Filmmakers say Muskogee ideal place for independent work

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) _ Self-described ``filmprenuers'' Oscar and Shiron Ray love to talk shop. <br/><br/>It's obvious the Rays love what they do, the walls of the Muskogee-based independent

Saturday, October 29th 2005, 8:59 am

By: News On 6

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) _ Self-described ``filmprenuers'' Oscar and Shiron Ray love to talk shop.

It's obvious the Rays love what they do, the walls of the Muskogee-based independent film company Darkwood Productions are a patchwork of pictures, large movie posters and film equipment.

``When we started out, we thought we would make a movie and sell it to Hollywood,'' Shiron Ray said as her husband was busy showing an actor how to operate a video camera. ``But being an indie, you're not in the Hollywood vein. Being in Indiewood, you goal isn't getting to Hollywood, it's getting your message out there. If you really want your story told, you've got to tell it yourself.''

The Rays, owners of Darkwood Productions and creators of the independent film screening and awards ceremony Barebones International Film Festival, say the best part of their job is connecting actors, writers and distributors.

Being based in Muskogee is an ideal spot in the independent film industry, they say.

``We have people meeting here in Oklahoma that live two blocks from each other in New York,'' Ray said. ``There's something about Barebones that builds a camaraderie, trust.''

Darkwood, established in 1995, has shot several films in Muskogee, and those who come from out of state for filming are surprised when they get here, Ray said.

``People think we're the Dust Bowl, we're just cowboys and Indians,'' Ray said. ``We show them the culture and what's here so they come back again and again.''

Independent filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, is a hero of the Rays. Rodriguez, who directed ``Sin City,'' resigned from the Director's Guild of America so that he could make Frank Miller, creator of the comic book the film was based on, the official co-director of the film.

Rodriguez also based the 2005 film ``The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava Girl'' on his son Racer's imaginary friends and gave him credit in the film.

The Rays said they find working with children and encouraging their creativity can create a new generation of filmmakers.

Oscar Ray said he was inspired to start making films when he was cast as an extra for HBO's ``The Tuskegee Airmen'' in the early 1990s.

``I realized the process was complex but it was simple,'' he said. ``You just need people who do their jobs. I made a decision on the set to try something like that.''

Oscar Ray said both he and his wife knew it was risky starting a film company in Muskogee, but they tried anyway.

Today, the company is one of the top independent film consultant companies in the Southwest and the Barebones Film Festival features films from across the world.

``It's too important of an industry to only let Hollywood have a voice,'' Oscar Ray said. ``It's almost a responsibility to say, 'Look, you can do this. Hollywood isn't an ivory tower with impenetrable walls.' Once you pull the stars out of your eyes, you realize that.''