Rapid City native gets grant for experimental film

By Lynn Taylor Rick, Journal Staff Writer | Friday, September 09, 2005

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In July, Jason Wade got one of the best things a budding filmmaker can get: funding.

The Jerome Foundation, an organization that supports and funds artists in New York City and Minnesota, awarded Wade a $10,000 grant to produce his new film, "Stabber."

"I can't even tell you how excited I am about this," said Wade, who moved from Rapid City to Minneapolis five years ago. "It's exciting to think that these people from this prestigious background believe in what I am doing and are willing to take a chance."

Wade, 30, grew up in Rapid City, attending local schools and eventually graduating from South Dakota School of Mines & Technology in 2000.

During his high school and college years, Wade was responsible for bringing many of the all-ages underground music shows to the area. He also played in the band Rezin for 10 years.

In 2000, while still living in Rapid City, Wade got his first taste of filmmaking when a girlfriend discovered a Super 8 camera in her attic. "I had never even seen one before," Wade said.

Wade began playing around with the camera, and eventually, he wrote and produced his first film, "Golden Afternoon." He describes it as "a window into the bizarre perversions of an overweight man played by Andy Musegades."

The experimental short film was fictional but based on the life of Musegades, who recently died, Wade said.

The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in 2001 and has since played at various venues worldwide, Wade said. In addition to writing and producing the film, Wade also wrote the soundtrack.

When he moved to Minneapolis, Wade took a job in a film company in order to access the equipment he needed to continue his experimental film work.

It was a combination of his newer work, "Golden Afternoon," and a proposal that garnered Wade the Jerome grant.

Wade has been experimenting with alternative processing techniques to give his films an all-together unique look. He plans to use some of those techniques on "Stabber," which he hopes to begin filming in October.

The film is the story of an institutionalized man who has been sheltered from the world. When the institution is closed, he is inadvertently left behind and finds himself thrust into the world.

"He is treated as a real human being for the first time in his life," Wade said.

Eventually, he is driven mad by what he sees and experiences. The film was inspired by Wade's thoughts and feelings in his own "artistic evolution."

"Stabber" probably won't appeal to a broad audience, Wade said, because it falls under the independent and experimental genre heading. "The things I'm doing are not that accessible to mainstream audiences," Wade said.

Rather than pure entertainment, Wade said, his films are instead designed to make people think.

With the grant in hand, Wade is excitedly planning for the upcoming shoot. He hopes to do some of the shoot in Oregon, some in the Badlands and some in Minneapolis. He will probably cast locals when he is in the Black Hills.

As for his future beyond "Stabber," Wade hopes to continue making his films, playing in his new band, Faggot, and exploring his creative side.

"I'll just keep doing things that make me happy in my life, whether it's playing music or doing film or living in a car," he said.

Contact Lynn Taylor Rick at 394-8414 or lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com