'L.A. Dirt': Film based on Watt Key screenplay being shot in Baldwin County
By Lawrence Specker | lspecker@al.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on June 06, 2012 at 4:02 PM, updated June 06, 2012 at 4:09 PM
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http://media.al.com/entertainment_impact/photo/11139851-small.jpg " alt="WATT_KEY.JPG" height="241" width="155"> Watt Key MOBILE, Alabama -- A new feature film project in production this month is taking Mobile-area author Watt Key from Alabama Moon to Alabama dirt.
Plans call for film crews to be at work in Baldwin and Mobile counties throughout June. The project is L.A. Dirt, a locally financed family film based on an original screenplay by Key.
Distribution plans are uncertain, as of yet. But the projects main financial backer, Eastern Shore Toyota/Hyundai owner Shawn Esfahani, said producers hope to have the project finished by years end.
So far, the project seems to be on a fast track. Esfahani said that hed met filmmaker Tom Stout when the latter was doing commercial work for his business. Stout had some experience in feature films, and the ambition to do more; Esfahani had the idea of making a film that would show Alabama in a positive light.
The two formed Tundra Films LLC within the last year, and began looking for the right project.
Key, meanwhile, had a couple of screenplays hed written partly for fun, partly because he thought itd be a good idea to have something ready in case opportunity ever came knocking as it did when he bumped into Stout this spring.
http://media.al.com/entertainment_impact/photo/11139855-small.jpg " alt="Shawn Esfahani.JPG" height="232" width="155"> Shawn Esfahani Key said he showed Stout two screenplays: A finished one for a thriller that probably would earn an R rating, and an unfinished one about a young man trying to find his way in the world of dirt-track racing. The latter fit with Stout and Esfahanis vision.
That put Key in an unusual, but happy, position: He had to hurry up and finish a project that already had gotten a green light.
They began pre-production on the film while I revised and kept revising based on the locations we were finding and the talent, and that sort of thing, Key said of the past two months. Its been a lot of fun.
Key refers to himself as primarily a novelist. But he did write the screenplay for the 2011 movie based on his award-winning novel, Alabama Moon.
Heres where it gets a little tricky: Alabama Moon featured a kid named Hal, a secondary character who lived with his neer-do-well father in a clay pit; Hal later became the focus of a companion book, Dirt Road Home.
The protagonist of L.A. Dirt lives with his impoverished, alcoholic father at the edge of a clay pit in Bay Minette, Alabama, according to promotional information. But Ty Hargrove is not Hal Mitchell. Different kid, different dirt.
http://media.al.com/entertainment_impact/photo/11139856-small.jpg " alt="Tom Stout.JPG" height="212" width="155"> Tom Stout A lot of people get confused, said Key. A lot of people think its about Dirt Road Home, but its not. Its a completely different character. The only similarity is that the guy lives in a clay pit.
Eighteen-year-old Ty has a passion for dirt track racing that might open the way to a brighter future. But he also faces some challenges, including the loss of a father figure and competition with a racing rival whose girlfriend falls for him.
The racing action is to be filmed at Deep South Speedway, and Key said itll propel a feel-good plot sort of like a Footloose, that kind of thing.
He thinks the story will appeal to the large fan base for dirt track and NASCAR racing. And hes pleased it fits with Esfahanis desire for a positive, family-friendly film.
He is very visible in the community and wants the movie to represent wholesome values, Key said.
We love to showcase Alabama, we love to showcase where we live, Esfahani said. Basically put a light on this great place that we live in.
Esfahani declined to specify a budget for the film, because its a work in progress.
Another Esfahani decision: the commitment to film locally.
That meant bringing in expertise and talent as needed promotional materials indicate that country music star Tracy Lawrence is involved but otherwise using as much local cast and crew as possible. (Actors seeking information about possibilities for appearing as extras can check www.facebook.com/ladirtmovie for updates, or email LAdirtmovie@gmail.com .)
We really wanted to do it here, Esfahani said. We didnt want to pretend to be in Alabama.
updated by @johnny-mallonee: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM
