Imagine The Breakfast Club goes to Willy Wonka's factory at Christmas.
From IRS To Boot Camp: The Tale of a Script
ATLANTA, Ga.—Santa’s Boot Camp began with an idea that the Jolly Old Elf would be audited by the IRS and ended with a tale of Santa teaching poorly-behaved teens a lesson in good behavior.
Producer and director Ken Feinberg said the project began two years ago when he had a whole year of short films made at Creative Studios of Atlanta’s Film Academy of Atlanta, which he founded in 2009. That year, his students shot so many short films that his editor told him with all the time and effort they’d put in, they could have made a feature-length film. Feinberg began the 2011-2012 year hoping to make movie that would appeal to people outside of the CSA Film Academy.
Kelly Nettles: Writer and Shoot Host
ATLANTA, Ga. — Kelly Nettles not only helped write the script for “Santa’s Boot Camp,” but also provided her own home as a shooting location.
Nettles was involved in the film from the beginning as part of a group that included producer and director Ken Feinberg that brainstormed ideas. They decided to make a holiday film.
“Writing for Ken is very interesting because the production is usually cast before the script is ever made because he needs to include the majority of his children in his acting school,” she said. “We needed an idea that included a lot of children actors in it.”
A Talk with Chris Mills: Line Producer and Location Scout:
ATLANTA, Ga. — Serving as one of the producers for Santa’s Boot Camp is none other than Chris Mills.
Aron Seigel, the sound mixer for the film, had worked with director, writer, and producer Ken Feinberg before on another project and thought Mills and Feinberg would work well together. He introduced them in late October or early November 2012. After Mills met Feinberg, he watched a short version of the film that had already been made and read the script.
“I thought it was charming and that the kids did a good job in the part that I’d seen,” he said.
Kody Wynne reflects being Santa’s Boot Camp production coordinator
ATLANTA, Ga. — One of the key personnel in making the film Santa's Boot Camp was Kody Wynne, the production coordinator.
“I was approached by one of the producers, Chris Mills,” said Wynne when asked how he got involved with SBC. “I knew his wife and have worked with his wife before in a coordinating capacity.”
Wynne has worked as production coordinator on the Adult Swim program Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell and as the art department coordinator for several Black Entertainment Television programs. It was through the former he met Laurie Garner, Mills’ wife.
