Audiences can now get a sneak peek at a movie that was filmed last year in Orillia.
Who You Know is a romantic comedy that was filmed in Orillia and surrounding areas, and the film’s first trailer was released Thursday afternoon. Locals watching the two-minute trailer might see some familiar sights, including Mississaga Street, the Hog N’ Penny and Lake Simcoe.
Filming also took place at Kawartha Dairy, Couchiching Beach Park, the Orillia Opera House, 125 Breakfast Club and Mariposa Market, among other locales.
“I’m excited to see what people here think,” said director Jake Horowitz, who splits his time between Toronto and the Orillia area. “The reaction (from locals) is nice because in Toronto, you don’t get that.”
As Horowitz explained while filming last fall, Who You Know is “about an aspiring screenwriter who decides to shortcut his way into Hollywood by plotting out his romance (by working) his screenwriting idol’s daughter into the story.”
Condensing a feature film into a two-minute trailer that will attract attention “is an art form in itself,” Horowitz told OrilliaMatters this week.
“The challenging thing is our movie starts out as a comedy and then it turns into a more emotional drama,” he said. “We don’t want people to think it’s a comedy, but we also don’t want to make it look like it isn’t funny at all.”
The trailer captures the dramatic and the comedic, as Cole (Dylan Everett) casts his love interest, Haley (Niamh Wilson), in his movie, hoping it will give him an in with Hollywood big shot Michael Burwell (David Hewlett).
The movie is being submitted for consideration to various film festivals, and Horowitz is hoping people will check out the trailer and help create buzz on social media by encouraging different festivals to screen the film.
A release date for Who You Know hasn’t been determined, but Horowitz knows people are anxious to see the final product. He is, too, even though he’s seen it so often, he could probably recite it word for word.
“So many people haven’t seen anything from the movie, but I’ve watched it at least 150 times,” he said.
Horowitz doesn’t expect it to be his last project filmed in the area. He’s hoping to be back this fall to work on a short film.
When Who You Know is released, he hopes to hold a screening in Orillia.
For updates on Who You Know, follow the film on Facebook and Twitter.
