North Fulton movie makers shoot 'Last Bullet'

An Alpharetta screenwriter and a director who graduated from Milton High teamed up to create a short film emphasizing the courage and valor of soldiers in the Vietnam War. A showing of that film, "Last Bullet," will benefit veterans groups around the South.

Director Jason Winn (a 1994 Milton High graduate), worked on the film with Michael Buchanan, an Alpharetta resident and the writer for the film. What began as a conversation between Winn and his friend, Savi Lorestani, last spring became a finished screenplay this summer.

"I was on the set of a film that Savi was directing, and we were brainstorming," Winn said. "We came up with a simple idea about two guys caught in foxhole and surrounded by the enemy. I called Mike and he finished the first draft in a week."

Last Bullet is set on the Vietnamese-Cambodian border and tells the story of Matt (Matt Perello) and Shane (J. Todd Smith), two soldiers caught in a life-or-death situation.

With the help of military advisor Andy Rice, the story went through several revisions to enhance historical accuracy. After Buchanan and Winn found the crew and cast, and with the assistance of Scott Tigchelaar, president of Riverwood Studios, the dates for shooting were finalized.

Recently filmed on the back lot of Riverwood Studios south of Fayetteville, the short film Last Bullet emphasizes the courage and valor of soldiers who fought during the Vietnam War. The movie, a project of Tin Roof Films, will be shown in select theatres and local venues.

A crew of 20 worked two long nights on the making of this film. Transformed by bamboo stalks, the Georgia forest became the dark Cambodian jungle.

Once editing and post-production is completed, Last Bullet will be released in selected independent theatres with proceeds designated to help veterans of present and past wars. Groups who would like to be involved in this project should write mike@tinrooffilms.com or jason@tinrooffilms.com for details. The first showing will be at Reynolds Plantation Dec. 5. Cast and the creators of Last Bullet will be on hand to answer questions about the movie.
Winn and Buchanan also teach film classes in North Fulton; for info, visit www.tinrooffilms.com.

Synopsis
During an intense nighttime skirmish between U.S. and Viet Cong forces, buddies Shane and Matt tumble into a bomb crater moments after a barrage of bullets assail them. Shane escapes serious injury but Matt is hit and rapidly losing blood from a gunshot to the leg. Unable to pull Matt to safety, Shane makes a decision — to save his friend, he must leave him alone and run for help. Now by himself, Matt confronts his own mortality. When an explosion leaves him deaf, he cannot hear the radio blaring Shane's return with reinforcements. As enemies and friends approach Matt's position, who will Matt kill with his last bullet?
- www.northfulton.com

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