Skip to main content

5 stay-at-home questions with Mike Wendt

Mike Wendt, production coordinator, Greater Cleveland Film Commission
If there’s one universal truth about movie making, it is this: filmmakers gotta film. Roughly translated, it means anyone associated with the making movies is fueled by collaboration and buoyed by the joy of being on set.

Imagine, then, what a stay-at-home order can do to the mind of movie maker? How do filmmakers scratch that itch when they’re stuck between four walls with no crew? And what about everyone else? The producers, writers, teachers and champions who long to be on a set or in a crowded theater?

What’s going through their head? We weren’t sure, so we asked.

Over the next couple weeks (or longer?), we’re checking in with filmmakers big and small to find out how they’re doing - and what movies are on their stay-at-home must-watch list. Know a filmmaker who we should spotlight? Email us at midwestmovies@gmail.com.

Today we’re talking to Mike Wendt, production coordinator at the Greater Cleveland Film Commission. Every Friday in April, Wendt is hosting a “Netflix in CLE” Netflix party, in which Wendt shares insider film trivia, Cleveland location fun facts, and in some cases, personal stories from his time on the set of these shot-in-Northeast-Ohio films.

5 stay-at-home questions with Mike Wendt

Midwest Movie Maker: How would you describe being a filmmaker stuck at home without a crew?

Mike Wendt: I’m a very active person and like to be out and about, so it’s been a little tough for me. But, while in the house, I’ve been writing some, editing projects that have been in the works, and making a daily video on YouTube (Movie Suggestions with Mike) giving suggestions for movies to watch, most of them with some local tie. 

MM: How are you stretching your filmmaking skills while at home? 

MW: I’ve been watching certain online tutorials to get better acquainted with Adobe Premiere. I was for a long time a Final Cut person and made the switch recently. I think any of the editing programs have similarities, but each have their differences.

Mike Wendt, right, interviews journalist John Petkovic

MM: What passion project are you working on now that you’ve got extra time? 

MW: I’m working with my editor, Rob Montague, on finishing a documentary I won a grant for, titled Robert Banks: I’ll Tell You About That Later. We have a deadline to show work-in-progress as a requirement for the doc, so as he cuts away, we do online discussions. We usually do them in person, but want to abide by the distancing.

MM: If you were asked to make a movie about this COVID time, what would it be? Pitch it to us!

MW: Whenever I take a walk in the park and see people, everyone looks at each other with this slight fear. I think a film could be played up around that fact. It’s like this silent fear we all have. I’m sure a thriller could be built off that. 

MM: What five films are a must for everyone stuck at home?

MW: 
  • Rear Window
  • Take Shelter
  • Punch Drunk Love
  • RoboCop
  • The Big Chill

Comments

Popular Posts

‘Too Many Cooks’ creator shooting horror feature ‘Arnie’ in Cleveland this summer

AI imagines the characters from 'Arnie' >>   The next juicy horror feature is about to creep onto the streets of Cleveland, and it comes from Chris “Casper” Kelly, creator of the cult classic Too Many Cooks . The feature, Arnie , is tentatively shooting from July through August in the Cleveland area, according to a casting call from Angela Boehm Casting . (It's a live-action film. We don't want our AI interpretation confuse you!) Arnie was one of 14 projects awarded more than $26 million of $33 million in tax credits from the Ohio Department of Development’s Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit Program (OMPTC) aimed at boosting production and infrastructure across the state. Northeast Ohio’s Low Spark Films will produce. Filmmaker Casper Kelly Who is Casper Kelly? Kelly is an American writer, director, and producer known for his work in television and film. His work often blends humor, horror and absurdity. He gained attention with the viral short Too Many Cooks and ...

Mike Judge's 'Automated Trucking' one of several films awarded tax credits for 2025

Mike Judge and Alec Berg, creators of 'Automated Trucking' >>> Automated Trucking , a new comedy feature from Mike Judge, creator of Office Space , Beavis and Butthead , and King of the Hill , will shoot in Ohio this year - but where in Ohio is the real question. Automated Trucking was one of 14 projects awarded more than $26 million of $33 million in tax credits from the Ohio Department of Development’s Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit Program (OMPTC) aimed at boosting production and infrastructure across the state.  The newly launched Ohio Film & Theater Capital Improvements Tax Credit Program (OFATCI) will provide more than $7.3 million to support capital improvements for film and theater production. "Our film tax credits bring producers and stars to Ohio, and they create opportunities for the local businesses, skilled trades, and creatives already here," said Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development. "The expansion of film in...

How illness, identity, and 'Antiques Roadshow' inspired 'Lost & Found in Cleveland'

Keith Gerchak and Marisa Guterman >> Whatever chronic illness he was battling, it was a mystery to Keith Gerchak and his doctor - several doctors, if we’re being honest. For six months, he battled a host of vague symptoms, including fatigue and a lingering fever. Gerchak’s physicians ran him through the gauntlet - blood cultures, viral panels, X-rays and CT scans. They were hunting for infection, autoimmune disease, cancer, thyroid issues, and deep-seated inflammatory conditions. They were coming up with nothing. “Finally, one of them told me, ‘I think your body is rejecting the path you’re on.’” Gerchak let that sink in. His illness wasn’t from a virus. It wasn’t an autoimmune disorder. It was his career choice. Santino Fontana as Gary Lucarelli Facing the fever Doctors have a name for it: psychogenic fever . It’s a real, measurable, stress-induced fever that can persist for months, common among people dealing with burnout, depression and - get this - intense life dissatisfact...