Exclusive to Lowcountry Weekly
By Mark Shaffer
Four of us – VW Scheick, his wife and producing partner Uyen Le, Beaufort Film Society cofounder Ron Tucker, and myself – convene in the Lowcountry Weekly offices. Virtual Gary Weeks appears via a tablet screen on a corner table. Actual Gary Weeks sits in his car in Atlanta near a recording studio where he’s dubbing dialogue for a film he recently completed (Jurassic World perhaps?).
The three filmmakers met at BIFF a couple of years ago and things just clicked. Last fall they found time to meet in Atlanta between projects and, as Weeks explains, “We went from catching up to talking about what we’ve all wanted to do for a long time and that’s make a movie in Beaufort. I think it’s the perfect time to do it.”
The project is an original comedy by perennial BIFF fixture Weeks.
“Gary wrote an amazing screenplay called Basement Bob,” says Scheick, “and we’re all in love with Beaufort – the energy, the location, the rich history of movies here. And we wanted to produce it in association with the film society.”
“We’re working out the details on that,” says Tucker.
Director/Writer/Producer VW Scheich, fresh off his directorial debut feature film About (starring Academy Award winner Mo’Nique), will co-direct the picture with Weeks who’s set to play the title character, as well. Weeks’ lengthy list of TV and film credits includes recent featured roles on The Walking Dead, Resurrection and the upcoming summer blockbuster, Jurassic World.
A few weeks before the film festival, Scheick and Le screened their new film About for cast & crew on a Friday night in L.A. and put the city in their rearview mirror the next morning. Four days and a few adventures later, they arrived in Beaufort. Their production company, Rareform Pictures, will hang a shingle on West Street. Uyen, an entertainment attorney, will produce Basement Bob alongside Gary and VW.
Says Le, “We’re absolutely committed to this. We are here until the end of the production.” The trio will officially unveil the project during the opening gala for BIFF.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Read more about Basement Bob, find out how to get involved and what it means to the future of South Carolina film in the February 25th issue of Lowcountry Weekly and at LowcountryWeekly.com
Check out Gary Weeks, VW Scheick and Uyen Le on IMDB.com
