Making Headlines
From grassroots beginnings to growing recognition, Spiderking Studios is gaining attention. Check out the latest press coverage, interviews, and features that document our rise and the stories driving it.
DOUGLAS COUNTY — A new independent horror film is taking shape right here in Roseburg, as local production company Spiderking Studios prepares to bring its latest feature, "IT CALLS," to life. The psychological cosmic horror film follows a guilt-ridden man attempting to escape his past after a tragic accident only to be confronted by an unsettling, otherworldly force that pulls him deeper into insanity. Written and directed by Jake Tranter, "IT CALLS" is a passion project rooted in themes of grief, guilt and the fear of losing oneself. Drawing inspiration from classic cosmic horror, the film aims to blend grounded emotional storytelling with an eerie, atmospheric tone. The project is also part of a larger mission by Spiderking Studios to create film opportunities in Southern Oregon and prove that high-quality storytelling can thrive outside of Hollywood. The production will take place entirely in Roseburg and the surrounding Douglas County area, utilizing local locations, talent and crew. By keeping the project local, the team hopes not only to showcase the region on screen but also to continue building a creative hub for filmmakers in Southern Oregon. For Tranter and his team, "IT CALLS" is more than just a film. It’s a step toward establishing a sustainable, community-driven film industry right here at home. To help bring the project to life, the team has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, where community members, businesses and supporters alike can back the film at a variety of levels. Supporters can choose from a range of rewards, including social media shoutouts, exclusive behind-the-scenes content and opportunities to have their name or brand attached to the project. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps push the film closer to production. More information: tinyurl.com/8pw3fkws
The creativity and voices of local youth will take to the big screen March 11 as the Student Creator Project premieres a series of original public service announcements created by Douglas County teens. The free premiere event will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 11 at Roseburg Cinema, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. Community members are invited to attend and celebrate the work of students who have spent the past month learning filmmaking and storytelling skills. The event is presented through a collaboration between Mercy Foundation, Spiderking Studios and the Douglas Public Health Network, bringing together community organizations with a shared goal of empowering young voices. Over the past four weeks, participating students between the ages of 14 and 18 took part in hands-on filmmaking workshops designed to teach the fundamentals of visual storytelling. Throughout the program, students learned the basics of camera operation, lighting, editing, story structure and production planning while working in teams to develop short public service announcements (PSAs). The PSAs focus on social issues that matter to the students themselves, giving participants the opportunity to explore topics they feel passionate about while learning how media can be used to inform and inspire change. “This program is about giving young people a platform,” organizers said. “Film is an incredibly powerful tool for storytelling, and these students have used it to share messages they believe their community should hear.” The final films will be presented on the big screen at Roseburg Cinema, giving students the full theatrical experience of seeing their work in a professional setting alongside their peers, family members and the broader community. Organizers hope the premiere will not only celebrate the students’ accomplishments but also demonstrate the value of youth creativity and the importance of giving young people opportunities to express their perspectives. The Student Creator Project is part of an ongoing effort to provide educational media programs for teens in Douglas County, helping them develop creative skills while encouraging thoughtful dialogue around important social topics. Admission to the premiere is free and open to the public. More information: tinyurl.com/yckbka8b.
A long-running youth media program aimed at amplifying teen voices is returning this February under a new name, but with the same mission that has guided it for more than a decade. Formerly known as the Youth Media Projects, the Student Creator Project is a free, hands-on filmmaking workshop series for teens ages 14-18, hosted by the Mercy Foundation in partnership with Spiderking Studios and several local organizations. The program will take place throughout February at The News-Review building in Roseburg. The four-part workshop series will run from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 3, 10, 17 and 24, with a full filming day scheduled for Feb. 28. Participants will learn the fundamentals of filmmaking — including acting, directing, storyboarding, makeup effects, filming and editing — while collaborating to create public service announcements (PSAs) that will be showcased on social media and on the big screen. These PSAs can explore whatever topic is important to the creator, ranging from stress and vaping to mental health, social media and beyond. Marion Pearson of Mercy Foundation said the program’s impact has been evident since its earliest days. “Up2UsNow Youth Media Projects have been around since 2011,” Pearson said. “Elevating teen voices within our community is incredibly important, and this program has truly changed the lives of many young people who have been involved.” Spiderking Studios, a local film production company, is serving as the production partner for the Student Creator Project, helping guide students through the filmmaking process and supporting the creation of the final PSAs. The Student Creator Project emphasizes accessibility and flexibility. Teens are welcome to attend one workshop or all four, and no prior experience is required. Organizers hope families, educators and community members will help spread the word to ensure more local teens can take advantage of the opportunity. Those interested can email studentcreatorproject@gmail.com or visit tinyurl.com/ys77d3mr for more information. Participants may also simply show up to the first workshop to get involved. The workshops will be held at The News-Review, 345 NE Winchester St., Roseburg. Editor’s Note: Jake Tranter, who works as a videographer for Lotus Media Group, is also owner of Spiderking Studios.
The YouTube video opened to a child in a light blue shirt standing in a cold school hallway lined with blue lockers, arms crossed in front of him. “We all deserve to learn in a safe environment,” he said, staring straight into the camera. Douglas Education Service District launched School Safety Starts with Us, the 2025-26 school safety initiative, in June. To launch the initiative, the district created a video using Douglas County students and staff to remind the community that everyone has a role to play in school safety. “I wanted to create something that united students and staff from every corner of our county,” project director LeAne Bustamante said. “Our goal is to normalize reporting school safety concerns, encourage upstanding behavior and empower our entire community to play a role in school safety.” At the time, Bustamante had a position as the ESD’s School Safety and Prevention Specialist, and provided safety support services to 13 public school districts across Douglas County. The initiative explains that school safety does indeed start with the people. From parents to teachers and students, each person has a part to play, whether it’s reporting concerning behavior, standing up for someone being bullied or choosing not to spread harmful messages online. “Our students deserve to come to school each day to learn, grow and thrive — without fear,” Bustamante said. “Let’s be a community that not only talks about safety, but actively works together to create it.” A press release from Douglas Education Service District said the campaign’s central message addresses social media’s impact on school culture and safety, as it can be used to spread fear and information as much as community and creativity. The initiative urges students and community members to break the cycle of sharing harmful or threatening content online, and instead report or take meaningful action. The Douglas ESD folks created the public service announcement video with local teachers and students, with help from Spiderking Studios, Line for Life grant funding, the Sutherlin School District and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. “The kids were heavily involved,” Jake Tranter, owner of Spiderking Studios in downtown Roseburg, said. “We sectioned them out to have their own little parts that they could play, and we filmed in different areas of the Sutherlin High School.” He said he had experience doing similar videos through the Mercy Foundation’s annual Youth Media Projects, which is where he met Bustamante. He said they had the script and everything else done, so all he did was show up with his camera and equipment as far as directing went. “They said it was better than they thought it was going to be so that’s good to hear,” Tranter said. The video can be found tinyurl.com/3ej269hj.
This spring, the CHI Mercy Health Mercy Foundation is partnering with Roseburg based film production company Spiderking Studios to put together UP2UsNow’s Youth Media Project 2025. The event will bring together teens in Douglas County to help produce public service announcements for their local community. The event is expanding this year to reach more people than ever. This is the 11th annual Youth Media Project to be held by UP2USNow Child Abuse Prevention Coalition, a child abuse prevention group in Douglas County. The goal of the project is to bring any teens in Douglas County between the ages of 14 to 18 to produce PSAs on issues that matter to them, such as suicide prevention, bullying, human trafficking, racism and mental illness. “Our teens have something to say, and their voice can really magnify and really resonate with a lot of people if given the right opportunity and the right venue in order to do so,” project organizer and Douglas County Human Trafficking Task Force coordinator Marion Pearson said. “Not only do we engage our youth, but we can highlight and amplify what it is that they have to say so that folks will absolutely listen to them.” Advertising for the project says it is looking for filmmakers, actors, directors, writers, photographers and makeup artists. No prior experience is required and the project is entirely free, making it accessible to teens regardless of financial status and ability. Once completed, the PSAs will be shared on local TV stations and via social media. According to Spiderking owner Jake Tranter, this year’s project will try to work in themes of safe socialization for teens, such as being aware of stranger danger online or staying safe at parties. A former participant himself, Tranter said the project allows kids to take the reins on their vision for the PSAs to get some first time experience in the realm of filmmaking. “It’s all coming from their brain. The only thing that I’m doing is I’m putting it together for them, I’m filming it, and they even get to be a part of that,” Tranter said. “They’re the ones that make the scripts. They’re the ones that storyboard and they come up with the ideas, so it’s all them.” Tessa Hudgeon, who is going on her ninth year in the project. “It put me on a job path,” Hudgeon said. “I started in the eight grade and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, so when I started the Youth Media Project, I got really into videography and I actually ended up going to college for it.” Previously, the project was only held in Roseburg, but is expanding this year to include other communities in Douglas County and give more teens a chance to participate. There will be three different four-week-long workshop sessions: One in Sutherlin this March, another in Roseburg this April and one in Winston this May. Pearson said teens are welcome to come to any meetings regardless of where they live. “They don’t have to live in Sutherlin to go to the Sutherlin one. They can live anywhere they want and still come to Sutherlin. They can come to all of the workshops if they want to,” Pearson said. “We do ask that they stick with the monthlong commitment.” For those interested, contact Pearson by phone at 541-677-4818 or by email at marionpearson@chiwest.com. To keep up to date on project developments, follow UP2USNow at facebook.com/up2usnow/ or visit Spiderking Studios at spiderkingstudios.com.
Last year, Zebadiah Davis decided to start over. At that point, he had been posting six to seven videos on TikTok per day, every day, for nearly a year. Looking to find a new niche, he wiped out the more than 3,000 videos from his channels and started with a clean slate. Davis looked to a video he recorded previously. It was a clip of him with a filter obscuring his face, making him look like a potato, while talking to strangers on the controversial and now-defunct video chat website Omegle. He thought it was funny, posted it on Instagram and TikTok, and waited for about a week as it garnered minimal attention. Then, his phone blew up. “I was in the living room with my great grandma sitting on the couch, and I just felt my phone go buzz, buzz, buzz,” Davis said. “It was freaking out, I was like, what is going on?” For the first time, Davis had truly gone viral. It was a moment years in the making, one he had been hoping for since he was 10 years old when he first started telling his parents his goal was to be a famous YouTuber. He kept refreshing the video. 150,000 views. 200,000. 250,000. “I promised myself I would find a niche and I would continue with it,” Davis said. “I was like, you know what? I’m not going to be lazy about this. I’m going to see what happens. So I started doing a ton more videos.” Now Davis, known as zebkii online, has amassed more than 3.4 million followers across his social media platforms — more people than live in the entire Portland metro area. He was able to leave his nine-to-five jobs — jobs he found unfulfilling — and pursue content creation full time. Even after finding success, however, life isn’t all “sunshine and rainbows,” Davis said. He still has struggles, he still has dreams and he still hopes to grow — both as a creator and as a person. “What gets misinterpreted from a viewer’s perspective is there’s so much more to that person’s life,” Davis said. “There’s hardships, there’s depression, there’s anxiety, there’s bad days, there’s so much more that a lot of younger minds don’t really capture. It’s mostly adolescents, but it can still be people older than 18 that don’t really grasp that social media and being an influencer is not all sunshine and rainbows.” Social media, for Davis, can be a lucrative but stressful and inconsistent business. He has to keep up with trends, making sure to create content his audience is looking for, while staying dedicated, posting videos as often as possible. It’s paid off, though — Davis said he can make $500 in a day from just one video. His income has given him a new apartment and a new car. “I love being able to do that so I don’t have to work my life away,” Davis said. “But what really sucks is my girlfriend still works full time. She’s having to work her ass off to get that little bit of extra income, and I still make more than her. It just makes me kind of sad knowing I can do what I do and still make a [expletive] ton of money.” Davis’ fiancé, Erin Eslinger, met him at a Graffiti Weekend event just over two years ago. “He’s just a great person,” Eslinger said. “He cares about others, he cares about his family. He just wants the best for everybody all the time.” Davis’ next dream, though, is to become an actor. He has had a few roles in a number of local films produced by Spiderking Studios (its CEO, Jake Tranter, is a close friend), but he has lofty ambitions to work his way up to becoming a movie star. Social media, he said, isn’t something that will last forever. “My biggest goal of all time is to be in a Marvel movie,” Davis said. Davis’ content mostly consists of clips of him disguised as a potato, or videos of him playing video games with friends. As a result, he’s rarely recognized in his hometown of Roseburg despite his large following. In person, he’s soft spoken, shy. Online, most people know him as only a faceless entity, the “potato guy.” “He’s kind of shy when you meet him in person, but his personality really shines through when he does his videos, that’s where his creativity shines through,” Crissie Lane, Davis’ mother, said. “You really get to know him through his online presence.” Davis’ parents had their doubts when they first heard of his goal of becoming an online influencer, making people laugh on the internet. But he’s stubborn, they said, and proved them wrong. Even as he keeps up his social media work, Davis is hoping to move on eventually. He’s been enrolled in acting classes and is looking for gigs in commercials to get his foot in the door. For the time being though, he doesn’t mind playing a potato to make a people smile. Lane is a co-coordinator for the annual Rat Rod Round-Up event held in Glide. During this year’s event in July, a volunteer who traveled from Washington spoke to Lane about social media. She doesn’t remember how the topic got brought up, but she remembered what happened next. “I mentioned my son likes to do these videos on TikTok and YouTube, and I mentioned the potato,” Lane said. “He goes, ‘Wait a minute, what’s his TikTok name?’ I mentioned zebkii, and he goes, ‘I follow him.’ It was kind of strange in that I meet this perfect stranger that doesn’t have any connection to our social group, and come to find out he follows him. It’s kind of surreal that he’s picked up this fan base and following, and to me, he’s just Zeb.”
It’s been a long time coming for Jake Tranter and everybody else at Spiderking Studios, but the day is finally here. The local film production company’s latest full-length feature — a year and a half after their last, “Trial By Fire,” was released — will premier on Friday night at Roseburg Cinemas. “It’s probably the most excited I’ve been for a showing of any of our films, just because of all the hard work that’s gone into it,” Tranter said. Tranter is the director of the new comedy film, “Killer Roommate,” which follows a group of roommates who are framed for a murder. They then have to evade both the police and the serial killer responsible for their predicament, encountering “crazy scenarios” along the way, Tranter said. “This is supposed to be kind of a love child of ‘The Hangover’ movies and ‘Superbad,’ that kind of thing,” Tranter said. “It’s definitely a raunchy comedy.” Over the past year, the cast and crew has been hard at work trying to complete the film, through complications like losing actors and COVID-19. “The whole movie essentially changed,” JL Graves, who plays Violet in the film, said. One day, while filming at the Roseburg Airport, Taylor Smart, who plays Officer Harris in the film, had to try and hold down a green screen next to an airplane, when the wind started to pick up. “I swear, that thing was about to take us away,” Smart said. Even with a long, difficult process, the crew is proud of the final product. Tranter called the film a technical breakthrough for the production company, which utilized new camera and sound equipment, as well as their new studio space in downtown Roseburg. “It’s so fun, it’s rewarding,” Tranter said. “It definitely makes all the struggles worth it, because I often come in here when I’m editing late at night, and I just kind of soak it all in. We actually have a studio that’s ours and we can experiment however we please. We don’t have to worry about holding up green screens.” Spiderking Studios doesn’t have another feature they’re working on, Tranter said, as the company will transition toward making shorter content for the time being. The company, however, is excited to see the community enjoy the film they’ve created. “I hope they get a lot of laughs,” Smart said. “I don’t really care what they’re laughing at, I just want to be in the back of the theater and just hear everybody having a great time.” “Killer Roommate” will premier at 6 p.m. Friday at Roseburg Cinemas. A stand-up comedian, Brandon Mills, will perform before the film begins. The film is approximately two hours and 30 minutes long and is intended for adult audiences. Tickets are available at spiderkingstudios.com/event-details/killer-roommate-premier.
After years of operating as a video production company in Douglas County, Spiderking Studios will now have a studio space in Roseburg. The company began renting the space, formerly occupied by Mid-Oregon Printing in downtown Roseburg, at the start of June. With a physical location, the board has big plans for the future. “Not only do we want to have this as a production space, but we want to hold events here,” said Jake Tranter, CEO of Spiderking Studios. “We’ll have a recording area for bands to come in and record their music, this will be a place where we’ll hold karaoke nights, possibly open mics. We want to do stuff that people in the community can get involved with.” Community events were one of the aspects of the location Tranter was most excited about, with plans of a sort of carnival, as well as a giant, immersive “board game” downtown incorporating local businesses. “We want to hold big events to get the community involved, not only to say we’re here, we exist, but also your support matters to us. And we want to return the favor,” Tranter said. Tranter founded Spiderking Studios in 2020 following his retirement from the Army. Over the past four years, the studio has released four feature films and a number of shorts. A fifth feature — a comedy named “Killer Roommate” — is set to release this summer. “It’s really nice to have this whole space able to function how we need to, without having to worry about scheduling and finding places,” Taylor Smart, social media manager at Spiderking Studios, said. “Not only that, but we’re also able to efficiently story equipment in here a lot better, so we’re not having to dig through and find what we need.” The production company, Tranter said, plans to have an open house at the new studio, located at 749 SE Stephens St. in Roseburg, at 6 p.m. July 1.
Mercy Foundation debuted three videos at Friday’s Youth Media Premiere at the Roseburg Public Library. About 20 people showed up to see public service announcements created by local youth. Marion Pearson, violence prevention program manager for the Mercy Foundation and moderator of the event, said this was the first time hosting a premiere since the pandemic. “We know that the youth voice is powerful,” Pearson said. “Nobody knows better what they are experiencing, what weighs on their minds and what they want to say than the youth themselves. The youth media project works to provide an avenue for youth to express their concerns and magnify their voices.” Justus Ryan, Trinity Ryan and Serenity Ryan introduced their video, surrounding the topic of cyberbullying. Their video showed the toll that cyberbullying can take on students and how important it is to ask for help and communicate with parents or others about these problems. “Out of the options, it was something that I felt was important, and something that you don’t hear about,” Justus said. “ I thought that this would be really showing the community, like, how they can help us and how communication also really benefits the whole process of it.” Listen to Understand, the second video, showed why listening to understand is different than simply hearing and why this is important in families. Iris Hoover and Sean Boyd worked on the video, but they were absent during the premiere. The third video, Look Through Their Eyes, tackled the issue of LGBTQ+ bullying in schools, showing the thoughts of a student to explain how students might feel after being harassed at school. “We were trying to figure out a way to mention multiple topics, because we had a bunch that were kind of leftover, so we covered a lot of ground with the video,” Tessa Hudgeon said. Tessa worked on the video with Hunter Hudgeon and Lily Hoover. “We have tackled tough topics such as teen substance abuse, sexting, mental health, suicide, sexual assault and human trafficking,” Pearson said. “This year’s PSAs are no exception to addressing some tough but timely topics and will air locally and over social media. We will also be sending these to our national offices for submission and distribution out to other initiatives for their use as well which is one of the reasons we provide resources appropriate for whomever is watching.” Serenity said the videos took about four weeks of work, but the time commitment wasn’t overwhelming. She said they finished the videos about two weeks before. “It’s a good way to get news out to people,” Serenity said. Pearson said the videos were filmed in one day and took about nine hours. The Phoenix School of Roseburg and Roseburg Public Library were used to film and edit. The videos were filmed and produced by Spiderking Studios, a local film production company. Each video was 30 seconds long. The PSA videos will be available on the task force’s Youtube channel as well as its Facebook page at facebook.com/up2usnow.org.
Spiderking Studios, a local independent film production company, gathered with a group of extras Saturday in downtown Roseburg to film a party scene for their upcoming comedy, “Killer Roommate.” Jake Tranter, the film’s director, said he expects to be finished filming the project before the end of the year and hopes to release the film in March 2024.
Spiderking Studios is seeking extras for its upcoming film "Killer Roommate." Auditions will be at 5 p.m. Saturday at 713 SE Jackson St.. Roseburg. No experience is required, the only requirement is that actors must be 18 years of age or older. The dress code is casual; no brands or logos on clothings. Upon arrival prospective actors will be provided a form to have their name in the credits. Questions: spiderkingstudios@gmail.com or 541-671-5214.
Kristi Rifenbark, Tommy Whiteside and Matthew Campbell met each other in 2018. Within a week, they had formed a band. Under the name Widespread Haze, the group started out playing covers of Elvis songs in the Roseburg area, but within a year, had released an EP of original music. Now, after releasing their first full-length album in 2022, recorded in their own studio in downtown Roseburg, they’re ready for their next challenge: a music video. Working with local video production company Hillside Films, run by Joshua Roderick, with the help of Jake Tranter, who owns Spiderking Productions, the band gathered at the Wild Rose Saloon in downtown Roseburg to film a scene Monday. “It’s super exciting,” Rifenbark said. “Very surreal,” Campbell added. Planning for the music video began last August, when Roderick listened to their new album, thinking of a couple of ideas to pitch to the band. “I eventually came up with three ideas,” Roderick said. “But when I asked them, the whole time I was thinking ‘I hope they pick this one, I hope they pick this one, I hope they pick this one’, and they did.” The band decided to make a narrative-style music video, one which Roderick called an homage to 1980’s action movies like ‘Lethal Weapon.’ Filming began last December and is expected to be completed by the end of the month. Both the band and the video producers are excited to be able to work together as local artists. “Being able to kind of grow with downtown musically, as a resident, as a business owner, and as a band, has been so great,” Rifenbark said. “I have no desire to live anywhere else,” Campbell said. “I want this city to be the biggest, brightest, best it could possibly be. And I think if we can do this for ourselves, it’ll be inspiration or hope for others to want to be a part of something like that too.” Roderick estimates that the video will be released in mid-February.
WINCHESTER — Spiderking Studios, a film production company based in Douglas County, premiered its newest film, ‘Trial by Fire’, Wednesday night at the Whipple Fine Arts center at Umpqua Community College. The film follows William Reymond, an army veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. After having a falling out with his romantic partner, he visits a therapist, who recommends he tries acting in theater, as a way of expressing the negative energy he’s built up in his head. With Anthony, the theater director, as his mentor, the film follows his work toward a path of recovery. Jake Tranter, the film’s writer and director, who also plays the lead character, said that the film was about a veteran, but is really made for anybody who is struggling through a battle. “With our past projects, they’ve kind of been fun,” Tranter said. “We’ve done slashers, action flicks, stuff like that. But this one is a really heartfelt drama. It’s a beautiful story.” “Trial by Fire” is Tranter’s fourth feature length film with Spiderking Studios, the production company he is the president and CEO of. He’s a veteran himself, and served as an infantryman in the U.S. Army after graduating from Roseburg High School in 2018. Andrew Laniohan, the film’s co-director, said Tranter originally came up with the idea for the film years ago, but it wasn’t until earlier this year that the production process finally began. Now, after years of preparation, the two were excited to finally see the film premiere to an audience. “I always love getting my ‘baby’ out there for the world to see,” Tranter said. “Premiere night is always the most magical night, because that’s the night that everyone’s looking forward to, the first eyes on the projects.” “I’m excited to have people receive the message,” Laniohan said. “It’s such a beautiful message, to start the conversation. Stop making mental health a stigma, the brain is an organ, it can get sick like any other one.” The film clearly has lots of passion behind it — the actors are dedicated, with Tranter and Laniohan both performing well in their roles. Zoey Harris-Hicks also shines in her role as Olivia Dale, William Reymond’s romantic partner. For a film shot in only 13 days over the summer, it’s quite long — just over 2 hours — and some scenes, especially montages, can drag. But most of the film goes by surprisingly quick, with a steady pace rarely found in micro-budget films of its kind. The film also uses many locations from across Douglas County, including various local businesses, making it feel authentic and lived-in. However, some of the technical aspects of the film felt lacking, especially the blocking and cinematography — many dialogue scenes were filmed in shot-reverse-shot style, but with only two unchanging angles, making some conversations seem long and stilted. Even with some minor issues, however, it’s clear that the entire team behind “Trial by Fire” was fully dedicated to the project. For a production company this small, in a town of this size, making a feature film — two hours long, no less — is an impressive feat. Making one that feels authentic and passionate is even more so, and “Trial by Fire” is able to pull that off. Tranter hopes to eventually submit “Trial by Fire” to film festivals and pursue distribution on Amazon Prime. He’s a young, passionate filmmaker, and it will be exciting to see what he and Spiderking Studios are able to pull off next. “Trial by Fire” will be shown two more times this month; at 7 p.m. Friday at the Radio Days “Theater of the Mind” Museum in Sutherlin, and at 6 p.m. Dec. 29 at the Grand Victorian Theatre in Myrtle Creek. Tickets can be purchased online at spiderkingstudios.com.
Wednesday, Dec. 14, 6 p.m., Umpqua Community College’s Jacoby Auditorium, 140 Umpqua College Road, Roseburg. Friday, Dec. 16, 7 p.m., Radio Days “Theater of the Mind” Museum, 103 W. Central Ave., Sutherlin. Thursday, Dec. 29, 6 p.m., The Grand Victorian Theatre, 828 N. Old Pacific Highway, Myrtle Creek. Tickets: $8 (added $0.20 online service charge) More info: spiderkingstudios.com/feature Spiderking Studios’ next film is one with a message that co-directors Jake Tranter and Andrew Laniohan spread far and wide. Titled “Trial By Fire,” the film focuses on characters all trying to deal with their own traumas. Spiderking Studios is a local production company. At the center is William, a young veteran struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. According to Tranter, who plays the part, William has turned to some bad coping mechanisms to deal with his trauma. “He’s very angry with life and how things are,” Tranter said. And then he has a realization after causing a really big scene with his partner — which causes him to do some self reflection.” William seeks help and it’s at his therapist’s advice that he joins a local community theater group as a form of “positive displacement of negative energy.” It’s there that William meets Anthony, played by Laniohan. Anthony is the director of the play William joins, even though he has never acted a day in his life. Laniohan was reluctant to share much about Anthony for fear of spoilers, but he described him as empathetic. “He sees the world through a different set of lenses,” Laniohan said. “Good lenses.” Tranter, who wrote the script, did disclose that Anthony is also a veteran. Fitting, since both actors are also veterans themselves. “My character is very different than myself, because obviously I wanted to not only challenge myself as an actor, but kind of show different sides of PTSD,” Tranter said. “I could definitely relate to the character that I’m playing, but there’s some also very self destructive behaviors that I don’t necessarily do.” Originally, both Tranter and Laniohan were only supposed to be actors for this play. But the original director, also a veteran, backed out. Tranter and Laniohan decided to trade off as directors, something the later described as a connection “on a neurological level.” “Working with Jake, it was super easy to transition from actor to director and changing those hats,” Laniohan said. “Like I said, it was like we connected on a neurological level with this project.” This is Laniohan’s third time participating in a Spiderking Studios film, but his first time directing. The hardest part, he said, was ensuring everyone on set maintained a good mindset. “I was trying to make sure that everybody was okay during certain shoots — because there was a lot of heavy stuff that we had to do in this film — and making sure everybody was still in a good mood and didn’t get downtrodden or anything like that,” Laniohan said. “Just making sure that everyone stayed wholehearted while working on the film.” This is a film with a rather heavy message, but one Laniohan was eager to be a part of. “In a world full of films that are all about action or adult content, we don’t have very many poignant stories that have a purpose,” he said. “It’s a story with a message and when it reaches people... they’re going to walk out feeling a whole lot better about whatever’s going on in their life and that right there’s a win for me.” Tranter said that message has to do with something called the lighthouse theory. It’s about finding a beacon of light in your life — a passion, hobby or some sort of activity — and using it to overcome the negative in your life. Most of the characters are veterans, Tranter said, but the message is meant for everyone. “That’s really dumbing it down. It really is expanded within the movie,” Tranter said.
Local film production company Spiderking Studios explores dark themes in its newest full length film “Juvenile.” While director and business owner Jake Tranter touched on elements of violence in his second film “Death with Dignity,” — where an average Joe hires a hitman on himself as a way to spice up his life — this third film has gone full gore as the crew explores the slasher genre. “It’s definitely more on the violent and vulgar side of things,” Tranter explained. “There’s some strong language and definitely gore. But it’s a fun movie and I think people who are into horror — more specifically classic slashers like Friday the 13th — I think they will really dig it.” The film follows protagonist Calvin Jaxon, an already troubled youth who decides to seek revenge against serial killer Alastor, who murdered Calvin’s mother. Alastor, who snaps after taking his father’s abuse one too many times, is on his own dark own journey of vengeance against any he feels has wronged him. “I like to work within the industry a lot and I’ve been working on a lot of horror and gory stuff. I’ve personally been filming more psychological horrors and action and this made me think it might be cool to do something out of the ordinary, just in-your-face gore,” Tranter said. “I thought it would be fun and I was right, we had a ton of fun on set doing it and it’s definitely a genre I want to revisit in the future.” Tranter wrote Calvin Jackson specifically for his friend Zebadiah Davis, who participated in both of Tranter’s prior movies as minor characters. He approached Tranter asking for the opportunity to challenge himself and grow as an actor. Davis said he’s always been the kind of guy that’s wanted to be the center of attention and this film has given him that opportunity. “He wrote the character based completely off of me, which is really monotone, down to earth and kind of ... I don’t want to say depressing, but super moody. That’s just who I am as a person and I thought it was super nice of him to write a character that I so obviously felt comfortable with,” Davis said. Tristen Brisbois came out of the blue and surprised them all with his acting, Tranter said of the actor who portrays Alastor. No one auditioned for the role, so he took a shot in the dark by asking Brisbois, who had a minor part in “Death with Dignity.” Brisbois said he wasn’t sure where it came from, as he has only ever had the one minor role before this, but the character just sort of “flowed right out.” “I would say both Alastor and Calvin are, in essence, the same person in a lot of ways. However, their reaction to life is vastly different,” Tranter said. “Their drives dictate their decision making throughout the film and it shows almost like black and white, good versus evil in a way. Morally speaking, the drive of each character is pretty clear.” The community has been extremely supportive, Tranter said, though some have expressed worry. “There are a lot of people in town that think it is a glorifying of murder and everything, which I understand. But that’s obviously not what we are trying to do. It’s supposed to be a fun slasher,” Tranter said. “I will personally speak out time and time again against violence of any kind. I understand the concern, but this is a community made project being made for the community. It’s for entertainment purposes only.” Tranter said he would rate “Juvenile” an R for violence, gore and language. He said he wants to revisit this genre — the film’s opening leaves a lot to interpretation and possibly another future project — but his next film will be more family-friendly. Premier information is still in the works, but Tranter is in talks to possibly show the film at Umpqua Community College’s Jacoby Auditorium. He encourages anyone interested in updates to visit spiderkingstudios.com or facebook.com/SpiderkingStudios. A trailer for the film is already available on both sites.
Locally owned film production company Spiderking Studios will see its first action film on the big screen this month, when “Death with Dignity” premieres at Roseburg Cinema. Directed by studio owner Jake Tranter and featuring a mostly local cast, “Death with Dignity” will have its world premiere on Dec. 30, with additional showings Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 at Roseburg Cinema. The film focuses on Tyler, who actor Taylor Smart describes as “an average man, living an average life. Until one day the idea hits me ... what if, to shake things up a little, I hired a hitman ... on myself? Tyler’s story evolves from there as he struggles to identify with himself and deal with the problem he has created.” Thankfully, Smart felt well equipped to handle the role. Not only has he been acting on and off throughout his life, but as the script supervisor for Spiderking Studios he was familiar with the script and hopeful to participate in the film. Tyler was an easy role for him, he said, especially since he had just played a psychopathic, confused killer in the company’s first feature film “Limbo.” “The basic premise of my role in (Death with Dignity) is the same, but instead of showing my crazy side right off the bat, I had to build up to a point where Tyler got to that mindset. It was fun to explore the character’s emotions and what drives him,” Smart said. “I spent hours going over lines in the mirror to make sure they came off exactly as I needed them to.” In an interview with The News-Review in September, Tranter described the film as a “really crazy project” that was “really, really ambitious, especially for a small indie company like us.” Some of that ambition bit back in the form of scheduling conflicts. These issues led to some things just not working out the way he had envisioned while planning the project, including a few scenes that had to be cut due to time constraints. When asked if the film turned out as he envisioned, Tranter replied that some parts did and some didn’t. “But I know that’s just part of the process so, sometimes. Things have to be changed because it doesn’t always work out the way you want it to. Usually you want to stick to the script and make sure everything is getting done the way it’s supposed to but sometimes, yeah, you do need to make whatever decision is best for the project. We are trying to reach a deadline and sometimes the only thing you can do is cut a certain scene that doesn’t work,” Tranter said. “But overall it turned out really well and I’m happy with it.” Despite these bumps in the road, the passion of the actors and the action choreography vastly exceeded Tranter’s expectations. He was also pleased that he could find ways to incorporate a message into the film. “I mean, it’s an action flick, but with my films in particular I like including things on mental health awareness and things like that,” Tranter said. “The overall theme of the film doesn’t have a big symbolic meeting as I would for, say, our last film, but there’s definitely is a message there if the audience were to look deeper into it.” This will be the second feature film released by the studio and runs just over an hour in length. While the studio’s first full-length film, “Limbo,” premiered at the Betty Long Unruh Theatre, this will be Spiderking Studio’s first film to be featured at the local cinema. “Death with Dignity” will premiere at 6 p.m. on Dec. 30, 31 and Jan. 1. Tickets are $8 a person and need to be purchased from the Spiderking Studio’s website rather than the cinema itself. The first night has already sold out, but tickets are still available for Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. Tranter said digital copies of the film will eventually be available to purchase, also from the website. Planning has already started on the studio’s next project, which Tranter described as a thriller. Auditions will be held in January with the goal of starting production in February. “Spiderking Studios has always been about the community. We want people to learn more about film and we would love to see the industry grow, especially down in Southern Oregon, where there aren’t too many options for budding artists, especially in the film industry,” Smart said. “I hope that anyone watching this movie or reading this paper understands that, three years ago, we were just a few people with a common dream, and that dream has developed into something wonderful, and I’d like to see more people in the community get involved.”
Jake Tranter is living his dream. He is the owner of Spiderking Studios, a local film production company. The goal is “to give southern Oregon more film opportunities while essentially functioning as a community theatre but for film.” Film has been the 21-year-old’s passion since high school. His interest first began with the performing arts. After a few years of acting, he became more involved behind the scenes. A video competition, while he was in high school, gave him the opportunity to act as well as write his own script. From there, his passion grew into making short films with his friends. The studio, which he started with his friends, was founded in November after Tranter was medically retired from the U.S. Army. “I’m using the opportunity of getting out of the service to do what I love and focus on my passions,” Tranter said. “I’m getting into the film industry, but I am creating my own film industry here in southern Oregon to create more of an opportunity for people here. There is a lot of untapped talent here in Douglas County.” Currently, Tranter is focused on the studio’s second feature film called “Death with Dignity.” “This is going to change the pace for us, I think. It’s a really crazy project,” Tranter said. “There is so much that is going into it. It is really, really ambitious, especially for a small indie company like us. We are extremely low budget and the script calls for a lot of practical effects that we are just going to be thinking out of the box to do.” The film follows Tyler, a desk monkey who is tired of his mundane life. Tyler decides to test his limits by hiring a hitman to kill him. Throughout the film, Tyler plays a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the trained killer in his quest to add some spice to his life. Tranter hand-picked his cast. While the studio has held auditions in the past, he already had an idea of who he wanted to play each role. All but one cast member is local. Through connections he has made while building his business, Tranter was able to invite actress Eileen Dietz to join the cast. Dietz is best known as the face of the demon in “The Exorcist” and for roles on soap operas such as “Guiding Light” and “General Hospital.” “I was just chatting with her while doing camera work for another studio and she was really interested,” Tranter said. “I was able to work things out with her agent, get her a flight up here and got her into a hotel and it has worked out really great.” Tranter didn’t disclose what Dietz’s role in the film will be, but she is part of a car crash scene filmed earlier this month. Tranter said the stakes are a little higher now that they have included an established actress, but it feels better to receive that recognition from someone already rooted in the industry. “It feels good. When we were kids, people would just see us as a group of friends just kind of doing a thing. Now, people are seeing it as a real, professional gig and that’s refreshing,” he said. Peyton Burnett, a fellow Roseburg High graduate Tranter met through the school’s marching band program, was originally slated as an extra before stepping into the role of Rosa, a co-worker of the protagonist who spends most of the film trying to talk him out of his crazy plan. Rosa is an interesting role, Burnett said. The 20-year-old — who dreamed as a child of one day being a movie star — relates to the bubbly, cheerful aspect of her character, but says Rosa is a bit more put together and level-headed than Burnett is herself. Further challenges come from Burnett’s physical disabilities. She was diagnosed with a musculoskeletal disease called arthrogryposis at birth. The disease has frozen her joints in place and weakened her muscles. She is unable to use her hands or arms, instead using her head, neck and mouth for “literally everything.” Her disability means really thinking outside the box when it comes to shooting. “I’m still trying to find my niche in the acting world, but it has definitely been a challenge. In one of the parts in the scene we filmed a few weeks ago, I was supposed to be pulled out of the car onto the pavement, but my body just doesn’t really allow for that,” Burnett said. We had to cut the scene from when I was in the car to when I was on the ground because it just wasn’t safe to pull me out on film. So safety-wise, it has posed some challenges, but Jake has been really good about working around it.” Twenty-four-year-old Joey Lee also comes from a musical background. He heard about the film through one of Tranter’s Facebook posts and couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Lee plays the police officer who he says plays against Tyler. Lee played a similar role in the studio’s first full-length film “Limbo,” but he describes this particular character as “dark, mysterious and alarming.” “My favorite part was definitely the role I played. But also getting to see how everything was done,” Lee said. “There is a lot that I will definitely take from this experience. But moving forward I will remember to stay confident in any other roles I come across.” Tranter said production is going a lot faster than he originally anticipated. They hope to wrap near the end of October. The hope is to premiere “Death with Dignity,” which he thinks will run up to an hour and a half in length, at Roseburg Cinema in November. “I think the biggest thing that I want people to learn is to not be afraid to follow your dreams,” Burnett said. “I don’t want to speak for Jake here, but I know he has been looking forward to something like this for a long, long time. Getting to see it come to fruition is really exciting from an outside perspective and I think bringing stuff like this to the community is really good for us and the community.”
Eileen Dietz is no stranger to make up or cameras. She’s played demons, Manson gang members and mental patients. On Sunday, she was playing a drunk driver who couldn’t understand why her brakes wouldn’t work. It was a crucial bit role in one of the more complicated scenes for Spiderking Studios’ pending movie “Death with Dignity,” which was filming on location near Hucrest Elementary School in Roseburg. Director Jake Tranter and script supervisor Taylor Smart said the film is about 5% of its way through production. The film stars Gavin Pike and Smart, with an assortment of supporting characters. “Death with Dignity” is a psychological thriller that delves into what happens when a man becomes bored and hires a hitman as a way to test his survival skill. During Sunday’s filming, Pike was primarily monitoring the script and checking shot lists. Both Pike and Smart helped dress the set at the corner of Northwest Kline and Northwest Moore before filming began of a car crash scene. Dietz played the driver of one vehicle and charmed crew and extras.
ROSEBURG, Ore, -- A Roseburg production company called Spiderking Studios blocked Northwest Kline Street and Northwest Moore Avenue's intersection to film a scene for their latest movie, "Death With Dignity." From noon to around 4 p.m., the intersection was blocked off to film the aftermath of crash scene. However, there were no crashes or stunts performed today. There was fake blood and car parts everywhere. City officials said neighbors were notified of the road closures. Jake Tranter, the director and producer of this film, told KEZI the movie is about a man named Tyler who is bored of his life -- so he decides to hire a hit-man on himself to try and cure his boredom. He said the crew has been shooting for a couple of months -- but pre-production goes back about a year ago. Crew member Gavin Pike said the shoot was a very unique experience. "I was really impressed with the professionalism," Pike said. "I was impressed by how everyone behaved—it was a great experience; I had a lot of fun. This film is going to be awesome." Pike said he is really excited to see what it becomes in the future. He said if the film is anything like the experience today, it's going to be "perfect." He said the next step is to film the fight scenes in a couple of weeks from now. Actress Eileen Dietz—who was featured in the movie The Exorcist—flew from L.A. just to be in one car crash scene. "I think Jake absolutely knew what he was doing—which is really nice," Dietz said. "He had a really small amount of time to shoot, and everything was together; he had the street cleared out—it was perfect." Dietz said she accepted the role because she thought the script was unique-- and couldn't resist the opportunity to be a part of it. The movie is being shot in multiple places in Douglas County and should be completed by late November.