Frank Calo Directs an “Awesome” Trailer

Director Frank Calo loves a challenge and takes on any new project with a vengeance. His directing background is filled with successes and he’s about to prove once again how “awesome” he really is with his latest venture.

The story is based around Deborah Ring and Awesome, a horse she purchased many years ago from a gal named Sissy.

The story is a tough one because it’s loosely based on a true story. Awesome Gal is about Sissy and the Tennessee Walker, Awesome. It’s a story of the pain and suffering these two went through separately and how together they were able to heal and create a bond.

The seed for Awesome Gal took place one year earlier when director Frank Calo sat with co-executive producers Deborah, Jessee and Cameron Ring. They met at the 2017 Tryon International Film Festival to discuss the potential of the Awesome Gal script and one year later they showed the trailer to a full house audience ahead of that night's feature film.

Like many new movies, it starts with a vision and a trailer with the hope that those seeing the film will recognize its possibilities. The purpose for creating this trailer is to attract potential entertainment investors that will offer financial support so that Awesome Gal The Movie LLC, the producers behind the project, can produce a major feature film to reach a commercial worldwide audience. The goal is not only to tell a story about the healing powers of horses, but to also bring to light how even today horses are being abused by a horrific method known as soring.

With such a powerful story, how do you create a trailer that captivates the audience while not losing site of the seriousness of the subject matter. That was the first challenge that Calo took on in the making of the trailer.

The goal for Calo was to give the viewer a behind-the-scenes look but then allow the story to unfold without revealing all the details.

Shortly after this Cameron and his family headed to the Tryon International Film Festival in North Carolina to network, where they met up with Calo to further discuss a game plan. And so after first meeting at TRIFF and then after many conversations, time spent understanding the story and the truth about soring, Cameron, Deborah, Jessee and Calo pulled together a crew and headed to Virginia to create the trailer.

Producing this film about Sissy and Awesome has been a longtime dream for Deborah Ring. She was first introduced to the Tennessee Walker breed some ten years ago, which was when she came across this story of both a mistreated horse and an abused girl.

Ring saw the potential of a script in this real life story and took pen to paper and started to create the fictional story of what is now the script for Awesome Gal. Right from the start it was more than just a story but also an opportunity to bring to light the awful method of soring, a cruel training practice of this breed.

“It’s time we get out of the dark ages and end this very cruel practice,” is the message that Ring wants to send out with the making of this movie.

Cameron Ring played the part of a mountain man and while he thinks of himself as a “nice guy,” he often gets cast as just the opposite. In Awesome Gal, he takes on his role as a villain with a vengeance and does it well. It’s for sure that this is not someone the audience will like.

“We needed a person that embodied everything horrible to give Sissy a reason to run away,” Ring admitted.

For Ring this is more than that because it is a project he and his mother have been working on for close to three years. So, finally shooting the trailer was the beginning of their dream.

“I’m really happy to tell Sissy’s and Awesome’s story and bring it to life. When it’s all said and done our goal is to end soring, because these animals deserve it,” he concluded.

For Shannon Spangler, who played Sissy, this has truly been one of the most exciting projects she’s been involved with. Unlike many of the others, Shannon is a horsewoman who rode horses for many years and is totally comfortable around them.

“Getting to portray Sissy in this trailer is both an honor and gets me really excited; plus the mission behind the film is incredible, getting to advocate for the rights of these beautiful creatures, who are mistreated for the sake of human entertainment,” was what Spangler had to say.

Although Shannon is totally capable of riding, Lori Miller was brought in to do those scenes. Her background of riding and training for the last 28 years was part of the reason for this decision. She was the lucky one to get to ride the horse around the meadows.

Christian Brumfield was one of the camera operators in charge of lighting. Brumfield’s job was to create and envision lighting setups as well as pull focus for the camera.

“Part of the challenge of this film was working with horses because you can’t have one distinct lighting setup. You have to plan it around all of the movements of the horse in each shot,” commented Brumfield.

He also assisted in the camera work by making sure the focus was where it should be. Brumfield also has the ability to choose where he wants the camera to focus.

Eugene Rose was the key grip on the set of Awesome Gal. His job was to make sure the cameraman has what he needs. Despite his actual title, Rose also did some stunt work. “I had a rope attached to me and ran as fast as I could so that the talent couldn’t catch me,” Rose laughingly remarked.

Both Brumfield and Rose were supporting Jake Simpson, who was the Director of Photography. His job was to ensure he captured the action.

“I have to create what the mood of the story is going to be and how we are going to translate that to the audience visually using colors, lights, movement, composition and lens choices and add all that together to create one visual story,” he explained.

Part of the challenge for Simpson was having to shoot so much of the trailer outdoors and thus dealing with the positioning of the sun and the lighting of each scene. Yet another challenge for Simpson was presenting the growth of the main character who changes over time.

Ben George was the one operating the drone, the latest craze in film production since it literally offers the audience a “bird’s” eye view of the action happening right before them.

The drone “gives you that extra perspective and cinematic feel,” George said. Filming with a horse also added some additional challenges. “You have to really pay attention to where you are in relation to the horse, making sure he feels comfortable so you are able to get those great close-up shots,” he offered.

And speaking of the horse, Doug Sloan was the Animal Wrangler and the one providing the animals. In this case it was having a horse that could simulate being abused, be able to gallop on its own and also appear sensitive when needed.

Luke Connor was another Animal Wrangler who also performed some stunts. “Our job is to take care of the horses and make sure they can do what the Director wants the horses to do,” he explained, adding, “And sometimes it’s the illusion of hurting the horse without actually doing that.”

James Fulater was the Line Producer, which means he works with the Director to coordinate whatever needs to happen in each scene.

“Mostly what I do is making sure everyone is going when they need to, whether it be the camera, having the makeup and actors ready in a timely manner, etc." This is the person that people go to with their questions rather than burdening the Director with unnecessary distractions.

Having horses in the scene creates a different type of twist. “You have a time limit with horses and they are unpredictable,” he further commented. So, combining the two is both interesting and challenging.

Not only did the addition of a horse add some extra obstacles to deal with but so did having young kids in one of the scenes. Both kids and horses tend to get antsy and so moving everything forward in all the scenes became an even greater task for Fulater.

The beginning of any venture starts with finding the right locations and Cameron’s mom Debbie worked with her friend Jeannie Dudding to find the appropriate locations for the various scenes.

“It just so happened that my husband and I had recently purchased this property with a rundown house and beautiful acreage on 60 acres,” Dudding explained. “All parts of our farm were able to be used for the various scenes along with a nearby reservoir.”

These “scenes” included on the one side rape and soring and on the other the magic that happened when Sissy and Awesome find each other.

One requires darkness and fear while the other needs beauty and hope. A mountain man and his cabin created the darkness for Sissy. An indoor arena became the acid-driven site for the painful act of soring. While some of the segments were tough to watch, it was necessary in order for the viewer to understand the depth of the pain and suffering that both Sissy and Awesome had endured.

And it was the backdrop of a beautiful Virginia park and the attached reservoir that was chosen as the location for the coming together of these two. Calo uses the power of the cameras and a drone to capture those special moments of hope and redemption.

Not only was Dudding’s farm used but her husband Jason and children, Layton and Evi also acted in the trailer.

As in any movie there are many players involved. The sound mixer is critical to bring life and vibrancy to the story. Enrique Williams was the man who captured not only the dialogue but the screams, the whinnies, and the many other scenes that help you feel both the pain and joy of what is happening before you.

“This was the first time I worked with horses,” he revealed in between takes. “We got to record different sounds that I never had before with the running horses and the hooves, the neighing and the drinking water and all those sounds that you hear on a farm but not in NYC.”

It was Williams who captured the sounds but it was the editors who “put the sounds together to match the images,” he explained. And it was Joan Jones who was the make-up artist who gave more depth to some of those sounds.

While Williams now lives in New York City, he was originally born in Columbia but came to the United States when he was ten years old because he had a sister who was deaf. Knowing back then that America had more to offer a deaf child, the parents made the decision to move. Williams chose his present job because of the variety. “You get to go to different places and meet different people that you would not have if you were working a nine to five job in an office.”

Doing a film with horses was a first for Calo but one he truly is enjoying.

“Awesome Gal is a wonderful story of this abused lady and mistreated horse and they meet in that craziness and catharsis of Dante’s Hell. They find their healing process, bring it up and have a beautiful role together, which I think we need in this world anyway,” Calo remarked at the end of a long but successful week.

The icing on the cake is that one year later, on October 5^th, the Awesome Gal trailer made its debut at the Tryon International Film Festival. This was where the seed was planted and now here it was, their combined vision became a reality.

For more information about Awesome Gal go to ChancesAwesomegal.com.