Filming winding down at Devil's Lake

By Tim Damos / News Republic

A Devil's Lake resort is providing the setting for an upcoming film that will explore life in the Midwest.

Crews are expected to wrap up filming for "Motel, Gas Station" sometime next week, and the movie is expected to debut next year, said Sabrina Sutherland, one of the film's producers.

"It's a slice-of-life story," Sutherland said.

The film — written by British Academy Award winner Mary Sweeney — follows several people living in a typical Midwestern town motel and how they interact.

Sweeney was raised in the Madison area, and Sutherland said she chose Devil's Lake Resort, owned by Jim and Anne Semsar, because the resort's cabins fit the mental image she had during the writing process.

"(Sweeney) wrote this story based on her love of the people and the nature, and just the environment of this area of Wisconsin," Sutherland said.

Local actors and actresses from Spring Green's American Players Theatre and the Milwaukee Repertory Theater make up the cast, Sutherland said. And the majority of the film crew is local, with a few from Chicago and Los Angeles, she said.

The Java Cafe in Baraboo has done catering for the film crew.

"So far, everybody here has been so wonderful," said Sutherland, who has worked on films like "Lost Highway," "End of Violence" and "Million Dollar Hotel."

"It's so much different from shooting in L.A," Sutherland said.

Won't quit day job

One Baraboo man said he got his 15 seconds of fame during a shoot for the film. But he won't quit his day job.

One scene involved someone being taken away by ambulance, and the Baraboo District Ambulance Service agreed to help out.

Lt. Paramedic Rick Sherman said after showing up on the set to help out, someone decided he had the right look to play an ambulance driver in the film.

In his short cameo, Sherman said he helps the patient into the back of the ambulance and closes the doors. He then briefly speaks to one of the characters and shakes his hand before driving off.

The director was struck by Sherman's powerful handshake, he said, and reshot the scene to capture a closer look at it.

"They asked me what I thought of my debut," Sherman said. "I told them I'd stick to saving lives and leave the acting to the actors."

A nice farewell

Jim Semsar said the film will make a nice farewell to the resort that he's owned and operated since 1978.

The resort has been in Semsar's family since 1956, but he recently sold it to the state Department of Natural Resources. It will soon become part of Devil's Lake State Park.

He said watching the 30-plus crew members work on the set reminds him of his days working in the advertising business.

"One of my friends got to play a dead guy," Semsar said. "That's tough acting, but somebody's got to do it."

Semsar said Sweeney approached him about filming at the resort after she attended an auction at the site to purchase props.

Semsar said the film company is paying for use of the resort, but he wouldn't say how much.