Making The Trespassers
1991. A group of young men decide to make a low-budget movie. Armed with a hand-written script and a rented 8mm video camera, the small group attempt to create an original movie out of the simple love for their quest. The movie in question is The Trespassers; a film which would go on to exceed all expectations and become more popular with each passing year.
The movie began as a script entitled, The Renegade Warriors of Holec. Original director, Darrick Sawyer had on loan a camera that had previously been used in a heavy metal video he had shot. One of the actors from the video happened to be Jason Stewart, already known in the shot-on-video world for his own film, Poisoned Evil. Jason saw this as an opportunity to make another movie. Shortly after, Jason, Darrick and another individual named Aaron Baird quickly wrote a script. The inspiration ranged anywhere from B-movies, life experiences and even the antics of one of the boy’s own grandmother! The shooting began even before the script was finished. A cast was made up of the trio’s friends and relatives, each assigned a role which more or less matched their own personality and acting ability. Stewart and Baird even played roles in the film.
Just when it appeared that the film would go without a hitch, a major setback occurred. The camera’s microphone was not functioning and the multitude of film stock was recorded with little or no sound. Still, the “silent” film was completed and played for test audiences (again comprised of relatives and friends). The opinion was overwhelming; they all hated it. The film was accused of being too violent and two of the actors were even accused of showing too many gratuitous shots of their unbuttoned shirts revealing their bare chests. Lesser individuals would have shelved the project altogether, but these boys were fighters. It was decided that the film would be completely re-shot in an improved version.
There were of course, some obvious changes. The violence was toned down to a great extent, so much in that even the prop guns were discarded in favour of less imposing weaponry. There were a number of character changes as well. Aaron Baird had originally been handed the starring role of a tough-as-nails bounty hunter named Snake. Unfortunately, Baird was not available for the first day of shooting and was given a smaller role instead. The Snake role was taken over by director, Darrick Sawyer. This meant that he could no longer handle directorial duties. Jason Stewart, who was no stranger to double-duty as actor/director, took over as director. The final change was the film’s title. Stewart felt that for the film to be remembered it needed a more poetic title. While contemplating this thought, Stewart saw a sign which read “No Trespassing”. The new title was born.
Shooting began on July 6, 1991 on an unusually hot summer day. Along with the camera rental, Stewart and now producer, Sawyer spent the remaining money on a case of beer. Somehow, the large consumption of alcohol brought out the actors in the unknown cast. The first day of shooting went without major incident. Following twelve hours of non-stop movie making, half the film was already completed. Then came a major setback. Karl Sawyer, Darrick’s younger brother played the very important role of Dr. Roberts. Unfortunately, he was only available for the first day of shooting. He still had a number of important scenes to film, but now all that would be impossible. A script change had to be made in which his character went into hiding, transferring his duties over to his lab assistant, Kurtz (Shane Michael S.). Originally, the Kurtz character was only a supporting role, but now the character was upgraded to a starring role.
The second day of shooting brought the return of Aaron Baird. A role of a bounty hunter named Storm was created just for Baird. Baird took on the role with only a few simple requests. First, he would be on hand solely as an actor, and secondly, his on-screen credits would read, A. Joseph Baird. The film wrapped up production later that afternoon. It was edited that very night and seen by test audiences the very next day.
The opinion ranged from critical panning to praise. In its wide release, the film was generally looked upon as a good effort, with a unique story and a fast pace. The editing was criticized for being choppy and the picture quality was often the foremost criticism. This flaw was solved with the release of the "Director's Special Edition" in 2001 which the film was completely re-edited with previously unreleased footage and a number of newly shot scenes by director, Stewart. The Trespassers was successfully released that year with a new documentary, Behind the Renegade Warriors which featured interviews with cast and crew, deleted scenes and out-takes, photos, and more.
Extra care was taken in '06 with the digitally remastered DVD which the film looked as good as it did back in the day. Also Director, Jason stewart revisited the film location 15 years later and took footage which appeared as a bonus feature on the DVD. The critically acclaimed 'Trespassers House Revisited' is a haunting companion, showcasing the now-ruins of the location made famous by the movie.
1991. A group of young men decide to make a low-budget movie. Armed with a hand-written script and a rented 8mm video camera, the small group attempt to create an original movie out of the simple love for their quest. The movie in question is The Trespassers; a film which would go on to exceed all expectations and become more popular with each passing year.
The movie began as a script entitled, The Renegade Warriors of Holec. Original director, Darrick Sawyer had on loan a camera that had previously been used in a heavy metal video he had shot. One of the actors from the video happened to be Jason Stewart, already known in the shot-on-video world for his own film, Poisoned Evil. Jason saw this as an opportunity to make another movie. Shortly after, Jason, Darrick and another individual named Aaron Baird quickly wrote a script. The inspiration ranged anywhere from B-movies, life experiences and even the antics of one of the boy’s own grandmother! The shooting began even before the script was finished. A cast was made up of the trio’s friends and relatives, each assigned a role which more or less matched their own personality and acting ability. Stewart and Baird even played roles in the film.
Just when it appeared that the film would go without a hitch, a major setback occurred. The camera’s microphone was not functioning and the multitude of film stock was recorded with little or no sound. Still, the “silent” film was completed and played for test audiences (again comprised of relatives and friends). The opinion was overwhelming; they all hated it. The film was accused of being too violent and two of the actors were even accused of showing too many gratuitous shots of their unbuttoned shirts revealing their bare chests. Lesser individuals would have shelved the project altogether, but these boys were fighters. It was decided that the film would be completely re-shot in an improved version.
There were of course, some obvious changes. The violence was toned down to a great extent, so much in that even the prop guns were discarded in favour of less imposing weaponry. There were a number of character changes as well. Aaron Baird had originally been handed the starring role of a tough-as-nails bounty hunter named Snake. Unfortunately, Baird was not available for the first day of shooting and was given a smaller role instead. The Snake role was taken over by director, Darrick Sawyer. This meant that he could no longer handle directorial duties. Jason Stewart, who was no stranger to double-duty as actor/director, took over as director. The final change was the film’s title. Stewart felt that for the film to be remembered it needed a more poetic title. While contemplating this thought, Stewart saw a sign which read “No Trespassing”. The new title was born.
Shooting began on July 6, 1991 on an unusually hot summer day. Along with the camera rental, Stewart and now producer, Sawyer spent the remaining money on a case of beer. Somehow, the large consumption of alcohol brought out the actors in the unknown cast. The first day of shooting went without major incident. Following twelve hours of non-stop movie making, half the film was already completed. Then came a major setback. Karl Sawyer, Darrick’s younger brother played the very important role of Dr. Roberts. Unfortunately, he was only available for the first day of shooting. He still had a number of important scenes to film, but now all that would be impossible. A script change had to be made in which his character went into hiding, transferring his duties over to his lab assistant, Kurtz (Shane Michael S.). Originally, the Kurtz character was only a supporting role, but now the character was upgraded to a starring role.
The second day of shooting brought the return of Aaron Baird. A role of a bounty hunter named Storm was created just for Baird. Baird took on the role with only a few simple requests. First, he would be on hand solely as an actor, and secondly, his on-screen credits would read, A. Joseph Baird. The film wrapped up production later that afternoon. It was edited that very night and seen by test audiences the very next day.
The opinion ranged from critical panning to praise. In its wide release, the film was generally looked upon as a good effort, with a unique story and a fast pace. The editing was criticized for being choppy and the picture quality was often the foremost criticism. This flaw was solved with the release of the "Director's Special Edition" in 2001 which the film was completely re-edited with previously unreleased footage and a number of newly shot scenes by director, Stewart. The Trespassers was successfully released that year with a new documentary, Behind the Renegade Warriors which featured interviews with cast and crew, deleted scenes and out-takes, photos, and more.
Extra care was taken in '06 with the digitally remastered DVD which the film looked as good as it did back in the day. Also Director, Jason stewart revisited the film location 15 years later and took footage which appeared as a bonus feature on the DVD. The critically acclaimed 'Trespassers House Revisited' is a haunting companion, showcasing the now-ruins of the location made famous by the movie.