Staff writer
What do a music major and a secondary science education major have in common? For Tabor College’s Zach Neumann and Tanner Sechrist, the answer is film.
Love, shenanigans, and Tabor College superstitions are major plot points in their first film, “The Dog in the Woods.”
The idea for the film came to the two and friend Daniel Quiring while dining together in the Tabor cafeteria after having watched movies such as “Airplane 2” and “Life of Brian.”
“We started coming up with ideas,” Neumann said, “and then it was like ‘Hey, we should actually make this movie!’”
As for the plot of the movie, the team kept it related to the college.
“We go on a quest for the original ring by spring. If you go to Tabor, it is a pretty big deal,” Sechrist said. “The original ring by spring is, of course, the first ring used to propose on Tabor’s campus, and so when we find it, it ends up that they had destroyed it and used it to make the seam.”
“But the ring has the power to make anybody fall in love with you,” Neumann added, “which is why we’re looking for it.”
Two Tabor superstitions that have persisted over the years include Tabor students receiving a (wedding) “ring by spring” and a seam in the dirty dish conveyer belt in the Tabor cafeteria that, if someone places their tray on it, helps the person receive a date within 24 hours.
Scheduling was one conflict during the filming production for these new filmmakers, especially a scene involving many extras.
Even though last minute issues came up during filming, Neumann advised that if someone is wanting to make a film of their own, they shouldn’t be afraid to.
“Go for it,” Neumann said, “but know that it’s probably going to be a lot more work than you expect and there’s going to be all kinds of trouble that comes up so you have to be pretty committed, but if you are, there’s no reason you can’t do it.”
“The Dog in the Woods” cast includes Neumann, Sechrist, Quiring, and Whitney, along with Casey Cuthals and Matt Molden.
The film has a premiere date of May 6 at the historic church at Tabor College. Time of the premiere can be found by visiting www.twitter.com/thedoginthewood.