A beautiful young woman who grew up questioning everything about her past gets a chance to unlock dark family secrets that will change her future… if she can survive the next 12 hours.Thus begins an odyssey of drama, suspense and action for the star of a new movie called “The Key” produced by Mindful Entertainment, a Williamston-based motion picture production entity headed by Jack Schaberg. “The Key” is the third feature film produced by Schaberg since 2006, and his first foray into drama. Featured in the movie are Holt actor Don Cochran and Williamston student/actor Braedyn Miller.
The movie was shot in 2011 and 2012 in the mid-Michigan area, including locations in Mason, Lansing, Williamston, Fowlerville, Howell, Linden and Fenton. The latter two cities are also homes to the movie’s two stars, Kaitlyn Marie Giguere, who portrays the young woman, and Christine Marie, who plays her mother. Schaberg, who wrote and directed the movie, has nothing by praise for the two actresses. “As soon as I saw their audition tapes, I knew we had found our leading ladies,” he said.
Schaberg assembled his crew, upon who he heavily relied, from the greater Lansing area, including Grand Ledge residents Robert J. Kunc and Bill Phipps, respectively the Director of Photography and Key Grip. The two also shot the majority of the film and anchored the small but experienced crew.
Filmed primarily on weekends and weeknights, the movie started as an idea that came to Schaberg 15 years ago and had been evolving ever since. Then, “when I finished working on “The End of Art” (released in 2009), I began thinking what I wanted to do next,” Schaberg said. “I looked through my screenplays and realized that “The Key” was one I could rewrite to be shot on a modest budget.” Rewriting ensued, followed by casting and a crew call in the spring of 2010. “Our first day of shooting was July 31, 2010. It was hot and humid and we were filming in the woods. By day’s end, I was wondering, ‘what have I gotten us into?’” he recalled.
Made on far too low a budget to quality for Michigan’s film tax credits, the movie screened recently at the Saginaw Film Festival, and has been reviewed by syndicated entertainment report Mike Hughes, who called the cast “solid” and said the film has a plot “that kept me thinking along with it.” It’s a film that demands your attention, and keeps you on the edge of your seat, throughout.
“The Key” shows exclusively at Celebration Cinema in Lansing on Thursday, December 8. ONE DAY ONLY, three show times: 5:15, 7:30 and 9:45. Tickets are on sale now, and on the day of the show. Various members of the cast and crew will be attending the screenings and will be available for media interviews. To schedule an interview before or after the premiere, please contact Jack Schaberg.
