Fifteen-year-old Peyton Crump is just like any other Springfield, Missouri teen boy who loves Star Wars. He’s incredibly talented, creative and bursting with imagination.
The only real difference between Peyton and other boys his age is that he suffers from a very serious case of uncontrollable Epilepsy. The Star Wars fanboy has had multiple surgeries and countless hospital visits.
But that has not deterred his vast dreams and wishes.
His biggest wish? To star in his own sci-fi adventure short film. Ambitious? Yes. Unattainable? Not exactly.
The Missouri chapter of Make-A-Wish teamed with content creation company Coolfire Studios (Hatfields and McCoys: White Lightning on History Channel, Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s on OWN) to help Peyton unleash his dreams and courage in a new film called Peyton’s Wish – Courage Unleashed.
Shot over two grueling days in September of 2017, the short is about a boy who uncovers a plot by an evil ruler (aren’t they always evil?) to steal dogs and use them for mining minerals on a new planet. Peyton stars as “himself,” Gina Crump plays “Peyton’s Mom,” Regan Gillam appears as an the evil cyborg, “CB918,” Bill Parmentier plays “Bel Rick Mar,” and finally Peyton’s dog Luke as “Luke.” Take a look at the trailer below:
The wish managers at Make-Wish had never received such a request from one of their clients before so, they contacted Coolfire Studios President David Johnson a little over a year ago to discuss the possibilities. “I was incredibly honored that Coolfire was called to make this wish happen. After talking to Peyton and his parents on that first phone call, I knew we had to make this as big and as special as we possibly could for him,” Johnson told Reel Chicago.
After months of pre-production and planning, Coolfire’s producers were able to assemble an incredible crew for the project – all of whom donated their time. According to Johnson, the team made calls to freelance talent, vendors, equipment rental houses and many other services providers to ask for their help on this project. “ALL of them we in from the get go. It’s been amazing to see this many people rally around Peyton,” Johnson added.
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In addition to the crew, several vendors also donated sets, equipment, props, food and services for the film. Post-production ran from October 2017 through January 2018. Editorial and color correction for the project was handled by Director Kevin Johnson. Visual EFX and titles were created by Patrick Vaughan. Dane Dickman created the sound design and original music composition was developed by Brent Johnson. The project was produced by Lindsay Grove, Alicia Vega and Lauren Winchester. Here is a behind-the-scenes video:
The short premiered on April 15th in St. Louis at the Marcus Des Peres Cine in Des Peres, MO in partnership with the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark. Additional live screenings will be held in Kansas City, MO and Springfield, MO. The film launched online today here. Be sure and share the link to Peyton’s adventure.
CREDITS:
Client: Make-A-Wish Missouri
Vice President, Mission Delivery – Stephanie Hampton-Boeglin
Wish Manager – Claire Hutti
Production Company: Coolfire Studios
Executive Producers: David Johnson, Jeff Keane
Producers: Lindsay Grove, Alicia Vega, Lauren Winchester
Director: Kevin Johnson
Writer: Regan Gillam
1st AD: Joe Bitzer
DP: Daniel Gartner
Gaffer: Tim Hawn
Key Grip: Ben Burke
Best Boy Grip: Patrick Bond
Production Design Studio: Blue Coyote Studio
Production Designer: Jack Thomas
Art Director: Clark Woodman
Storyboard Illustration: Wes Murrell
Costume Designer: Beth Ashby
Key Hair & Make-Up: Amy Hubbard / Brian Zimmerman
Script Supervisor: Kelsey Rightnowar
Fight Choreography: Erik Kuhn
Technical Supervisor: Josh McNew
Editor: Kevin Johnson
VFX: Patrick Vaughan
BTS Content / Story Editor: AJ Meadows
Titles: Patrick Vaughan / Kevin Johnson
Colorist: Kevin Johnson
Sound Design: Dane Dickmann
Original Music Composition: Brent Johnson
Contact Colin Costello at colin@reelchicago.com or follow him on Twitter @colincostello10.
