Ryan “Staples” Scott just wanted to “do something funny, with guns.”
“The image of a gun has so much more weight to it,” said the Yukon resident. “I wanted to create a plot to push that.”
The
end result is his directorial debut in feature filmmaking, “Wolf Head,”
shot entirely in the Oklahoma City metro area with an all-local cast
and crew. The crime comedy premieres with a special screening tomorrow
night at Harkins Bricktown Cinemas.
For Scott, the public showing represents quite an accomplishment, considering he almost gave
up on the five-month shoot. Previously, he had lensed nothing longer
than 45 minutes, 2009’s dramedy short, “Dale and the Laughing Turtle,”
so tackling something twice as long proved infinitely more complicated.
“I
did not realize even remotely what I was getting into,” said Scott, who
makes advertisements and animation as RYIT Creative. “But I kept going,
even though I was so sick of it. But I learned a ridiculous amount.”
And if you don’t like it, blame Steely Dan.
Two
years ago, the kernel that eventually popped into “Wolf Head” was
planted in Scott’s head via the legendary jazz rockers’ “Do It Again.”
The 1972 single’s dark lyrics begin, “In the morning you go gunning /
For the man who stole your water.”
“I immediately thought, ‘There’s a story in there,’” said Scott, “and this is what grew out of it.”
Centering
on two not-so-bright brothers (played by Tyler Roberds and Jonathan
Grant), “Wolf Head” follows in the tennis-shoed footsteps of cinema’s
recent socially awkward manchildren of “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Step
Brothers.”
Living with their mother (Michaela Bishop), the boys discover she has “like, $10” in the bank, so
they decide to “become men” — con men, to be more specific.
Unfortunately, they have no idea what they’re doing — one mistakes
tampons for confetti poppers, after all — until they enlist the help of a
beautiful woman (Jen Ehrlich) they meet on the streets.
Featured
in supporting roles are a few familiar names, including 2 Movie Guys’
Lucas Ross, radio personality Jack Elliott and Miss Oklahoma 2010, Emoly
West.
“A lot of talented people were involved,” Scott said. “Nobody did just one thing. Everybody had a 10-person job.”
With
assistance like that, “Wolf Head” surpassed so many obstacles in its
journey from the random folds of Scott’s brain to the polished effort on
the silver screen.
“I
did not expect it to look as good as it did,” he said. “In film, you
can never get what you see in your head, but somehow, we did it.”
