FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Greg Martin, Jantz Levin, and Randy LaBarge answer questions from the audience following the screening of Gamma Man at San Diego Comic-Con.
Local short film production company 2047 Productions crossed a big item off their bucket list. Their latest project, Gamma Man, was shown at the 2024 Comic-Con in San Diego this summer.
Gamma Man stars Jantz Levin as Kevin (Gamma Man), Diana Milton as Devyn, and Corey Jenkins, Jr. and Whitney Holland as the baddies. Justin Gibbons, Heidi Dagle, Tamara Pomponio, Effie Xantheas, and Erick Lopez are in the supporting cast.
Written and produced by Randy LaBarge and Greg Martin, and directed by Nat Saenz in 2021, Gamma Man is the 11th short film by 2047 Productions. Many of the production company’s films have been shown at national and international film festivals, including the TRIFI Film Festival, and have won various awards.
Partly an homage to the superhero films of the past, Gamma Man was shot in a single day at Xenophile Bibliopole and Armorer, Chronopolis Bookstore in north Richland, and features an all local talent and production crew.
Randy LaBarge said, “I decided I wanted to write something that could be shot in one location, in one day, and with a minimum cast and crew. I had the idea for a wannabe hero, and when I saw the inside of the Xenophile bookstore in North Richland I knew this was where it needed to be shot. Owners Steve and Brian were wonderful to work with, and they’re great supporters.”
LaBarge said that he’d never been to Comic-Con, so when he got the email saying that Gamma Man had been selected to be screened there, he was thrilled. “I couldn’t connect with Greg and Nat fast enough,” LaBarge said.
Nat Saenz said he was delighted to hear the news. “Having one of our films show at Comic-Con has been on my bucket list ever since we started shooting films,” Saenz said.
Greg Martin said he felt honored to be part of the project. “Gamma Man was the perfect film for the San Diego Comic-Con since it embodies the superhero in all of us,” said Martin.
2047 Productions was started by Saenz over a decade ago when he helped shoot a short film at RadCon. He had such a great time that he decided to get some friends together to shoot another film. LaBarge said that 2047 Productions has grown steadily since then.
“I believe making a film is the single most creative thing a group of people can do together,” said LaBarge. “Our cast and crew were fabulous to work with, and most of them are regulars on our shoots. Truly, these are the folks that make things happen. What can be better than hanging out with great friends, making a movie, and then getting together afterward to watch your creation on a big screen?”
More information about 2047 Productions can be found at: 2047productions.net.
