PREMIERES

August 21, 2008 - Micon Cinemas, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

THE STORY

When Joe Zopp's out-of-touch parents squander the proceeds of his finest invention, he skips town, vowing never to return. Seven years later, while leading a life of anonymity, Zopp runs into an old classmate who tells him that everyone back in his hometown thinks he's dead, forcing him to return to unravel the mystery of his own death.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

Rating: This picture is not rated by the MPAA.
Run Time: 110 minutes
Country: USA
Language: English
Original Format: High Definition 1080i50
Camera: Sony HVR-Z1U
Color: Color
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Budget: Less than the price of a used Corolla.

ON LOCATION

Zopp was shot on location in Chippewa Falls, Wis., from July 31, 2006 to September 3, 2006. Additional shooting took place in Eau Claire, Wis., Chicago, Ill., and Toledo, Ohio.

PRODUCTION NOTES

In 2006, a group of unlikely professionals ranging from copywriter to medical physicist set out to make an independently produced and financed feature film. With a one-line story idea and their ironic sense of humor, they stuck their heads together and wrote, rewrote, and rewrote again the mystery/comedy, Illegal Use of Joe Zopp.

The seven members of Wut Wut Alma, friends from their youth in Chippewa Falls, Wis., began the production by casting their hometown as the shooting location of the movie. They rounded up a ragtag group of talented crew members and auditioned local and regional actors to cast the over 40 speaking parts and 150 extras needed for the Zopp script. While continuing to work their day jobs, they each pitched in money and raised more from friends and family to feed the used-car-sized budget.

But what they didn’t have in cash, they made up for in elbow grease. When production began in July, they set out on an uninterrupted, 35-consecutive-day shooting schedule. Spanning 50 locations throughout the community -- in businesses, municipal buildings, homes, and graveyards -- they chipped away and shot the nearly 200 scenes in the movie. Their families hosted and fed the cast and crew. They plowed through 14-hour days, fueled by laughs and the blossoming friendships with all the "new" members of the Wut Wut family, the cast and crew.

When the dust settled, they emerged with nearly 40 hours of footage. With a year and a half of editing, reshooting, and sound mastering, they pieced together their ambitious creation: a 110-minute quirky mystery/comedy. With its bizarre characters, thick-as-peanut butter plot, and ironic sense of humor, Zopp was finally ready to be uncorked to an audience.