SuzAnne Miller is the owner of Dunrovin Ranch. A fourth-generation Montanan, SuzAnne grew up roaming the mountains and fishing the streams of western Montana. Fresh out of high school, SuzAnne became one of the first women to “man” a Forest Service fire lookout by herself.
Sucker must be permanently branded on my brow. Never can I turn down a charming person telling me an engaging story. This inability to say no has proven to be one of my best traits – it has consistently led me down more interesting paths than I could ever image. One such path led me to the University of Montana’s School of Media Arts and getting one of our lovely Tennessee Walking Horses to star in a movie.
Early one autumn, I answered the phone to find an articulate and creative young man, Alex Pollini, on the other end. He was making a “cold call” to me by way of the number he had found under Horses for Rent in the yellow pages. His earnest voice implored me to provide a horse for him to use for a film he was producing as part of his program at the School of Media Arts. How could I resist – even after he admitted that it would be something of a commitment as he needed the horse to appear in Garnett Ghost Town located some 60 miles east of Missoula? To my ears, this had the sound of a fun field trip with members of our equestrian club, an opportunity to learn something about film making, and getting to see one of our beautiful horses grace the silver screen in a classic western. Naturally, I signed right up.
Not knowing what to expect, I did the logical thing and googled Alex Pollini which took me to Pollini Productions. WOW – this kid has talent! Indeed, as my interactions with Alex began to unfold, I became smitten with everything about this guy. Working with a crew of six to eight people, Alex and his project partner Byran Baldwin always handled themselves like a pros – easily orchestrating complicated scenes, getting full cooperation from all involved, and maintaining a calm atmosphere throughout long sessions of just plain hard work. Much to all of our delight, they ended up doing much of the filming on our ranch.
The horse we chose to participate in the film was Smokey – a handsome “leading man” kind of horse with something of a stubborn streak who has stolen many a young girl’s heart. Smokey fit the part to a tee – big with an imposing presence and a forgiving nature that allows him to maintain his composure while carrying a rider who knew little about horses.
During the filming of various scenes, I found myself interjecting with tips about how the actor should perform certain tasks in order to appear as a real horseman. It made me realize that my own interactions with horses have become second nature – that my body’s muscle memory enables me to unconsciously perform routine tasks with fluid, efficient, and quiet movements. Seeing the actors handle Smokey seemed to magnify those small gestures that distinguish a horseman from a mere passenger on a horse. To the entire crew’s credit, my interference was not only tolerated, but encouraged.
Our November field trip to Garnett Ghost Town proved to be a wonderful close to a year of trail riding. Pulling the horse trailer through snow and ice patches on the road and starting out with our horses slipping and sliding on the icy grass along the trail from the parking lot to the town, we savored the last bits of a glorious fall. Smokey performed like a card carrying member of the Screen Actor’s Guild as he walked up and down the same hill numerous times to get each scene just right. The rest of watched from afar, sitting relaxed on our horses while they quietly grazed and enjoyed the waning warmth of the autumn sun.
The resulting movie, Blood Money, far exceeded my expectations. The black and white film was shot on 16mm Kodak 7266 Tri-X reversal film and hand processed by the filmmakers. By hand developing the negative, the film became more susceptible to scratches, dust, and other debris creating a visual texture that parallel the themes of the film. The sound mix combined tones and original scores borrowed from classic western films to create a piece unique to Blood Money This wonderful silent movie takes you back in time and capture the experiences of those early day movie goers when western cinemas got their start.
Grateful for our joint venture, I wanted to continue Dunrovin’s involvement with the School of Media Arts which led us to host an “Evening at the Ranch” with a barbeque, student films, equipment demonstrations, and the debut Alex’s and Byran’s film to raise money for their Media Arts lab expansion.
It is truly remarkable that the University of Montana, located so far away from the urban centers most associated with film making, has built such a strong Media Arts program in such a short time. During his Christmas break that year, Alex toured a University of California’s Media Arts program. They impressed him with their expansive labs and high tech equipment; and he impressed them with his access to a horse and a ghost town for his film project. That difference may explain some small part of UM’s success – while other schools may offer access to better equipment and facilities, UM offers access to incredible places and a community ready to embrace them – a city full of people who, just like me, have sucker branded above their brow.