• January 7, 2000
    Minnesota: new film capital?
    UPI Arts & Entertainment - Scotts World
    By Vernon Scott

    HOLLYWOOD (UPI) -- Will Minneapolis become the world movie capital in the new millenium? Not likely, but filmmaker Tim VandeSteeg thinks it has potential.

    Vandy, as friends call him, has compleated his first full lenght feature movie, "Mulligan," in his native Minnesota using local talent on screen and behind the camera; financial backing too.

    VandeSteeg, a Dutch name unusual in Svenska-Norska populated Minnesota, ignores the admonision that one rose does not a summer make.

    That rose was the highly praised 1996 comedy "Fargo," filmed in Minnesota, which captured an Oscar for Frances McDormand.

    Vandy liked "Fargo" but still sulks that Hollywood's Cohn brothers percieved Minnesota as Antarctica peopled by Visigoths.

    "They make us all look like hicks up here," VandeSteeg said this week. "and we're not."

    Perhaps not ALL, but Minnesota clearly has its share of yahoos, rednecks and garter-snappers.

    In promoting his state's film making potential Vandy says, "There is so much talent around here, you just have to organize it and thats what we did."

    The same might be said for Ohio, Nebraska, Mississippi or Rhode Island, but apparently those states don't have a Tim VandeSteeg going for them.

    Another "Mulligan" asset: Subway Inc. , a sandwich shop chain that became Vandy's principle angle.

    Writer-producer-director VandeSteeg also appears in a cameo roll in the story based on four life-long 20s something buddies playing golf in a microcosm of their lives in a proscribed world.

    There is no movie-star golfer like Kevin Costner ("Tin Cup") to play one of the lead rolls. Instead, Vandy hired a quartet of local hackers from the gopher state links.

    The stars, such as they are: Steve Lattery, Joshua Will, Cedric Yarbrough and Trei Michaels. It's about guys bonding.

    Women are incidental, but there is a golf cart girl played by Allison Kending along with two or three lesser female rolls.

    In addition to taking college classes in film making, Vandy made a few short movies and gained experience with TV commercials as a production assistant in and around Minneapolis.

    "This is my first 35mm film and I believe it has high production values, " said the ever-enthusiastic 28 year old Vandy.

    "We used cranes and steadycams, so we do have movement here. I did alot of bartering with equipment houses and labs in Minnesota."

    "I want to show Minnesota in a positive light. 'Fargo' made us look like steriotypical morons, like we werent all there. Thats okay but it was small town stuff."

    Vandy filmed "Mulligan" in the asphalt jungles of Lutsen and Edina, Minnesota, which he says are close to Minneapolis and St. Paul.

    "We really don't have a film industry in Minnesota," Vandy acknowledged, then asked, You know who is really helping us? Gov. Jesse Ventura.

    "A lot of L.A. productions want to film here and fly in all the equipment from Hollywood. We have the same stuff up therelike Cinequipt and Lighthouse for making commercials.

    "We've had big movies made in the area like "Grumpy Old Men" with Jack Lemon and Walter Matthau and "Jingle All the way" with Arnold Schwarzenneger.

    "We also have the job film fund, a rebate system the state gives filmmakers for sending money into the state. Why go to California where you don't know anyone?

    "If you stay in Minnesota and make a name for yourself all kinds of good things can happen. So many recources you can tap."

    To add weight to his production company, Vandy bought a new house in Richfield, headquarters for Vandy Productions.

    "I've made the basement into a studio," he said, "Including an editing room, a 5 computer system."

    Take that MGM! "I have 7 full-time employees right now. I got 27 corporate sponsors to finance 'Mulligan."

    They include Adidas, Sun Country Airlines, Golf Minnesota magazine, Mr. Movies videos, Mail Boxes etc. and Lifetime Fitness."

    Who needs the bank of America when he has Bobby and Steve's Auto World gas stations?

    Unlike many Hollywood backers, Vandy's bankrollers had nothing to say about the films content or casting.

    "We are proud of Subway because its the second biggest resturant chain behind McDonalds," Vandy said "They were very cool. They catered our location shooting."

    "I looked for companies with my age group in mind to back the film."

    Vandy said the films budget was "about a million dollars, maybe less."

    "This picture combines eliments from 'Caddyshack,' and dialogue something like 'Clerks,' a $27,000 film that made $3 million. It was made by Kevin Smith who's the same age as I am."

    "I'm a highly motivated person and I have two other films I am working on now."

    Vandy may be an empire builder but Steven Spielberg might think twice before locating his new studios in Minneapolis.

    Dubuque maybe?

© 2003 VANDY Productions