Filmmaking family works on “Pawn’s Move”

Caleb Vetter’s eyes dart from one end to the other of a small length of dolly track sitting amidst the crowded floor at Overlooked Antiques in Leavenworth.

The 23-year-old Leavenworth native is considering his options, establishing the best path for a dramatic pan shot across two characters in his new movie, “Pawn’s Move.”

It’s June 14, about a week into shooting, and Vetter and his crew have set up shop in Overlooked for the next few days to complete some interior shots after a previous week of shooting in places like Weston, Mo.

By June 26, Vetter said he planned to be done filming the feature-length romantic drama. He said it’s the story of Jimmy Davis, a young man from the city who inherits his mentor’s pawn shop and a valuable rare stamp. Escaping the pressures of the city and his recent fortune, he moves to Weston, Mo., where he meets a woman and reaches out to find love.

It’s not Vetter’s first film — it’s not even his feature-length debut.

But there are some differences between “Pawn’s Move” and the previous short films and videography work he does with CV Productions, he said. It’s even different than “Anyone but David,” the first feature film effort he helmed.

For one thing, Vetter said he learned to plan things out more. And while most of the duties had previously been handled by the Vetter siblings and friends, this time he said he hired a professional screenwriter, Kim Wells, to turn his story into a screenplay. The Director of Photography, Ryan Breitenbach, is also using an ultra-high-definition RED digital camera system — Vetter said it’s a Hollywood standard.

That’s not to say that filming has been easy. Breitenbach said there have been some long days, with the cast not leaving the set until 1 a.m. or so — only to wake up and start again at 8 a.m. the same morning.

But those involved consider this a labor of love, he said, and help push each other through the late hours.

“The personalities in the room, it keeps you stable,” Breitenbach said.

For Vetter, filmmaking is a near lifelong dream — he said he has been interested in making movies for as long as he can remember.

“I’ve been holding my family’s video camera as long as I could hold anything,” he said.

The first official film he said he was involved with was a 12-minute short titled “Treehouse Boys.” It was directed by Courtney, Caleb’s sister and based on a children’s book. Courtney said that film was submitted to the San Antonio Christian Film Festival.

She said she, Caleb and the youngest sibling Cory have always worked together on the films. Throughout those years of experience, Courtney said each of the three siblings has found a specialty — whether it be Caleb’s directing, Cory’s work as an assistant director and actor or Courtney’s position as the script supervisor.

“It’s a blast,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to do it any other way.”

Working together can occasionally lead to disagreements, Cory said.

“It’s tough sometimes,” he said. “But we love each other, so it’s all good at the end of the day.”

The parents are involved as well, Caleb said — he works for his father Eric at Vetter Collision. And part of the reason he and his siblings have been able to do what they do is because of the support they have.

“He gives me the liberty to work there and work on my film stuff,” Caleb said.

Both Eric and the siblings’ mother, Kelly, are listed as executive producers on “Pawn’s Move.”

When the film is done and edited, Caleb said he hopes to be ready to take it on the road, hopefully to the Christian film festivals that he said are becoming more and more prominent. He said “Pawn’s Move” is not necessarily a Christian movie and has broad appeal. But it’s also family-friendly, Courtney said, adding that it’s partly the family’s faith that drives them make movies in the first place.

After making the festival circuit, Caleb said he hopes to find a distributor for the movie. One “Pawn’s Move” cast member, Jack Mishler, said no matter what happens next, he is impressed with what Caleb and the other Vetter siblings have already accomplished.

“He’s 23 years old and he’s a director,” he said. “It’s unbelievable.”