Nelson Twp – Local movie producer Tyler Davidson and crew were in Nelson Ledges this week filming scenes for his new coming of age movie “Toy’s House”. The comedy centers around three teenage boys who head to the wilderness to escape conflict with their parents. They attempt to build a makeshift house and live off the land, then mayhem ensues.
Davidson’s company, Low Spark Films, working in conjunction with Big Beach Films, started filming this summer in locations around Northeast Ohio. The movie showcases the forests and metroparks and shows how beautiful Ohio’s hiking, nature and forest areas really are. In addition to Nelson Ledges State Park and the Quarry Park, the film’s scheduled location shootings include Berea, Peninsula, The South Chagrin Reservation, and the Cleveland Metroparks.
Co-producer, Bob Ruggeri shared how he and Davidson first came upon the script, written by newcomer Chris Galletta. “We were sitting in Starbucks, reading the script on our Kindles and laughing out loud. We kept asking each other what scene are you reading, what page are you on?” He goes on to say the “laugh-out-loud quotient” for this script was very high, something he rarely experiences.
Ruggeri also shared his and Davidson’s goal of filming as many of their projects as they can in Ohio. “We’re both from the Chagrin Falls area, our families are here, we love it here, Ohio has a lot to offer.” Including an Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit of about $460,000 for this film.
This is not Davidson’s first film to be shot on location in Ohio. His first Ohio shoot was “The Year That Trembled” in 2001, but he made a name for himself last year with the psychological thriller “Take Shelter”, which received critical acclaim and positive reviews. It was also filmed in Lorain County.
“Toy’s House” is directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts. The cast includes Nick Offerman of “Parks and Recreation”, Megan Mullally of “Will & Grace”, Alison Brie from “Mad Men” and “Community”, Nick Robinson of “Melissa & Joey”, and Moises Arias of “Hannah Montana” fame. According to Ruggeri, Davidson and the cast and crew have been fabulous to work with.
The independent movie’s filming is scheduled to wrap August 4 and should premier at The Sundance Film Festival scheduled January 17-27, 2013.
