Odd Machine director’s debut film stars A-list cast

Co-stars and co-producers Ron Perlman and Michael Shannon

A dozen years ago, Odd Machine’s founder/director Seth Henrikson and actor Michael Shannon, who was living and working in Chicago, made a short film together. They became good friends, stayed in contact “and talked about how one day we’d make a feature together,” Henrikson recalls.

But it wasn’t until Shannon’s friend, writer Daniel Meyer came up with quirky comedy “Pottersville” that they agreed this was the one they’d been waiting for.

Making his feature directorial debut, Henrikson says the experience was “amazing, a dream come true. I held out for the right opportunity and right cast and I could not have asked for anything better than how it turned out.”

Henrikson credits Meyer’s script for the quick assembly of co-stars Ron Perlman, Christina Hendricks, Judy Greer, Tom Lennon and Ian McShane.

The cast of "Pottersville"

“’Pottersville’ is one of those rare stories that has it all. It’s funny, it’s unique, its chock full of fun characters, and it has a big heart,” he says.

Set during the holiday season, the story centers on Maynard, a beloved local businessman (Shannon) who is mistaken for the legendary Bigfoot as he stumbles around town in a makeshift gorilla costume.

The sightings turn into rumors of the legendary Bigfoot, setting off an international Bigfoot media spectacle and a windfall of tourism dollars for a simple small American town hit by hard times.

When reality TV’s “Monster Finder” Brock Masterson (“Reno 911’s” Tom Lennon), arrives to hunt the “Squatch,” Maynard agonizes over whether to come clean and destroy the rebirth of his beloved town, or to keep the inadvertent hoax going.

“Pottersville” shot for four weeks in Upstate New York; three weeks in the small town Hamilton, home of Colgate University, and a week in DeWitt’s $15 million studio that had been funded by the state of New York to revitalize the Upstate economy.

Seth HenriksonPostproduction at Odd Machine began in early February; editor is Joel Plotch from Los Angeles. “We’re working on titles and effects and our partner, Brando Triantafillou’s Sound Cake, will compose and record score,” says Henrikson, who formed Odd Machine in 2007.

While the feature is being completed over the next couple of months, “We will be working on our strategy of how best to take the film to market,” Henrikson says.

“Pottersville” was produced by Ron Perlman and John Crook’s Wing and a Prayer Pictures, in association with Plot Four Productions, formed by Henrikson, Shannon, Meyer and Christian Chadd Taylor, Jonathan Gray of Big Jack Productions and Scott Lochmus of Storyland pictures.

Odd Machine has two Chicago locations: production facilities at 3144 W. Carroll, phone, 773/265-6970 and postproduction at 900 N. Franklin, 312/624-9292, and an LA office at 672 S. Lafayette Parkway to serve its LA producers and directors.