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www.mybaycity.com October 21, 2009
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Midwestern Premiere of Bay City Filmed "Meltdown" Oct. 30 at State Theatre

Local Producers Also Star in Thriller with Hollywood's Estevez, Zdar

October 21, 2009       Leave a Comment
By: Dave Rogers

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Rob Dupont, left, and Joe Estevez in a confrontation filmed in the Bay County Commission chambers.
 
Bay Cityan Vern Zaucha grimaces as he holds Andrea Tice hostage with a gun in a scene from "Meltdown."

"An FBI agent goes deep under cover to bring down a crime syndicate. When his cover is blown the Mob and the FBI turn against him and want him dead. His only hope of survival is a female agent who is willing to break the rules to help save his life. Out numbered and out-gunned it's a deadly fight to the finish." - synopsis of "Meltdown."

The launching of Bay City as a mini Michigan movie capital comes with a bang Friday, Oct. 30 at the State Theatre.

Longtime Hollywood action film stars Joe Estevez and Robert Z'Dar will parade on the red carpet with local filmmaker Christopher J. Martin, director, and Andrea Tice, producer, who also star as actors in "Meltdown."

Also "starring" in the shoot 'em up thriller are the Bay County Building and the picturesque old Kuhlman Electric factory at 26th and Garfield, old buildings on a stretch of Broadway, the Expresso Coffee Shop on Water and the city streets.

"You're going to see so much of Bay City, which has lots of cinematic value," said Mr. Martin.

The film script was written by Mr. Martin who worked his way through NYU by taking various jobs in the film trade, playing in a band, and doing video projects for fellow students. He got the inspiration for "Meltdown" after video distributors he worked with kept asking him, "hey, Chris, when are you going to make a film?"

"Meltdown was filmed in three and a half weeks after two weeks of pre-production. It was followed by six weeks of post production, said Mr. Martin.

Several county officials appear in the film and doubtless will be among the crowd expected to attend what is billed as the Midwestern Premiere slated to begin at 6 p.m. Stars will walk the red carpet at 6:30 p.m. and an after party will give theatre-goers a chance to meet the cast and crew.

A new company, Cinema Vision Pictures, with an office/studio on West Side Saginaw Road, is producing the film. Partners in the company include Scott Carmona, local entrepreneur, and Shannan Weston, executive producer.

The company is already at work on a second film, "Disposable Soldier," to be shot in Bay City and in a wooded area in the Clare area.


Mr. Martin, a graduate of Bay City Central High (1987) and the New York University (NYU) Film School, has wide experience in the film field including distribution, camera and lighting along with other aspects of the trade.

From here the film will be presented at the Santa Monica Film Festival where it will be exposed to buyers from 70 countries, according to Mr. Martin.

Ms. Tice, 27, from St. Johns, Michigan, attended Michigan State University where she studied theatre and appeared in university productions. She also is a model, competing in New York in the Miss America/USA pagenat, and worked at the Midwest Film Festival in Chicago.

Mr. Estevez, 59, a native of Dayton, Ohio, is the younger brother of Martin Sheen and uncle of Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen. He has starred in more than 150 films, is an experienced voice-over actor, and has hosted numerous documentaries.

Mr. Z'Dar, also 59, was born Robert J. Zdarsky on June 3rd, 1950 in Chicago, Illinois. He caught the acting bug while attending Proviso West High School in Hillside. He received a bachelor of fine arts degree from Arizona State University.

States his official biography: "Big, brawny and imposing, with an enormous face, gigantic jaw and a massive, muscular physique, the hulking 6'2" Z'Dar projects a strong, aggressive and intimidating screen presence that's ideally suited for the steady succession of mean, nasty and extremely scary larger-than-life villains he's often portrayed throughout the years since the mid 80s."

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Dave Rogers

Dave Rogers is a former editorial writer for the Bay City Times and a widely read,
respected journalist/writer in and around Bay City.
(Contact Dave Via Email at carraroe@aol.com)

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