Lights, camera, action!

Former Clear Lake man comes back to Iowa to film movie

By Michelle Watson

A former Clear Lake resident is coming back to his home state to “scare” up some interest in the state he takes pride in.  Jack Meggers, of Whole Hearted Productions, will be shooting a thriller/horror movie, “The Burial,” in locations around Iowa.

“I chose Iowa for several reasons,” said Meggers.  “The first is because of its natural beauty and the second is this is my first feature film and I wanted to shoot it in Iowa. I appreciate Iowa’s welcoming nature and hospitality of the people and its rich history and wealth of industry professionals who reside right here.”

Meggers, who is the writer/director of the film,  lived in Clear Lake from 1987-93.  He attended Clear Lake Middle School and graduated from Newman Catholic High School.  He attended NIACC for a year and then transferred to Iowa State University where he graduated in 1999 with a degree in performing arts.

“I still have many friends in Clear Lake.  I have fond memories of swimming in the lake and going boating in the summer and ice skating and snowmobiling on the lake in the winter.  My sister and her husband still live in Clear Lake,” said Meggers.

Following college, Meggers headed to New York City where he worked in theater and television while taking acting classes.  He came to the realization that he wanted to work behind the camera, so he moved to Los Angeles, where he worked in every department he could on film sets to develop the skills he needed to direct his own work.  He did several music videos and a short film, all while managing a boutique production house in Hollywood where “Criminal Minds” is shot.

“After living on both coasts and being away from Iowa for 15 years, I was confident in my decision to relocate to Des Moines to produce my movie, where there is less traffic, virtually no smog, and a better quality of life waiting for me,” said Meggers.

The movie will mostly be shot in Allamakee and perhaps Winneshiek counties and the town of Lansing.

“I picked that area because the story centers around the Effigy Mounds and the history of that region,” said Meggers.  “I want people to know we won’t actually be doing any filming at the burial mound site, because we respect the sacred nature of that space.”

The movie is about a man who returns home from college to bury his estranged father.  Avoiding his responsibility, he takes up with a charismatic resident lawbreaker and quickly finds himself dodging the watchful eyes of the local deputy sheriff.  The unlawful pair hide out in the woods where they discover the burial mound of a 2,000 year old native society.  When their exploits lead to grave robbing, an ancient and terrifying sickness is awakened inside them.

The producer of the film is Kristine Hrycun.  She started her career with Ron Howard at Imagine Entertainment. She worked with the co-creator of the “Back to the Future” trilogy and spent 12 years at Rob Reiner’s Castle Rock Entertainment, working on such films as, “The Green Mile,” “Michael Clayton,” and “Miss Congeniality,” among over 35 other major motion pictures.

The teaser trailer for “The Burial” was shot recently at Ledges State Park, located in Madrid, Iowa, and other locations in Iowa.  The star of the movie, Tom Garland, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native, and a few Iowa State University theater students starred in the trailer.

“I want people elsewhere to know Iowa is more than just corn - Read More Via e-Edition