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Southwest Kansas
Gazette
News Article
Movies Made in SW KANSAS - By Jim Spooner
 An independent film company based here in SW
Kansas made a fifty-seven minute humorous
fan film of the horror film "Night of the
Living Dead". They made the film in black
and white to make it more like the original.
They called the film "Dusk of the Living
Dead". The World Premiere was July 3rd,
2006 at the Memorial Hall in Hugoton, KS. It
was produced by JFT productions and Night
Walker Films.
The film was the brainchild of a young man
named Joel Trujillo. JFT Productions was
named after Joel’s grandfather Joel Frank
Trujillo, Sr., who died in 1981. Joel went
to High School in Moscow, Kansas but
considers Hugoton, KS his hometown. The film
starts with a 2-minute video he shot at age
13 of his dad dressed as a zombie chasing
his uncle. That short video, shot in Beaver,
OK, was the seed of an interest in digital
filmmaking. That interest, coupled with
related classes in High School and at Seward
County Community College, led to "Dusk of
the Living Dead." continue....
Joel made three short "Star Wars" fan films.
A fan film is different from a parody or
spoof, in that it is faithful to the
characters and development of the movie, TV
show, or book it is based on. While filming
his third one he ran across a buddy from the
501st Legion, Evan Greenwood. Evan’s father
is Randal Greenwood of Greenwood Photography
in Hugoton, KS. Evan showed his dad some of
the videos Joel had created. Randy felt that
while the photography was very good, the
scripting needed help. He teamed up with
Joel to make "Dusk of the Living Dead".
The 501st legion is a group of Star Wars
fans who have costumes of characters from
the original movie that are good enough to
pass approval by the organization for
membership. Evan and Chris are both members
of that club. Chris has an approved Darth
Vader costume and Evan is a Star Wars Storm
Trooper. The 501st is run by George Lucas
and these 501st members help promote store
openings, parades, and such. Members of the
501st most recently marched in this year's
Rose Bowl parade (Evan and Chris did not
make that trip this year.) and others
including Evan and Chris were in the
Christmas parade at Liberal in ‘06.
They had so much fun with making this first
film that they felt they had to do another,
longer, one. They wrapped up photography for
"Fields of the Living Dead" Nov. 5, 2006 and
it is now in it’s editing stage. They hope
to have the premier in March or April of
’07, in either Elkhart or Liberal, since
most of the filming was done there.
Randy Greenwood of Night Walker Films did
most of the character development and the
majority of the dialog in the script,
especially on the second film "Fields of the
Living Dead."
Unpaid volunteers from Seward, Morton, and
Stevens counties gave up their weekends to
make the videos. Some did it for fun, and
some for the experience and training that it
provided. Several had gone through the tough
job of putting on a play, with its weeks of
practice and labor gone after two or three
performances for the public. The idea of a
video interested them if only for the
longevity it gives their performances.
Joel and Randy were a little surprised and
extremely gratified for the cooperation
given to them by the people and towns here
in SW Kansas. Hugoton blocked off a section
of Main Street so they could film one scene.
The fire department set a car on fire and
put it out for another. Elkhart was also
cooperative when filming there. The National
Guard cooperated with the use of some old
equipment, uniforms, and volunteer personnel
for military scenes as well as with the use
of the Liberal Armory as a shoot location.
The story plot of "Dusk
of the Living Dead"
Newspaper reporter named Kennie Porter finds
a victim who has been bitten on the face.
Kennie runs back to the Newspaper. Block
after block he sees people being attacked by
zombies in their own yards. He sees a fire
fighter being attacked by a zombie. Kennie
runs through the cemetery where he saves
Niki Weatherman from a zombie. They get back
to the Newspaper where they find a Vietnam
Vet by the name of Ripper. He’s shooting of
Zombies in the alley by the Newspaper. He’s
with the photographer of the Newspaper Gregg
Burrows. The four find themselves trapped
inside hoping help is on the way.
D. Brent McKinley of Elkhart, KS played
Kennie Porter, the lead. A zombie to be was
played by Jacob Riggs a High school student
of Liberal KS. The lovely Vanessa Bailey of
Goodwill, OK played Niki Weatherman. The
Vietnam Vet called Ripper (Ricky Harris) was
played by "Mirky" Edward Nordrum of Liberal
KS. Mirky was ‘killed off’ shortly after the
start of filming for the second video
*Fields of the Living Dead" because he was
suffering from a liver disease. He did not
live to see it finished. John Kubin, who is
a graduate of Moscow High School, played the
photographer of the Newspaper, Gregg
Burrows.
A summary of "Fields
of the Living Dead"
 Kennie Porter has had a bad day and it's not
getting any better! Surrounded by countless
hordes of undead, he sees his small group of
survivors fall victim one by one to the
deadly onslaught of the soul-less creatures.
Despite his best efforts he even suffers the
loss of his new love, Niki who is bitten.
Survival instincts push him onward to
discover other survivors like himself and
continue the fight for mankind. Not everyone
alive is eager to join him and soon he has a
family of redneck farmers hot on his trail
to get back their daughter and see the
reporter and those caught with him, dead for
good!
 Kennie must fight on with his lost souls
including a high School football player, and
his high school cheerleader sweetheart, a
woman searching for her missing father, and
a gun toting farmer's daughter intent on
getting off the farm and away from her
family any way necessary!
Now Kennie must lead them through
countryside full of zombies, while trying to
outwit, or out shoot the deadly Watson clan.
Can Kennie and his group of feisty outcasts
survives long enough to make it to the
rescue station alive? Will there be anyone
left alive when they get there?
Copies of "Dusk of the Living Dead" can be
obtained from Greenwood Photography in
Hugoton – phone (620) 544-2106. Copies of
the soon to be released "Fields of the
living Dead" there also once it is released.
 Joel is stepping back from directing for a
little while, but Randy, prompted by members
of the previous films, is preparing a new
script. The new film will be called "Lost
Treasure Trail." It is set in the present,
in color and is a romantic adventure film
with a friendly supernatural twist. Everyone
involved gets a free DVD and appear in the
film credits. Anyone who helps with props or
any other way gets in the credits. Any one
is welcome to try-out to be in the movie or
work on it, but it is all volunteers and not
for money. Night Walker Films are strictly
local and not connected with Hollywood yet,
even though this is Randy’s third film!
Filming will be mostly on Sunday afternoons
and evenings and an occasional Saturday or
two during filming. It will be done during
March, April and part of May.
"Fields of the Living Dead" and "Lost
Treasure Trails" will be entered in film
festivals and contests –watch for them.
Randy wanted a special note of appreciation
given for the Morton County Community
Theater and to Stevens County Arts.
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