Md. continues to succeed on silver screen

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Jul 7, 2004 by Kara Kridler

A Maryland-based production company's release of a horror film later this summer is more evidence of the state making a name for itself in the highly competitive film industry.

The film, Johnny Come Lately, produced by Metropolis Pictures Entertainment, is scheduled to premiere at the Senator Theatre in Baltimore in late August.

The psychological thriller revolves around a former serial killer profiler who is hired by authorities to hunt down a child murderer who eats his victims, said Francis Xavier, founder and president of Metropolis Pictures. Xavier wrote, produced and directed Johnny Come Lately, which is his second film.

While the film's budget is a mere $50,000, industry officials say there is a market in Maryland for these low-to-no-budget films, which in many cases can provide success to the filmmaker.

There is certainly a large universe of small independent filmmakers, said Hannah Byron, director of the division of film, video and television within the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts, an entity formed this year by Mayor Martin O'Malley to promote Baltimore to the film industry.

You need the production companies of all shapes, sizes and genres - to grow the industry, Byron said. It is great for the city and the industry, and we hope to help the [smaller production companies] grow and take it to the next level.

Metropolis is on the smaller side, with only seven employees.

While horror flicks do not make up the bulk of state's film industry success, It all adds up, said Jack Gerbes, director of the Maryland Film Office, an arm of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development.

The state's film and television industry grew significantly in fiscal year 2003, Gerbes said. The economic impact of productions in fiscal year 2003 was about $130 million, up from $74 million in fiscal year 2002, according to the film office.

Fiscal year 2004 ended last Friday, and figures are expected to be available in early September, he said. While Gerbes did not offer a prediction for figures, he said the industry is doing well. We are going into the new fiscal year with 'The Wire' and two other productions, later this summer, which Gerbes did not identify.

The success of the low-budget films ultimately depends on the quality of the film, Gerbes added.

You never know where the next John Waters will come from, he said. It is important that young independent film makers are not taken for granted. - You never know when [one of] their projects will hit.

Creating low-budget films of various lengths is how a lot of people start out, said Jed Dietz, director of the annual Maryland Film Festival.

Production companies can make it work on a low budget by using low- cost actors and in-house production, Dietz added.

Horror movie people can go out and make some money and maybe no one will ever hear of the movie, Dietz said. But, then, it is a world out there where every once in a while something breaks through.

The breakthrough is what Xavier, the producer of Johnny Come Lately, is hoping for. Xavier plans to show the black-and-white horror film at multiple film festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake City, which is early next year. Ultimately, he hopes the film is picked up by a large distributor such as Columbia TriStar Films.

It is a smaller budget film that looks like a $5 million motion picture, said Xavier, whose career was inspired by the 1973 movie, The Exorcist.

Business is dynamite for us right now, Xavier added. Along with Johnny Come Lately, Metropolis last year shot nine commercials. This is his second film; the first, Barry's Gift, was shown at the Maryland Film Festival in 2000.

Metropolis Pictures is scheduled to move its headquarters from Baltimore County's Rosedale section to the Canton area in Baltimore City next week.