Director Michael F. Crohan (right) during the filming of "The Fall of Allen Clay."
Will “The Fall of Allen Clay” — a psychological thriller about a demon-haunted novelist — represent the rise of Michael F. Crohan as a force to reckon with in local filmmaking?
The 42-year-old community theater veteran and Downtown Memphis resident hopes so: He’s worked on his first feature as a writer-director-producer for the past two years, during which time the budget grew from an anticipated $4,000 to close to $12,000 — “quite an enormous leap for us,” said Crohan, who created the film through his Miles To Go Productions company.
Director Michael F. Crohan (right) during the filming of "The Fall of Allen Clay."
“The Fall of Allen Clay” debuts at 8 p.m. Saturday in the 400-seat DeSoto Civic Center Theatre in Southaven. Tickets are $10 each, or $8 if bought in groups of 10 or more.
The ticket price includes admission to a reception after the film that includes food, beverage and a cash bar.
Co-written by Galen Gower and co-producer Ray Noland, “The Fall of Allen Clay” is the tale of a best-selling writer (Marques Brown) of Civil War yarns whose life spins out of control after his wife is murdered by a home invader.
Trying to raise his young daughter by himself, Allen begins to abuse booze, pills and his talent — he takes a job with The National Whisperer, a gossip tabloid with a large staff of beautiful clerks. (The film has close to 40 speaking roles, Crohan said.) Less attractive is the scabrous, shaggy demon that dogs Allen’s trail, like something from “The Grudge” by way of the Brothers Grimm.
Scary entity notwithstanding, the film is a “psychological thriller,” Crohan said.
“I know a lot of people are big on making their first movie a horror movie or an over-the-top psycho movie, but we wanted ours to be more driven by character and story line,” he said. “We hope that sets us apart from the average new filmmaker.”
Crohan has worked with the Germantown Performing Arts Centre and other local theater organizations for years, usually behind the scenes as a manager or lighting and sound coordinator.
He also worked on Brett Daniels’ magic show during its three-year run at Tunica’s Gold Strike Casino.
However, much of Crohan’s income has come from less overtly artistic pursuits, such as home repair and remodeling work.
Said Crohan: “I knew life had to be better than measuring wood and fixing roof leaks or whatever. I respect the guys who enjoy doing that and do it well, but there was no joy in it for me.”
All the while, he dreamed of making movies. “I was that guy who watched movies for years and said, ‘I could do better than that.’ Friends of mine finally said, ‘Shut up or do it. You need to either do this project or quit talking about it.’”
Unlike many people in similar situations, Crohan actually made his movie. He began writing the “Allen Clay” script more than two years ago, and he began casting over a year ago.
Crohan said he conducted “extensive” rehearsals with his actors, and was “meticulous” in his lighting and framing.
On a typical shooting day, he said, he would work with two to six crew members. The movie was shot with a Canon XL-2 digital video camera and edited to its current 94-minute length on Final Cut Pro software. Locations included homes and businesses in Memphis and the Mid-South, and the Southaven Police Department.
Crohan — who admits to living “a very frugal existence” while putting money into his movie — says he hopes “The Fall of Allen Clay” will function as a “calling card” and a “marketing tool” to convince investors “to talk to us about our next movie. We want to show them what we can do.”
— John Beifuss, 529-2394
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