The Film
The Story
Trailerpark is a film centered around the lives of rural Ohioans who reside in a rundown trailer park. There is Flora Pease, the newest resident, who has a fondness for erratic behavior and small creatures; Merle Ring, the oldest resident, with a strange streak of luck and an even stranger sense of humor; Bruce Severance, the town hippie, who has a dangerous plan up his sleeve; and Terry Constant, the single black resident, who finds himself constantly out of place. There are other residents, each unique and interesting, and all living under the motherly eye of Marcelle, the owner of the park. Throughout the year the residents face conflicts with drug dealers, lottery winners, and guinea pigs, but, most of all they have to learn to live with and support each other.
Our Goal
This year, students are working toward completing the class's first ever feature-length film. During the fall quarter and beyond, the students working on Trailerpark will begin fundraising in order to meet their goal of our estimated budget. The majority of shooting will take place in Athens County, OH and in Michigan during the winter and early spring. Editing will be completed by the end of spring quarter as Trailerpark is unveiled to the students, faculty, and staff at the end of the 2008-2009 school year.
The Author
Russell Banks is the award-winning author of the collection of short stories that Trailerpark is based on. Two of his novels, Affliction and The Sweet Hereafter have been made into critically acclaimed films. Currently, Rule of the Bone, Continental Drift and The Darling are also being adapted to film, with Banks working on the screenplays for Bone and Drift. Banks' newest novel, The Reserve, was published in 2008.
