jenny Ferguson.  Playing the lead in a feature film isn't easy. I'm sure you could get Jenny to admit to that. She pushed herself to a new limit and came up with some of the most emotional, riveting scenes you'll see from anyone!  She worked under some difficult circumstances at times...but came through like an old pro with the world's greatest attitude and work ethic.  Most of the crew was in love with Jenny by the end of the shoot as I supect viewers will be.  I can't begin to express what a courageous, talented, sensitive, giving actor Jenny is!  Just wait till you see the film...you'll agree!
From L.A. to OKC from early mornings to overnight shoots, Verna Vaughn gave some flawless performances!   She actually saved a few of the scenes she shot with Gary Busey!  I can't thank her enough for everything! Darin Moore's Vanessa Altshuler is the coolest!  From the time she auditioned to the time she wrapped...everyone looked forward to seeing her and watching her work to see what she'd come up with.  She's very, very talented.  I hope I'm lucky enough to work with her again!
Anna Beck doesn't need a director!  She's perfect EVERY TIME!  There are some things an actor does that are so subtle to make the performance sparkle.  Anna does those things.  Tiny eye movements, facial expressions, eye lines, attitudes, moods, emotions and wonderful interpretation skills....that's Anna.  I can't think of one time where she didn't know a line...forgot...had to stop...kicked a word...over acted...etc.  Professional, gracious and all that....with a great work ethic! My buddy, Blake Wolney (The Bladerunner) is a fellow radio vet. His radio background seem to make it simple for him to ease into his role as Sam's best buddy.  His work is great.  He traveled from DC, burning up a week of vacation to help us finish the shoot. I'm very appreciative of Blake's effort and abilities!  He's a good guy! George Back is truly one of the funniest people I've ever been around.  He's always on...but in a good way. He kept everyone in stitches whether he WAS or WASN'T on camera and his performance in "Sam & Janet Evening" is classic!   He steals EVERY scene he's in.  As shooting progressed I noticed how much screen presence he had...so I changed the shot list on his call dates to include close-up's of George!  I hope to have him around for many and any of my future projects! Shawn Jefferson was called on to do a lot of very difficult acting, under difficult circumstances.  He was so damn convincing that I suspect he might have to worry about type-casting.  His schedule on this film was scattered out over odd days and nights for the last 9 months, but he was always there with a great attitude, work ethic and kindness.Angie Erwin was only on set for a few days, but lit things up when she was around. She's very talented and beautiful!I hope to have a project where Angie has a bigger role in the near future! Emily Coughlin has been in each of my films.  She is a great friend and a talented, beautiful young woman.  She also was around the help if needed in any capacity. Not alot of actors will do that.  She has been at every shoot, every day on every film I've done. She's wrangled dogs, run errands, helped with props, art direction, and given encouragement along with some incredibly memorable performances!  She'll always be one of my best, closest friends!  I''ll never be able to thank Emily enough!There were many extras in the movie....who I didn't have a lot of time to spend with.  But I know you were there early....waited around...stayed late....and gave your time, some great effort and performances. Your desire to be a part of this film and eagerness to do things professionally didn't go unnoticed. Also, to each of the day players,  (I finally got Billy Georgianna in one of my films!  I love that guy! )   including Lauren DeBrus who played "April" just like I envisioned.  To "Sam's Date's"  - Karen Magirowski, Leah Snyder, Emily Coughlin, Kristen Leeper and Jessica Stone, I appreciate you, your time and your awesome work!  It was a real pleasure to work with each of you and your addition to the movie is priceless!  Also to Tyler Woods for the long day he put in and Matt Payne for helping with many different aspects of the film! And finally, Margie Madden - You and Ana Anderson have been a huge help and an great source for cast, assistance and advice.  I'm so glad you're around!  Thank you for putting up with me and my often different way of doing things.  I'm looking forward to many future projects with you and your wonderful actors.  Thank you for everything.
Gotta go log tapes.Rick Walker

    

Above Left - L to R: MAGNA'S Anna Beck, MAGNA actress Emily Coughlin, Gary Busey, and MAGNA'S Jennifer Ferguson & Verna Vaughan pose for a picture after LA shooting wrapped. Right: Maw (Verna Vaughan) and Blue (Gary Busey) discuss relationships.

Below L: Janet, (MAGNA actress Jennifer Ferguson), scores a touchdown R: Sam, (Ryan Brown), and Janet, after he tackles her in a touch football game 

Rick's first film, a true story titled Radio Man,    starred and was directed by his brother, Tracy Clark Quillen. Shot in the summer of 2000, Radio Man  has been  submitted for this year's L.A. Film festival.  Rick cast  MAGNA actors , Don Shirey, Emily Coughlin, Michael Brady, & Lilli Bassett  in his pioneer project. Hair & Makeup by Darin Moore.

 Way to GO!!!

Some stills from Radio Man.....

Richard (Tracy Quillen),  in a restaurant scene from Radio Man

Tracy & actor, Don Shirey,  disagree to disagree

 

 

 

 

      

After cutting his teeth on the Radio Man  Project with brother Tracy, Rick jumped right back in on his own, writing and producing  a second project later on last summer,  The Deep End.  Once again, Rick used Oklahoma actors and crew.  MAGNA actors, Emily Coughlin, Josh Clifton, Brittany Hartwig, Terry Gamble, and Rob Delihant all appear in this short story about the lives and loves of a lifeguard.  And guess who did the hair and makeup?  

JOURNAL ENTRIES FEB. 2001
 Friday, 23rd 
I speak to Gary Busey on the phone and he has some ideas of how he'd like to change the script. We talk about it for awhile and agree on a few subtle changes. Nothing major. Then he drops this bomb. He needs to be paid in cash. Not sure why. Don't care. I just know that I need to come up with several thousand dollars in CASH in the next few hours. 
I call my bank back in OKC where it's two hours later. They agree to let a friend of mine cash a check on my account. My friend takes the cash to K-Mart where there's a Western Union and wires me the money.  I wait in Marina Del Rey at Ralph's Grocery Store near the Western Union booth for the money. It finally comes through after several cell phone calls back and forth to my friend, who's waiting for it to clear from K-Mart.  Once it does, the Western Union dude asks, "How do you want your cash?"  I tell him all hundreds. He says, "Oh, I can't give you CASH." I can only give you a check. But I can make it out to whoever you want!"  I tell him I HAVE CHECKS!  I need cash!  You're Western Union!  Don't you wire CASH so that the person on the other end can get CASH?   ARGH!  It's now been 2 and a half hours since I started trying to get money. I ask him if he can cash the check that he's about to give me.  He says no. Only for $500.00.  Okay, I need A LOT more than that.  We're talkin' THOUSANDS!   I ask him if the bank inside of the Ralph's will cash the check. He says no.  People try it all the time. I think for a second and come up with a new plan.  I ask him...."What if you give me a stack of $500 checks and I cash the first one for $500.  Then every five minutes or so, I return with a new check for $500 until I've cashed them all."  He says no one has ever tried that before!  For some reason he decides to help me.  He walks with me to the bank inside the grocery store where he knows the teller and asks how much she can cash. She says $3500.  I'm getting closer!  Then he gets on the phone and calls 8 Ralph's Grocery Stores in the vicinity, tells them I will be by to cash a $500 check.  To make this story end quickly, I hit all 8 different Ralph's getting lost and turned around a zillion times before returning to my home base Ralph's in Marina Del Rey to cash the final $500 check.  I now have a HUGE envelope with cash.  All the way to the set...by the way, we shoot in one hour....I feel like a drug dealer!   I get to the set right on time.  It's 9:30pm 
At the bar where we're shooting, the crew will show up at 10:00pm, cast at 11:00pm.  We're shooting scenes with Ryan, Jenny, Anna, Verna and Gary Busey all night long. 
It's now 10:10pm and the LA crew hasn't shown up yet. My brother Tracy is here. He's helped put together the entire LA shoot. He's friends with Tom at the Camera House and gets us a good deal on the camera rental. Tracy also will be an extra and stand in for scenes with Busey. Here I am getting ready to shoot scenes with an Academy nominated actor and I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for my brother. He's been workin' his ass off in LA for years and his connections and friends have enabled me to be here doing this tonight. When we shot his first short, ("Radioman") I caught the film bug and had it ever since.  His friend, Ron,(also in "Radioman") found the location for us. He's also there to be an extra and stand-in.  Ron's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet!  I'm glad he and Tracy are here tonight. Makes me feel more at home. Also the DP, Byron has been with me on every project, which makes things a lot more comfortable too. 
The line producer arrives and I ask him where the crew is. He says, "11:00 right?"  I say, "I hope you're kidding."  About that time, a long black limo with Gary Busey and Bob DeBrino, pulls into the parking lot.  No crew, but most of the rest of the cast is already there.  I walk out to the parking lot to talk with Gary, bring him inside and introduce him to the rest of the cast.  They all chat and get acquainted for about half an hour.  Meantime, the crew shows up and sets up in record time. These guys and gals are FAST!  They were ready for the first shot in 25 minutes!  I take Gary to the make-up artist.  Angel is a pro!  She talks with Gary about what he likes and how she'll make him up for the scenes. 
Meanwhile, Molly Pickrell and I are organizing the shots with the DP, Byron Werner.  Checking the sound and getting the slate and shot lists organized with the 2nd AC, Gayle Hilary. (Cool girl. British accent, which I didn't even notice until I talked to her on the phone several weeks later!)  
This entire crew has worked together before. They're all young, fast and very sharp!  I'm glad to get to work with 'em.  They made a long night seem shorter!  
(Later we decide to scrap his narration and replace it with Ryan Brown doing the open and close. Jenny Ferguson also did an open and close that we didn't use.)The first shot is with Jenny, Anna and Gary. Gary reads lines and rehearses with Anna.  She's not sure if he's being serious or acting.  It's hard to tell with him sometimes. He's really good at what he does. It's just Gary. On and off screen, he's the same.  Jenny appears to be nervous after the first few takes, so I cut in the middle of the third. I talk to her for a minute. Try to calm her down and get her into the scene.  Gary then takes her off to the side and visits with her.  We start take 4.  She nails it. Even better on 5.  We'll use the master shot from an earlier take and 4 or 5 on Jenny's close ups.  Now we shoot Gary's close ups.  He gives me several versions...any of which we could use.   We set up for the next shot.  It's now midnight.Saturday, 24th  
Gary is doing a scene with Verna Vaughan. My first reaction was to shoot the master, two-shot, then Gary's close-ups.  But I noticed that Gary would get better each time he did it, so I switched, telling the DP that I'd rather shoot Verna's CU's first. We do. This gives Gary several run-thru's off camera to get the scene down.  When we move to his close-ups, he's perfect!   There's no need to direct someone with his experience.  His facial expressions, his pauses for editing, his eye-lines, his awareness of where we are in the story...all of it...reeks of experience.  I simply tell him faster and slower, if that.   At one point he says to me that I remind him of Orson Welles.  I say thanks, thinking that's a compliment to be compared to such a legendary filmmaker.  He says, "You LOOK like him....the way the light is hitting you right now."  Sitting across the bar from Gary, Ryan Brown sarcastically says, "Yeah, Rick. You really do!"  Thanks Ryan.  Thanks Gary.  'Preciate it. 
There are several ups and downs throughout the night, but there's one moment I wrote in my notes, that I wanted to tell you about.  It's a scene where Gary watches Evan walk from the bar to the bathroom.  The camera is on Gary the whole time. His head barely moves.....but his eyes follow Evan all the way to the bathroom door.  Truth is he was watching no one.  No one walked from the bar to the bathroom, but watching his eyes in the movie you'd never know that. Just the crew and an empty bar as his eyes travel from his right to left. He had the perfect speed that someone would walk/stumble to the bathroom with just his eye movement.  He did two takes of that.  Plenty.  Unbelievable! 
The last shot of the night involves Gary.  We get it. Eric Anderson (1st AC) checks the gate. Gary is walking back to his dressing room, ready to get outta there.  About half-way back we all hear Eric say, "Hair in the gate."  Meaning the last three shots will all have a HAIR on the frame as one was caught in the lense gate.  Since this will show up on the film, we have to shoot the last three shots again.  Gary turns around and does 'em like a pro, saying "Part of it!"  
Afterwards he takes pictures with the cast and crew and I spend a few minutes with him in his dressing room telling him the story of my day, gathering cash.  He thinks it's funny and says,"You didn't have to have cash TODAY."  You coulda got it to me later sometime.   (It's at this point that I begin to look around for the hidden CANDID CAMERA.) I go back to my hotel.  My flu has really started to settle in.  It's 11:00 am, on Saturday. I sleep most of the day.  Bob DeBrino calls and invites me to a party for Al Pacino's father. There are lots of celebs there!  Randy Quaid's band is playing.  (Didn't know he had a band.)  I'm too sick to go. Huge headache, fever, chills. I spend the night shivering under a blanket in the hotel room.  
I sleep until 11:00 am and head to the American Film Market. I wander around and end up meeting with several distributors. I check on the progress of my film sales. Not much interest in a film that's not yet finished.  My sales agent only has is a trailer.  I'm worn out.  My flight back to Oklahoma City is tomorrow.  I wish it was today. 
Sunday, 25thI fly back to Oklahoma City.  Get in late. Need some sleep. Tomorrow I'm back on the air.  So much for my vacation. Now I really need a vacation. No such luck.