“Harvey Putter and the Ridiculous Premise" follows the exploits of the rebel punk celebrity Harvey Putter. (Photo submitted)

By JESSICA SIEFF

Niles Daily Star

Two years in the making and filmed in and around Edwardsburg, “Harvey Putter and the Ridiculous Premise,” a spoof on the famous wand wielding wizard books is hitting the big screen.

“Putter” is the latest film by director Tim Richardson and his company Richardson Productions, spoofing the global phenomenon that is J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter book series.

Though it may sound like a project quite intimidating in its undertaking, Richardson had experience spoofing a world renowned story; he garnered much acclaim when he filmed his first big spoof, “Dork of the Rings,” a play on J.R. Tokien’s “Lord of the Rings” series.

“We’d already done ‘Dork of the Rings,’” Richardson said. That film was also high fantasy and helped the crew in preparing for “purists.”

Richardson said he and his crew started coming up with ideas for the film in 2006. That’s when they sat down and watched the Harry Potter films already on DVD. Then they got to work.

“We were still writing the script when we started casting it a year later,” Richardson said, “(which is) kind of an unusual process.

“We had to because you’ve got so much art for this kind of film, as you’re writing the script,” he said. “You have to come up with costumes and materials and locations. You have to sort of do it at the same time in order to get everything done.”

Richardson secured a location through his employer and made use of a warehouse that had just been purchased and provided ample space to build large, detailed sets including walls that were 12 feet tall.

“I wanted them to look grand,” Richardson said.

He assembled a cast that includes Bryce Cone, Joe Scheibelhut, Sunny Williams and Kiran Shah, who some may recognize from films such as “Lord of the Rings” and “Star Wars.”

The film is currently set for screenings this weekend at Indiana University South Bend (IUSB) and is available for purchase online at

www.harveyputter.com.

Richardson’s production studio doesn’t just specialize in spoofs. He also produced the Civil War drama “Kill the Messenger.”

Having grown up in the area and living in Edwardsburg for the last eight years, Richardson makes good use of his surroundings, which suits his work.

“I think the nice thing about the digital age,” he said, “is you can make a movie wherever you live.”

Richardson holds a degree in theatre with a concentration in directing and acting from IUSB, runs the River Bend Film Festival and is president of Mid America Filmmakers.

Filmmaking is something he’s been doing since he had the chance to play with a video camera in high school. Now, he says, he’d be making movies no matter what.

As for his latest endeavor, Harvey Putter is getting good reviews, he said, after its world debut in Orlando, Fla. and recently showing at the gaming convention GenCon in Indianapolis.

Richardson is also looking forward to pushing the film as the final two Harry Potter installments play out over th next year.

For more information, visit www.rpstudios.net