{"id":20778,"date":"2013-12-19T14:20:30","date_gmt":"2013-12-19T19:20:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/raleighpublicrecord.org\/?p=20778"},"modified":"2013-12-19T17:15:46","modified_gmt":"2013-12-19T22:15:46","slug":"despite-some-complaints-work-begins-on-southeast-raleigh-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/news\/2013\/12\/19\/despite-some-complaints-work-begins-on-southeast-raleigh-film\/","title":{"rendered":"Despite Some Complaints, Work Begins on Southeast Raleigh Film"},"content":{"rendered":"

The deal goes down at the corner of Branch and Mangum streets on a cold\u00a0and\u00a0damp December\u00a0afternoon\u00a0in\u00a0Southeast Raleigh. In fewer than 10 seconds, the cash and drugs have changed hands. Then it happens again. And again. Same customer, same dealer, same boarded-up, derelict house rotting away in the background.<\/p>\n

Raleigh Police Department crime statistics for the past six months show more than 50 arrests for drug-related offenses alone within a 500-foot radius of the corner. In spite of the RPD cruiser idling half a block away, no one involved in this\u00a0particular\u00a0deal will wind up handcuffed in\u00a0the back seat.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because the mastermind behind the whole operation, Robert Wagner,\u00a0is himself an officer with the department.\u00a0 The so-called \u201cWagz\u201d isn\u2019t a dirty cop, and he\u2019s not using his position of authority to profit from the illicit drug trade. The deal itself is just one of more than two dozen scenes being shot during a three-day period for his short film, \u201cBragg \u2018N\u00a0East.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Bragg<\/a>

Hannah Elise Chapman<\/p><\/div>\n

The movie was born of Wagner\u2019s experiences on the job and a desire to change a seemingly forgotten part of the city that has benefited little from the\u00a0region\u2019s\u00a0explosive growth of the past several years.\u00a0The faith-based film tells the story of how a traumatic event brings together a veteran police officer and a hardened gang member seeking to improve the lives of all those around them.<\/p>\n

Initially envisioned as a feature-length film, budgetary shortfalls led Wagner to trim the movie’s running time, but did little to hamper his enthusiasm or his ambitions for what the movie can achieve.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a movie designed to stir God\u2019s people into literally loving the hell out of those who need it,\u201d Wagner said.<\/p>\n

\"Director<\/a>

Michael Howard<\/p>

Director Rob Underhill, right, and Camera Operator Henry Ceiro center, listen to Director of Photography Aravind Ragupathi, fore, about how the camera will be filming the scene. Behind them, Wake County Sheriff Special Response Team Member Frankie Eagles IV waits for direction.<\/p><\/div>\n

Inspired by a number of traumatic experiences on the job, including the death in his arms of a six-week-old infant, Wagner hopes the film will bring more than just an uplifting experience to its audiences.\u00a0By shooting in the neighborhoods where the story takes place, and hiring locals as crew members, Wagner said the production can offer on-the-job training and connections for local residents in an industry where even those with a checkered past can find work.<\/p>\n

Although the short is being put together on a less-than-shoestring budget of $15,000, he plans to use it as a way of drumming up interest in a feature film or television series. Any profits will be funneled back into the community through his nonprofit, Within a Yard ministries, and Wagner hopes that a bigger budget and a longer production timetable will bring more jobs, training and opportunity to the downtrodden area he once patrolled as a community officer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is just the beginning,\u201d Wagner said.<\/p>\n

\"Bragg<\/a>

Hannah Elise Chapman<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0
\nA Rocky Start\u00a0<\/strong>
\nAs reported by the Record in June<\/a>, Wagner had initially budgeted the film at about $700,000, with a portion of that to be raised through a Kickstarter campaign.\u00a0The\u00a0campaign raised only $4,000 of its $80,000 goal.<\/p>\n

In addition to the financial hardships, Wagner faces outspoken opposition from some within in the community who derided him as \u201cthe great white hope\u201d and argued that as an outsider, it was not his place to bring this kind of change to the community. After these complaints were addressed by Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown at the central Raleigh Citizens Advisory Council meeting in June, Wagner was re-assigned from the\u00a0Bragg Street\u00a0area to Five Points.<\/p>\n

\"New_Bragg_N_East_Poster\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Wagner continued unfazed. Although he was unable to win the support of those who had spoken out against the project, a variety of local residents were more than willing to pitch in. Many of the scenes shot at homes in the Bragg Street neighborhood granted the production free use of the properties. And in spite of the dreary weather, many area residents turned out last weekend, umbrellas in hand, to watch Wagner\u2019s dream slowly become a reality.<\/p>\n

While the budget shortfalls proved somewhat more difficult to overcome, Wagner was able to make a number of adjustments \u2014 including taking on the role of the main police officer in the film \u2014 as a way of keeping costs down. A number of local agencies also volunteered the use of their equipment and personnel: uniforms and patrol cars from the Capitol Special Police, a SWAT team and armored vehicle from the Wake County Sherriff\u2019s Office, and EMS personnel, also from Wake County.<\/p>\n

Although Wagner is currently employed with the Raleigh Police department, and took two weeks of vacation time to work full-time on the film\u2019s production, RPD did not allow the use of any uniforms or vehicles in the movie.<\/p>\n

Raleigh police spokesman Jim Sughrue said that many officers pursue personal projects in their off-duty time, and Wagner\u2019s efforts on the film were viewed no differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just wanted to keep a clear distance between what he\u2019s doing with the movie, and what we\u2019re doing as a department,\u201d Sughrue said.\u201cWe didn\u2019t want to put them or the department in any kind of situation that could potentially create conflict.\u201d
\n\u00a0
\nRapid Production<\/strong>
\nAlthough several years in the making, the actual production schedule for \u201cBragg \u2018N East\u201d is occurring in a relatively short window \u2014 a large swath of the casting took place Dec. 8, and by Dec. 15, principal photography was wrapped up.<\/p>\n

The auditions, held in the Christ our King Community Church, drew more than 75 hopeful actors, many of them turned on to the film through their local church groups.<\/p>\n

One exception was Chastity Davis, who said she found out about the film at the last minute, through a Facebook post.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do a lot of entertaining, singing, performing, and I want to get into acting,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n

While waiting for her turn to be called in to read, Davis said she is currently involved in a play scheduled to run at the Durham Performing Arts Center in January, called Joe Crack.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a community play that tries to send a positive message, similar to what Rob [Wagner] is doing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Davis was eventually cast as the mother of Dae\u2019Quan, the film\u2019s hardened criminal protagonist. Six days after the audition, Davis, who had already wrapped up her scenes for the day, hung around the cold, rainy set in South Raleigh to watch one of the film\u2019s crucial scene\u2019s being filmed \u2014 the death of her grandson in the arms of Wagner.<\/p>\n

\"Director<\/a>

Carol Smith \/ Casmi Photography<\/p><\/div>\n

Later that night, an exhausted Wagner, nearing the end of a second 16-hour day of shooting, found himself seated in a pew of the Mt. Sinai Church, prepping for a scene with the church\u2019s Bishop, Bruce Rogers.<\/p>\n

Rogers and Wagner met at a weekly early-morning bible study. Once Wagner mentioned the film, Rogers knew he wanted to be involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told him, ‘I\u2019ll do whatever you need,’\u201d Rogers said.<\/p>\n

Rogers eventually donated the use of Mt. Sinai for filming and took on the role of Brother John, a man who consoles Wagner after a series of tragedies have led him to seek solace inside the church walls. The advice he offers, originally a quote from author C.T. Studd, is also the slogan for Wagner\u2019s nonprofit: \u201cSome want to live within the sound of church or a chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like many of those Wagner hopes to reach and help through the film, Rogers grew up in the Bragg Street area, and said he\u00a0once lived the life of a criminal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did some hard criminal time when I was a young boy, ignorant, like a lot of those guys out there,\u201d Rogers said. \u201cI needed guidance, I needed to find someone, and truth be told it was a few officers who really gave me the best advice during that time. When I got saved and I got out, I found them and we still correspond.\u201d
\n\u00a0
\nRed-Carpet Rollout\u00a0<\/strong>
\nWhile there are still a number of smaller, pick-up scenes to be shot, mostly just featuring Wagner, the final main scenes to be shot were completed Sunday evening in Mt. Sinai.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was awesome,\u201d Wagner said.\u201cThe room downstairs was packed full of residents from the neighborhood and some of the gang members and drug dealers, and they were down there building relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n

As one of Wagner\u2019s main goals with the film was to help people learn how to be positive influences in their own community, seeing those from so many different walks of life come together in this fashion was one of the highlights of the entire production.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sat there and I almost broke down in tears,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is exactly what this calls for, this is why what we\u2019re doing it. It\u2019s what is needed, it\u2019s bringing the good, the bad and the ugly together in one room where they can build relationships and affect each others lives in a positive manner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Editing will take place during the next few weeks, with the hopes of having a rough cut available by January which can be sent off to various festivals and used to pitch to studio executives. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Once the film is complete, Wagner plans to hold a premiere screening in Raleigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I would really like to do, is do it red-carpet style, bring residents out, everyone who was involved, I think it would be really cool for them, it would be a great experience, it would be awesome to do that,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Filming for a controversial movie created by a Raleigh police officer began this month. \u201cBragg N\u2019 East\u201d and its creator, Officer Robert Wagner, have faced criticism from some neighborhood groups, which led to Wagner’s removal from his police beat in Southeast Raleigh earlier this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24061,"featured_media":20809,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[1324,1503,1323],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20778"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24061"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20778\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}