A crew of locals finished shooting a movie called “I Am Not Who I Was” in Suttons Bay, Leland, and Traverse City over the past few weeks, which is expected to be released later this year.
“We really would not have been able to do it without the community’s involvement; that was really exciting and made me feel really grateful and proud to have filmed up here,” film director James Kelley said.
The movie, in the early stages of production, featured local actors from Maple City and high school students, and even some LA stars (Shannon Bengston) came out for the gloomy, spring April shoot.
“We used a couple actors from Maple City, and the whole crew was from the Traverse area,” Kelley said. “A lot of local people helped out on it, and we had so much involvement from the community, which was just absolutely incredible, and it really made the film happen.”
According to the IMDB description, “After accidentally picking up a hitchhiker, Gabby gets entangled in a dark and complicated missing persons case. Solving it is her only chance at surviving the night.”
The film stars Shannon Bengston, Julie Dutchak, Derrell Northern, Adam Christopher, Chris Richards, Cinnamon Bice, Vivian Hahn, Blake Bice, John Karolionok, and Eli Walker.
Kelley, along with Northwest Education Services Career Tech Center film and media teacher Zac Wendland, directed the movie. Kelley also filled a key role.
Landon McDaid (producer), Riley Bockhol (director of photography), Eli Walker (sound department) also provided pivotal roles.
Kelley reports there will be three or four months of postproduction before hopefully a premiere at local theaters in Traverse City and Suttons Bay.
Everything was shot on location across various locations in Leland and Suttons Bay.
Kelley said the entire film was shot on the iPhone 17, which allowed them to shoot at multiple locations that wouldn’t be accessible to traditional camera equipment.
“I was trying to find out what was going to be the best thing for this film, and I kept coming back to the iPhone because it was so small. It was so mobile. And then we were able to pair that with battery-powered lights ... A skeleton crew and a small cast. We were able to actually shoot on location and move quickly and transition from shot to shot, location to location, really quickly,” Kelley said. “I’m the last person to be in love with my phone ... For this story, it was the best way to do it, and the footage looks so good, thanks to Riley and Eli and Zach and Shannon and everyone involved.”
Wendland, who teaches at the Career Tech Center in Traverse City, was ecstatic when Kelley needed some students to help.
“He was wondering if any of our students would be interested in helping, and I thought it was such a cool opportunity for our students. Any chance we get to have them get involved, I jump at it.”
Local Benzie Central student Eli Walker and Riley Bochhol of Traverse City West were central to the film.
“I’m always really surprised by the amount of production that actually comes up in northern Michigan ... Any chance to work with someone new and take their experience into a real-life environment. It’s just so neat for them,” Wendland said.
Kelley grew up in Connecticut, worked primarily as an actor in New York City, and then moved to LA. After three years, James and his wife moved to northern Michigan. James has been coming to the area his whole life, as his grandparents had a house on Lake Leelanau.
“I was in Santa Monica for three years, and then my wife and I moved here just over a year ago,” Kelley said.
