Jim Misunas
jmisunas@gbtribune.com

LARNED — The Fort Larned Historical Society will host its annual meeting followed by the Kansas premiere of the short film “The Winter: Something’s Out There,” at 7 p.m. Monday.
The film was shot at the Santa Fe Trail Center in the sod house and on the museum’s grounds. The Santa Fe Trail Center was chosen as a filming location by the film’s director Teresa Sutherland because she wanted a setting with wide-open vistas.  
The film was shot at the Trail Center during December 2011 by graduate film students from Florida State University. Sutherland said she did research on various locations before a contact with Ruth Peters of the Sante Fe Trail Center convinced her to film in Pawnee County.
Sutherland, a native of Diamond, Mo., graduated from the University of Kansas in 2009 before entering the two-year graduate program at Florida State. Her husband, Elliott Sutherland graduated from Kansas State University and worked for The Ottawa Herald.
“The Winter: Something’s Out There,” takes place in a cabin on the Kansas frontier in the 1860.  
“The Winter: Something’s Out There,” focuses on a young woman who comes to Kansas with her husband and finds that living a relatively isolated life on the plains is both lonely and frightening.  Because she cannot let go of her fears, her imagination plays cruel tricks on her mind and she sees things that are not real.
Mark Booker portrayed the husband and Allison Horack was cast as the wife in “The Winter: Something’s Out There.” Rick Tamblyn of Kansas City, Mo., portrayed the marshal. The fierce wind is portrayed as a “monster,” in the movie.
Each Florida State graduate student must develop a movie idea as a director and other students serve in other capacities to learn various aspects of film making.
Sutherland was joined by cinematographer Ray Langridge and production designer Josh Crute on the preparation. They drove more than 1,200 miles from Florida to Kansas City en route to Larned.
Langridge prepared camera tests and developed the exact places where he will shoot the movie.  Langridge looked at which angles worked best and viewed sunsets and sunrises to understand what direction they needed to shoot.
Crute worked with local antique shops to gather up background items for the movie.
The film crew and actors worked in Pawnee County for several days.  Each film student writes and directs their own movie. They are also required to take on various film production tasks in each of the other student’s movies.  
A short business meeting will take place before the showing of the film. The meeting and program are free and the public is invited to attend.  Refreshments will be served following the meeting.
The Santa Fe Trail Center is two miles west of Larned on K-156.  For information, call the Trail Center, 620-285-2054.