Patterson’s new feature film “Prepper” to be released

The silver screen has captured the hearts of many for generations, but Hollywood is not the only place to make movie magic.

Coppell High School teacher Andrew Patterson has been making his own films for years. His new feature film Prepper is anticipated to be released on July 3 in a theater in Dallas.

The film centers around James McAlister, an ordinary man leading a normal life. After noticing various things happen around him,  McAlister becomes adamant that the world is facing impending doom, leading him to prepare for the worst case scenarios. He embarks on a journey of survival, while meeting quirky characters along the way who help him.

“The reason I wrote [Prepper] is because I think we need to think critically about what’s going on in the world around us,” Patterson said. “I want people to look at the world and think, ‘OK this is a delicate balance – this system that we live in – and it really wouldn’t take much for things to go bad.’ I want people to feel empowered and one of the ways you can do that is by being prepared.”

Prepper is Patterson’s third major feature film. His previous films include Subtle Voices: Cries From Colombia, which was an official selection at the Delray Beach Film Festival and the New York International Film Festival, and Let There Be Zombies, which has won a People’s Choice Award at the Interurban Film Festival, and is now available on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Hulu and other platforms.

The production process for Prepper started in the summer of 2015, where Jay Bowdy and Rachel Dee were cast as the lead roles. The actual filming took approximately 22 days.

“The process of making any film, whether it’s a short film or a feature, is always really hard,” Patterson said. “It’s like a huge puzzle where you see the end result before you get started, but you just don’t know how to piece those parts of the puzzle together.”

Several CHS students were also involved as extras in the film.

“It was interesting being an extra because it was fun being apart of something professional and well done, especially because it was playing a part in a movie, no matter how small my part might’ve been,” CHS sophomore and extra Shruthi Gopinath said.

Despite the ups and downs the cast and crew experienced while creating the feature film, they never failed to put in their best effort into the final product.

“Being an upcoming actor and being someone who is now in Hollywood, you learn to appreciate someone who really puts in a lot to get the best out of it,” Bowdy said. “[Patterson] wasn’t afraid to come out and expect greatness from me. I’ve worked with some, and met a lot of directors and casting directors here in Los Angeles, it’s just nothing like working with Andrew and the mind that he has when it comes to working with film.”

The crew members for this film include Abel Nobel, Daniel Beltran, Tony Couzelis, Lara Patterson,  Josh Brunelli, Enrique Arellano and Dalila Payan.

Visit the film’s website for more information about the behind-the-scenes action.