Today we’d like to introduce you to Nigel Butler.
Hi Nigel, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Well, my brother and I have been working in media production with our company, Butler Media Productions for about 5 years now. Our first feature film was a “so bad it’s funny” Christmas comedy called, “Secret Santa: A Christmas Adventure” which comes around annually to haunt us. Since that film we have done a few others and most recently released an award-winning western film, shot entirely in South Carolina. Mostly in Greenville County. The film is called, “Buried on Shine Mountain” and won a few awards at festivals before being released publicly on streaming and DVD. We even won best SC feature at Freedom Festival International down in Columbia.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The toughest part about making the western in South Carolina was most likely location scouting. It’s not exactly a ‘western’ location but since our film mostly took place on the titular Shine Mountain, we were able to find locations that were perfect for the rough texture of the story. Crafting the period piece with costumes, props, bar locations and things like that was also challenging but with the help of John Steadman, my brother Stewart and I were able to find all this. It was just a great blessing the way that people from the Greenville area offered to help us out with locations or props or anything really to make this movie possible.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My brother Stewart and I have had a wonderful time learning how to make movies. As was evidenced by our first film, we had a lot to learn. Over time through practice and working with the right people, we’ve come a long a way and it’s just been a blessing, and I thank the Lord for it. To learn the intricacies of filmmaking and distribution is important and right now we gotta start working more on marketing. We don’t do a great job at getting the word out. Like with this western, it’s got great reviews and good reactions from people who see it, just so few have heard of it. So that’s an area we need to work on.
I think overall, we lean more towards making a type of film that doesn’t come through major studios anymore. We just finished production on a sort of coming-of-age film and obviously we did a western, which aren’t very popular in Hollywood anymore. I’d say that’s probably our distinction. It makes us different from the others and I enjoy those stories.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
The story. The story is what hooks me on a project. If it’s a good story and it makes for a good script, I want to make the movie. Period. That’s it.
Pricing:
- You can get a copy of Buried On Shine Mountain at most retailers online. It supports the film and I think if you like westerns, you’ll like it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://butlermediaproductions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/butlermediaproductions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/butlermediaproductions/#
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaTfeiPJgCTK_cgvYlsE4Lw
