It's possible you wouldn't even notice the nondescript building along 14th Avenue. The bland façade does little to attract attention. In fact, the building is slated for demolition to make way for a seven-story residential project with more than 100 apartments. But efforts going on inside may soon, as they say, make their way to a theater near you.
The building is home to the Cascadia Film Collective, a group established in June who's first feature film "Cthulhu" will begin shooting in September. For the next year, at least, the warehouse studio at 1410 14th Avenue provides a needed studio location in which to film "Cthulhu," as well as upstairs offices in which to put the project together.
"This place is a godsend for us," said Grant Cogswell, founding member and the author of the "Cthulhu" screenplay. Many may recall Cogswell from his run for the Seattle City Council several years ago as well as his longtime association with the Seattle Monorail Project. But he's been involved in literary endeavors for years, and writing is now his primary focus. Cogswell is currently a writer-in-residence at the Richard Hugo House.
The upstairs office has a healthy sense of chaotic energy. Photos of Astoria, Oregon, locations find a home on one wall. Drawings of sets needed to be built in the studio below line another. Thousands of actor headshots sit stacked in several places. Local director Rob Devor, who directed the highly regarded "Police Beat" which appeared at the recent Seattle International Film Festival, has been working with agents in Hollywood to find actors to augment the local cast, many of whom appeared in "Police Beat." Getting the cast together can be a daunting task, but Devor said that several known actors have expressed legitimate interest.
"We're not talking Brad Pitt, but these are established actors people will probably recognize," he said.
The group's goals are practical and direct.
"We're working to produce feature-quality films with a counter-cultural feel, and help establish Seattle's independent film scene," said Cogswell. "There's a lot of film talent in the city, and Capitol Hill is at the epicenter. It can be like what happened with music here 15 years ago," Cogswell said.
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The idea for "Cthulhu" came about roughly two years ago when Cogswell was staying with friend and film director Daniel Gildark in Portland. A long-time aficionado of science fiction writer H.P. Lovecraft, he had recently re-read the Lovecraft story "The Shadow over Innsmouth." One thing led to another and Gildark, who has directed numerous short films, asked Cogswell to write him a script loosely based on the story.
The first draft took 10 days. Drastic rewrites took nearly two years.
"Cthulhu" is at its roots a horror film. The story involves an estranged, gay man who returns to his family following his mother's death. His father is the leader of a new-age cult. Mysteries involving old massacres and frightening legends require the man to look into the town's past. The plot also involves world domination by a race of amphibious beings. The film is in part a reaction to the effect man has had on the environment and the paranoia found in the age of the war in Iraq and the Bush Administration.
"Having a political metaphor naturally suggested it be a horror film. Horror films allow us great metaphorical possibilities," Cogswell said. "Plus there's a built in audience - two million people will probably see the film if it's good or bad."
"Part of what I find interesting about the Lovecraft story has to do with the inevitable horror of heredity," Gildark said. "But neither of us are really horror film fans, which gives me a lot of latitude to work with."
Though a horror film, "Cthulhu" is no blood fest. No one will run through the woods wielding a machete aimed at teenagers. The pacing is measured. The chills are psychological.
"We're staying away from splatter films or campy parody," said Gildark. "It's not about silliness. This is probably closer to 'Rosemary's Baby' or 'The Shining.'"
"It's basically a Japanese new-wave zombie movie with heavy political overtones," Cogswell said. "But it's also metaphor about sprawl, about how conscious choices and the pursuit of a particular lifestyle are destroying the planet."
He added that the horror genre becomes intrinsically more popular when people are worried about the future.
"Obviously, these days are good times to make a horror film," he said. "The climate is right - these movies help exorcise people's fears. This film is a cinematic middle finger to red-state America."
Financing the project has been achieved courtesy of deep excursions into personal finances, friends and relatives (and, Cogswell said, "friends of relatives"). Several larger investors have shown interest. Cogswell said they are sort of in a holding pattern, waiting for the first one to actually come through.
"This is an investment, not charity. We expect investors to be handsomely rewarded when all is said and done," he said.
Shooting for the film is slated to begin on Sept. 26, and is expected to take about a month. Half the shoot will be in Astoria, a location selected very early on.
"Astoria is like a city from your dreams," said Gildark. "It has a working class, fishing village feel that really doesn't exist anymore. And it's perfect for the main character's home town."
The rest of the film will be shot in Seattle. Beyond time spent shooting inside the Cascade Film Collective studio, numerous locations on Capitol Hill and in Pioneer Square have been chosen.
Gildark said that following filming, roughly five months of post-production are needed to bring the project to completion. The goal, rather the expectation, is to have a final copy ready to be entered in the Cannes Film Festival. The deadline for submission is March 15.
"This is a goal we know we can reach," he said. "If we do our part well, we'll have an amazing film to present at Cannes."
For Cogswell, the Cascadia Film Collective means far more than simply finishing "Cthulhu." The studio space has been used by several other film productions and has been made available for a variety of parties. Events by The Vera Project are likely to find a home in the studio as well.
Additionally, two new screenplays near completion, neither one of which is a horror film. One involves the Ukrainian Bride trade, the other concerns former Seattle congressman Marion Zioncheck, who committed suicide in 1936. And the studio space is in increasing demand by other film productions. The enterprise is an ongoing an exercise in learning what works. Cogswell expects things to become busier, rather than easier, once "Cthulhu" is complete.
One motivation is building upon the buzz and success of "Police Beat," which Cogswell sees as the first good, serious film to come out of Seattle.
"The goal is to really build a local film community," he said. "This city is waiting for its big breakout film. We'd love to see "Cthulhu" be it."
A kickoff party for "Cthulhu" takes place on Thursday, Sept. 1, at 8 p.m. at the Cascadia Film Collective, 1410 14th Ave.
Doug Schwartz is the editor of the Capitol Hill Times. He can be reached at editor@capitolhilltimes.com or 461-1308.
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