WREX.com – Rockford’s News LeaderRockford filmmaker starts latest project

Rockford filmmaker starts latest project

By Bob Schaper

ROCKFORD (WREX) - A Rockford filmmaker starts production on his first feature-length movie. Travis Legge wrote the horror film called "Raymond Did It' and will also direct the picture in just a few weeks.

Legge has been making short films for years now, anywhere from eight to 15 minutes long. But with this movie, which will run about an hour and twenty minutes, he hopes to take his work to the next level.

"I have loved horror as long as I can remember," Legge says. "It's entirely possible the first film I ever saw was a horror film."

While his fellow kindergartners were watching Disney movies, Legge was already watching slasher films.

"Evil Dead and Halloween and I Spit on Your Grave and Gator Bait," he remembers.

After making five short films in 2009 he's starting work on "Raymond Did It," about a developmentally challenged man who is falsely accused of killing his brother. After six years in a mental hospital he escapes and seeks revenge.

The director of photography says the movie will be true to its roots.

"We definitely want to throw back a little bit to some of that early 70's kind of look," says Tim Stotz. "A little bit of grunge."

Kyle Hoskins of Belvidere has the lead role, and some well-known names in the horror genre have signed on to star, including Lindsay Felten, from VH1's Scream Queens, and Elissa Dowling, who's made 50 movies in the last four years.

Legge says he's raised about half of the film's $102,000 budget. To make up the difference he's hosting an investor's ball at Kryptonite Wednesday night.

"I would love to make as many people from Rockford a part of that as possible," he said.

The plan is to start shooting the film on June 8, and have it finished by Halloween.