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Local film trailer kicks off fundraising campaign

THUNDER BAY -- In the midst of economic collapse and the rise of mercenary armies, staving off a long-feared Russian invasion could come down to the heroism of two men in Northwestern Ontario. It could happen.
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The trailer for The Miners was viewed almost 1,000 times after its Saturday release. Local creators Al Corbett and Scott Hobbs hope to turn their post-apocalyptic story into a television series and are beginning a fundraising campaign this fall to make it professional quality. (Photo Supplied)

THUNDER BAY -- In the midst of economic collapse and the rise of mercenary armies, staving off a long-feared Russian invasion could come down to the heroism of two men in Northwestern Ontario.

It could happen.

It could happen in a locally-produced, independent television series but its producers want it to be done right.

Editor's Note: trailer includes language that may offensive to some viewers

Cousins Alan Corbett and Scott Hobbs launched the trailer for their brainchild, "The Miners" at Crocks on Saturday as they kicked off a fundraising campaign they hope will net them enough money to produce a TV series in Hollywood quality.

"There's a few pulls out of the script (in the trailer) but it's to say, 'here's what we can do.' But we need some support so we can make this a full-length show," said Corbett, who is co-directing the project with Tony McGuire.

"If everybody was to jump on and do it, we could do it now if we had to. We just couldn't do it the way we want to."

The way Corbett wants to do the series is to shoot it in blocks while ensuring consistency and professionalism in on-screen weaponry and costumes. He estimates outfitting each Russian soldier, for example, could cost $300.

Conceived over three years and shot over three months, the trailer is a peek at what could be a three-part trilogy or a two-season TV story arc.

Cpt. Anderson and Cpt. Walker, Canadian and American Navy Seals played by Hobbs and Corbett themsleves are chosen for a special mission after they thwart a presidential assassination attempt. The pair follow intelligence chatter that leads them to an underground mine in Northwestern Ontario. Their trail following a Middle Eastern arms dealer has run cold when they find out he's nothing more than a pawn for a private militia. 

Hobbs has a photography background and Corbett's experience is largely based in music video production. As his career grew, Corbett found himself wanting to use the medium for short stories set to music.

The original idea for The Miners was a series of 20-minute web films but as the screenwriting unfolded, he and Hobbs agreed only a longer format could accommodate their dream. 

The ambition is to make the project a cinematic masterpiece but the road to get there is pure grit.  

"Up to this point, we're filming around all our busy schedules, which dragged out the filming into Friday night," Corbett said.

"Ideally, what we want to do is we want to attract the interest of a network to take us on." 

The Miners intends to start an indigogo campaign to begin crowd funding the project over the coming weeks.   

 





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