Local producer premiers film

Terry Ortynsky is well known as a car dealership owner and for community work in the city.

But Ortynsky is also involved in the film industry, having now co-produced a trio of films.

The first of the projects; Twice, had its Canadian debut at a screening last Wednesday as a special pre-Yorkton Film Festival event held at the Painted Hand Casino.

While film might seem a long way from dealing cars, Ortynsky said the arts have always interested him. He even took music in college, although business would be his career path.

"Business always fascinated me. I grew up in it," he said, adding he was still able "to apply what I learned in music to business principles."

Robert Fritz, director on the film, was Ortynsky's partner on Twice.

While Fritz lives in Vermont and Ortynsky here, the two have been friends and have worked together outside of films for years.

"Terry had read some of my books and called me some 20-years ago, or more," recalled Fritz.

Ortynsky had knowing Fritz he became interested in what his was doing in film, adding "film is so creative."

So it became a natural outlet for Ortynsky's interest in arts to begin collaborating with Fritz in film.

The first work, outside training sessions, was Twice.

"The idea germinated," said Fritz, who said he would run ideas past Ortynsky via email and Skype as they hammered out the details.

Fritz said he came to appreciate having Ortynsky to fire ideas at, adding there were things which he'd be having a hard time finalizing and yet knew he needed "to make a decision on," so he'd get sage advice from his friend.

"The collaboration is a creative one," he said. "We're equal in really trying to bring the story out."

Twice was a film that wasn't on the radar to make. In fact until pushed to create something quickly, it was not even a story on paper.

The film came together quickly, after an initial project Ortynsky and Fritz were working on didn't work.

"Terry and I started to do a different movie," said Fritz, adding "eight days into the movie I knew it wouldn't work. I fired everybody and called Terry.

"Terry said 'we'll start again'. He was so strong. He had all this energy."

Ortynsky said while the phone call about having fired the entire crew caught him by surprise, he said after a minute he realized there was only one thing to do.

"We just started over," he said.

So a new idea was brainstormed, and over a few days a new script was developed, and Twice was born.

At its core Twice is a "redemptive movie," with a story about "second chances," Fritz told the audience Wednesday.

The story's main character arrives in a new town with no memory of her past, or who she is, and is faced with the challenge of becoming someone new.

"If she doesn't remember her past, how does she create a future," he said.

In time Charis, played by Natalie Neilson, creates a new life, and then her true identity is revealed, and her parents arrive, offering her a return to the life she cannot recall.

"How does she choose?" asked Fritz, adding that becomes the central struggle for the film.

Once scripted the shooting was fluid.

"We shot the film in 14 days, which is really pretty fast," said Fritz.

The short time frame was possible because Fritz said he goes into production with a pretty solid vision of what he wants on film.

"I've already cut the film in my head. I don't shoot stuff I don't need," he offered.

Ortynsky said Twice is a film which moves him.

"Every time I see it, even last night, it brought tears to my eyes," he said.

For Ortynsky sharing Twice with a local audience was a gratifying experience, seeing "everyone enthralled in the movie." He added it was nice to hear people he knows say things like "'there should be more movies like this'."

The two have co-operated on two subsequent films, the feature length Past Tense, in final production, and the completed short work Akt2.

And more are planned.

In fact Ortynsky is planning to direct a short film, with Fritz penning the script and doing camera work. The plan calls for the film to be shot locally, and ultimately entered in the Yorkton Film Festival.