Ron Hanson

Three years ago, local filmmaker Ron Hanson didn't realize where he'd end up after attending the Laughlin International Film Festival. That festival was an inspiration and he'll have his own film, titled "Three's A Charm," in the festival this year. Hanson said he didn't know that he would want to get into film solely based on attending the film festival. There were so many good films and most of them from local filmmakers that it got him to thinking, he said. Hanson works in Laughlin and lives in Bullhead City and will be joining the list of local filmmakers for the festival. "I was so amazed what talented filmmakers were out there," he said. "I started my quest and went to Hastings and looked for a book on how to write a script and film a movie." After looking for a while, Hanson found a book called "Filmmakers for Dummies" by Bryan Stoller, who's an award winning filmmaker, Hanson said. He was so engrossed in the book, he closed out Hastings. He was asked if he wanted the book because the store was closing, so he bought it, Hanson said. From there, his movie became a labor of love. It's taken a lot of time and effort but it's coming together, he said. It took him about three months to write the story, Hanson said. It then took him six months to take the story and turn it into a film script. He said he used various websites to help him determine the best ways to find actors for his film. By the time it's all filmed, edited and ready for submission, it'll probably have taken him nearly three years to complete, he continued. Hanson describes his film as a romantic comedy. The film is about a college superstar basketball player, Hanson said. The main character has the perfect life - a great college career, perfect girlfriend. Hanson said the character then makes the mistake of cheating on his girlfriend and she seeks revenge by taking him on a camping trip and leaving him for dead. It's a fun adventure with a twist at the end, he added. "It feels great," Hanson said of finishing his first film. His friend, who's another local featured in the Laughlin film festival, helped him with getting started. Hanson said his friend was going to be the director for Hanson's film but had to back out because of his personal project. He does have the actors lined up for the film though. Max Aira is the lead character. He'll be in another film to be released in May called "God of Thunder."