Super excited to announce the release of my short comedy film Mellencamp!
Rent and download available here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/mellencamp
Forced to leave his mother’s house and get a job, 35 year old Labyrinth, along with his best friend Eric, embark on a quest to find Bigfoot and claim a $1M prize.
Filmed throughout the Northwest, this improvised comedy features original songs by lead actors Peter Jenkins and Eric M. Johnson. With Evelyn Murray of Portlandia fame.
For fans of ¡Three Amigos!, Dumb & Dumber, any 80’s Comedy Action Adventure movie, Portlandia, or anything that is really, really awesome.
Directed by Travis Shields. imdb.com/title/tt3798964/
BIG FOOT, BEER BELLY, BIG SCREEN:
Shields Films “Mellencamp” featured at
2015 Oregon Independent Film Festival
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PORTLAND (August 27, 2015) – From the birthplace of Portlandia, Shields Films presents
Mellencamp, a short film chronicling a late bloomer’s quest for manhood via the capture
of the elusive Sasquatch. The film makes its Portland debut at 5pm on September 26
during the 2015 Oregon Independent Film Festival at Clinton Street Theater.
When 35-year old Labyrinth (played by Peter Jenkins) is finally pushed out of the nest by
his mother (played by Evelyn Murray, Portlandia “Battlestar Gallactica” episode), he and
best friend Eric (played by Eric M. Johnson) embark on their maiden voyage into
adulthood – because nothing says “I’m a grownup” like the subjugation of a hairy beast
and a one million dollar reward.
The filmmaking process was a journey of its own for award-winning filmmaker/director
Travis Shields (Meet The Freegans, 2008; People Can’t Wait, 2009).
“They say write what you know, so we didn’t write much. The actors and I created the
characters and the general outline of the plot, but each scene was completely
improvised by Jenkins and Johnson.”
The film found its big hairy footing and has been featured in five film festivals to date:
2014 Mt. Hood Independent Film Festival, 2014 Olympia Film Festival, 2015 Comic Con
Sacramento Film Festival, and the 2015 Roswell Filmfest and Cosmicon.
Jenkins’ comedic talent was the project’s main impetus and the Oregon Independent
Film Festival (2015) rewarded his shamelessly honest acting debut with a “Best Actor in
a Short” award. Additionally, Jenkins and Johnson lent their musical talent to the film,
writing and performing for the soundtrack.
Shields knew he wanted to make a film that oozed Northwest vibes, so when he
stumbled upon the Sasquatch-themed Olympia Brewery billboard, flashbulbs went off
like a Vegas strip arrow. Roughly a third of all Big Foot sightings occur in the Pacific
Northwest, so the theme just clicked. Mellencamp was filmed during the course of one
week in a variety of Northwest locations including Castle Rock, WA, Hood River and
Portland, OR, and Coeur d’Alene, ID.