Seattle corporate producer Martin Whitehead is set to direct his feature debut here this July, the digital supernatural thriller “The Promise Keeper.”
Whitehead and his New York-based co-producer Sabrina McClure plan a two-to-three week shoot in July and August. McClure, Whitehead and his brother, local attorney and executive producer Gregory Whitehead, are raising the under-$500,000 budget from private investment.
They’re in the process of hiring key cast and crew and finalizing the specific digital shooting format. The film follows a trio of attorneys haunted by a supernatural entity drawn from African mythology.
Whitehead chose Chicago as the setting for his first feature based on two main factors. “I’m a firm believer in Robert Rodriguez’ mantra that you should write your script based on what’s available to you,” Whitehead said.
“My brother Gregory is an attorney in Chicago, so we have access to his law office as the main location. And, I love Seattle, but the film’s main character is an African American male and his best buddy is Puerto Rican. Their camaraderie and chemistry will make or break the film, and it’s much easier to cast those parts in Chicago.”
Whitehead recalled that growing up he was influenced by great Hitchcock thrillers like “North by Northwest.” “Later I realized how hungry I was to see those kind of movies, but with protagonists that look like me. It wasn’t until I was in my early 20s and I saw Spike Lee’s early films that I realized that black people could make movies.
“I want to create a milestone in the history of the American supernatural thriller, telling the story through the lens of African American culture.”
Whitehead spent 15 years as a marketing brand manager for clients including Cheerios and Ziploc before opening his full- service production company, Advantage Video, two years ago. He produced the motocross video “Ripped Wide Open,” released nationally last December through Impact Video.
Reach Whitehead at woolleyhead@aol.com.
? by Ed M. Koziarski, edk@homesickblues.com
