CineForge Co-op

When what is on screen ain’t what the real story is about

By Andy Carpenter

On a chilly winter morning, a group of filmmakers stood around a kitchen while cold rain pinged on the tin roof. Everyone tucked into their coffees, contemplating the day ahead. A mother of one of the actors preparing for his scene suddenly asked, “What is the story about?” 

It was a reasonable question; as the writer and director of the film we had gathered to make, it was important to me to be honest about intention, motivation, and significance behind the script I wrote the night before.

The pages offered a story about a young father who had never been involved in the life of his child, and the father’s realization that he might never be a worthy parent. The dialogue danced, alternating between a cautious first dance and an elbow to the throat, around the edges of distrust, failure, and whether time, empathy and courage could increase the capacity for hope, could eventually prove transformative for this father and child.

So, what was the story about? When I scraped away the allusion, there I stood with nothing but my own reality; the week before I had walked away from my own father, now an eighty-six year old, hard of hearing, widowed and isolated, as he sat in a vinyl side chair beside a single window, next to a single, narrow desk, and a single, narrow hospital style bed. Over a stack of just-signed consent medical forms, a hug and a slight wave goodbye, I left my father in a rehab facility, the same one my mother, his wife of over fifty years, spent the last five years of her life in as she was swallowed whole by Alzheimer’s.

For the entire seven hour drive back home from South Carolina, I considered my father. For his entire life he never abandoned me, or my sister, or his wife. There were many Sundays where he walked away from me and had his own drive home, to contemplate his hopes for my turnaround as I sat in rehab or in foster care. He always came back to get me.

Anyway, I made it through a little speech, rallying this group of filmmakers who came together under Paul Rowe’s encouragement as the Tie-Snakes, to produce a short film for the 25 Hour Film Race, sponsored by the Cobb International Film Festival in Atlanta. Our team consisted of Trey Walker of Mud Films running camera and lights with assistance from James Massey, Paul Rowe producing, Jenn Rowe running sound, Jason Townsend with set design, Brooke Gibbons Corley and actors Galen Graff, Jeffrey Mercer Hudson, Keely McCallister, Aston Regan and Buckley Scott, plus a couple horses, and Travis Mackie as our Behind the Scenes photographer (who provided a gift of music with a phenomenal song, “Hope,” which fit the movie perfectly.)

The Tie Snakes, like hundreds of other international teams, huddled around computers at 8:00 p.m. on a Friday night, waiting for the parameters (three prompts) of what needed to be included in each movie in order to qualify for entry into the festival. Paul and I were together in my living room, Trey on speaker, as we analyzed the prompts. After kicking around some ideas, Paul wandered off to the kitchen, and I started writing. Forty minutes later we had a script we felt was good enough, and if it felt good enough for Paul, I would sign my name on it. We sent out a flurry of emails, then called it a night.

The next morning, we found ourselves in that kitchen, and I looked at the actor’s mother and shared what the script was meant to convey. I am convinced the actors took the message to heart, and for the next eight hours offered the best they had. They gave nuanced, emotional, calm, measured performances that matched the meaning of the film, not only the words on the page. This is what I am most proud of.

Trey set the lighting, set the angles of the shots, let the lens linger when it needed to, giving an in-the-room feeling that is palpable on screen. Jason and Keely turned the set into a living, breathing world, Jenn made sure to catch every breath and spoken word with deft skill, and Brook worked on the looks of the actors to make sure everyone looked naturally in their environment.

Nature collaborated with us. A brooding sky kept watch over the production, while calm and interested horses stood where we needed them to. That day was a testament to selfless friendship and collaboration. Once the actors left, Trey got to work and edited the project. As Paul and I annoyed him, Travis offered up his song, “Hope.” Trey layered the track over the film, and it was then that the true potential of the piece emerged. After several nerve wracking attempts to upload and submit the film on time, our film, “Everything That Comes With It,” got in just at the wire. 

We learned later that our film has been awarded “Finalist” and will be screened at the Strand Theater in Atlanta with the potential to win other awards. If any or all of this sounds interesting, maybe fun, even (and it is, I swear!), CineForge Co-Op, our collective of passionate filmmakers aimed at building and supporting the filmmaking industry in and around Columbus, are contemplating launching a CineForge film festival in 2026.

In any case, we’ll let you know how “Everything That Comes With It” fares. No matter what happens, we want to underscore that when you work with people who believe in each other, a vision, effort, and teamwork, it is possible to create something which carries a lasting impact. 

One specific way we hope Everything That Comes With It will help Columbus filmmaking continue to grow is through our plan to leverage its success to secure financing for a feature indie drama I wrote and plan to direct in June 2026. Too Fast Boat, featuring Jeffrey Mercer Hudson and Keely McAllister, is a bittersweet story about a twelve-year-old loner who steals a race boat and heads down the Chattahoochee River, desperate to outrun his grief after losing one of his parents. Overflowing with local talent, the project will be produced by Paul Rowe and captured on film by Trey Walker. We’re excited to create another meaningful project right here in Columbus. Keep an eye out for this production.

If you have an idea you’d like help developing and bringing to the screen, drop Andy Carpenter @ stronglandlive@gmail.com or Paul Rowe @ prowe9793@gmail.com a line and we’d be glad to offer the support of CineForge Co-Op. 

** We also want to make sure local filmmakers are aware that the Columbus Film Fund has made available five, $10,000 Local Filmmaker Grant Program grants; the application deadline is fast approaching. For more information visit Filmcolumbusganews.com.