Open casting set for April 9 at NYM School Library

By Tucker Henderson

Reporter

Community adults across New York Mills and the surrounding area will have the chance to find their place as an actor in an upcoming feature film “Darkness,” directed by independent filmmaker and NY Mills resident Joel Trujillo.

Trujillo has been making films in some capacity since 1993 and has made several feature-length films in the past 20 years as one of his favorite pastimes. A move to NY Mills brought him a change of scenery in 2019 and he is excited to see how his newest creative project is influenced by the people, places and culture of central Minnesota.

A casting call for his feature-length independent film “Darkness” was put out in mid-March and an open casting will be held on Thursday, April 9 from 6-9 p.m. in the NY Mills High School Library, Room #108.

This casting call is open to all actors, extras, zombie performers, makeup artists and crew members 18 years of age or older. An emphasis that prior acting talent is not necessary for extra roles as Trujillo welcomes as many as are interested. With available roles for both men and women of all different ages and as many extras as are interested, there is a role for everyone.

“Growing up, I was always fascinated with how the movies were made, especially George Lucas’ Star Wars,” said Trujillo. “George A. Romero, one of my biggest influences, since this is a zombie movie. I was fascinated with how things were done, how things that look in the movie don’t look like it behind the scenes.”

Trujillo watched TV shows about special effects in the 1990s and in the summer of 1993, he saw a horror awards show which showcased practical makeup effects for zombies, monsters and other dark creatures. With piqued interest, he decided that he wanted to try his hand at special effects and movie making.

“That summer, my dad had borrowed a camcorder from his friend to film our vacation,” said Trujillo. “So in the meantime, with the camcorder just sitting there waiting for this trip, I started filming my Batman action figures, because I was a huge Tim Burton, Michael Keaton Batman fan at the time.

“Then with watching Night of the Living Dead and just loving how George Romero filmed that, I had my uncle act like he was being chased by my dad,” he laughed. “I put Elmer’s glue and tissue paper and since I didn’t have makeup, I used watercolors and green facial cream and had him out there chasing my uncle.”

With that first foray into filmmaking, Trujillo’s father saw his interest and talent in the new hobby and encouraged him to pursue his newfound interest. His father’s support spread to both parents and his grandparents all being eager supporters of his filmmaking which has continued to this day.

“They’re still big supporters,” he said. “So that’s where it started and that film that I did with my dad on the VHS camcorder, there was no story, so in 2006 I wanted to actually make this zombie movie. That was my first in having casting calls, having an assistant director, having a producer.

“We’re all local, this was all for fun,” he continued. “It’s the same thing for this one, it’s all for fun, it’s done for the love of making movies. I’m not Hollywood, I’m independent, I am low-budget and that’s the nice part of making a zombie movie, he laughed, “You don’t have to invest so much.”

Since Trujillo’s movies are a creative outlet with no intention of making money off of them, his “low-budget/no-budget” endeavor makes it difficult to utilize the movie magic effects of CGI and more sophisticated Hollywood-production level effects. In 2026, he sees the opportunity to utilize Artificial Intelligence programs to help him bridge that gap, which was much harder when he started making movies.

“I have much more advantage than I did 20 years ago,” he said. “If I’m not getting something a certain way, it can be created digitally, especially with the AI technology. I know some people frown upon AI, but as someone who doesn’t have deep pockets, like Hollywood, I can use this to my advantage to do things that cannot be done in person as it can be on a computer.”

“I can superimpose extras into the background if I need to,” he continued. “As far as background actors, I still want them, I want physical people there, we’re going to do the special effects, if there is anybody out there that wants to help with the makeup, they’re more than welcome to.”

While restrictions on AI are increasing, Trujillo sees some of that affecting editing of his movie, which features themes like violence and gore, being a zombie movie. He isn’t worried, however, as the challenges are part of the movie-making process.

“That’s all ok,” he said. “I don’t sell my movies. I would like to get local theaters involved if I can, but this is all for the love of making movies, nobodies getting paid, I think of it as theater on film. You have all these people who play in theaters and plays and don’t get paid, it’s just that on film. It’s all for the fun of it.”

Trujillo is most looking forward to meeting creative locals who are interested in being a part of the project and getting to know their talents and working with them this summer. Production of “Darkness” will begin in mid-May to early-June and will be shot in New York Mills, Otter Tail Lake, Perham, Wadena and Staples.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the people who are interested and excited about this and is on board for it,” he said. “And of course, making it, I’ve already got my two lead actors coming in from Oklahoma, so they’ll only be able to shoot for a week and a half, so it will be tight. I just want to make sure everyone’s schedule will be open during the week.

“Casting will be taken care of, hopefully, within 24 hours after the casting call,” he continued. “It’s very important that if you don’t have the acting chops, you are more than welcome to be a zombie extra. That’s what this movie’s about. I’ve got a good feeling about this one, the more we can get the better.”