2018 Storyhive Spotlight: The Prairie Pirate
BizBooks.net is pleased to showcase a few of the local creators for this round of the 2018 Storyhive Digital Shorts Edition.
In this interview, we talked to Ryan Mennie about The Prairie Pirate.
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Can you start by telling us about you and your film?
Born in Edmonton, Alberta but raised in the Lethbridge area, I’ve lived and worked throughout Western Canada first and foremost as a radio announcer for 26 years now. But no matter the community I’ve lived in, I’ve been driven to tell stories in other mediums as a creator, writer, director, editor, videographer and actor. As an actor I’ve done everything from filling the shoes of Captain Von Trapp in a stage musical of The Sound Of Music and playing the lead in several short films to experiencing life in the big screen trenches with Brad Pitt and Henry Thomas as a background WWI soldier in the Alberta-filmed war sequences of Legends Of The Fall. As a creator, I’ve written and directed several sketch comedy series for community TV stations in Drumheller, AB and Nanaimo and Campbell River, BC and now most recently, the Telus Storyhive funded web series pilot episode of Western Steele showcasing epic history from Canada’s wild west of the late 1800s.
My latest concept I’m excited to bring to life on the screen is The Prairie Pirate. It’s tough living the swashbuckling life of a pirate when you live on the prairies. Fortunately for our Captain, he has an active imagination. So active, he may get lost in it from time to time. Think Walter Mitty of the Seven Seas. You’ll have a front row seat following The Captain on his epic quest for glory, no matter the odds or terrain. Juxtaposing moments straight out of any big budget pirate thriller with the most mundane yet hilarious situations, our short film will encourage you to cheer on The Captain and laugh at his misadventures at the same time. Throw caution to the chinook wind, and set sail for adventure, with The Prairie Pirate!
Who else is involved in this project?
The team at the moment also consists of our producer and actor Carrie Ann Worden, and actor Neal Irvine (co-writer of the previously mentioned Drumheller sketch comedies). We also have an agreement with West Edmonton Mall for the use of their famous ship “The Santa Maria.”
What would making this film mean to you?
Bringing this story to life is an opportunity not only to create a high quality comedy, but also a chance to showcase locations on the prairies that may be taken for granted (see behind the scenes and pitch video of the very large orange historic grain elevator in Nanton).
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What film-related books or authors have been influential in your career so far?
An avid reader, I’m a huge fan of William Goldman and the hilarious and heart-felt world he created with The Princess Bride. His grand adventures so beautifully written, and then brought to the screen in memorable style by director Rob Reiner, are most certainly an inspiration for my style of film making.
Where can we find out more about your film?
You can find out more about “The Prairie Pirate” at Facebook.com/theprairiepirate and on Twitter at Twitter.com/theprairiepirat
The pitch video for Storyhive funding votes will be live the week of April 3rd to 6th at Storyhive.com
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Thanks to Ryan Mennie for speaking with us!
For more information about this project and the other Storyhive digital short entries, please visit Storyhive.com
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