Locally-filmed series on Freemasons seeks backers
Earl Rorer of Bethel Park is volunteering his time to be an actor in the production of “Mason.”
A drunken Samuel Westfall makes his way to New York in 1789 planning only to witness the inauguration of George Washington as America’s first president. But the former Revolutionary War scout and post rider ends up stopping his attempted assassination and is thrown into the secret world of the Freemasons.
It’s part of the pilot episode of a planned fictional web series called “Mason,” shot locally by Dangerwood Productions. The remaining six episodes of the planned first season have yet to be shot, and the producers are down to the wire on a final fundraising push to lift the project off the ground.
“A single coat for a cast member is $300. Period pieces are so pricey because everything has to be precise,” said Earl Rorer, a Bethel Park actor who’s volunteering his time in the production.
Rorer’s character, Jim Dartmouth, is described as a woodsman and tracker in the series, and is planned to have a recurring role.
“I knap flint, I shoot black powder rifles, so I was cast for this role partly because I can handle those period actions well. Right now I’m just transitioning into full-beard to look the part if and when we shoot it,” he said.
The if-and-when part hinges on an Indiegogo fundraising campaign that seeks to raise $15,000 by March 20.
“Most of the funds go to props and period wardrobe … People are hesitant to contribute to a project that is independent because they’re unsure if it’s a project that will return. But we have done this before, and show we have a quality product ready to go,” said director and writer Simon Barracchini.
The director and co-founder of Dangerwood Productions said the idea for “Mason” started out as fan-fiction for the Assassin’s Creed video game series, a historical fiction that follows a centuries-long fight between groups of Assassins and Templars.
“I’ve always been fascinated with the Freemasons’ secrecy and how they’ve been portrayed in other movies, like “The Da Vinci Code.” And the emphasis is this is fiction, it’s entertainment. There are historical figures in here, but the plot is fictitious and people should walk away with various interpretations,” Barracchini said, “because this is a grey depiction of the Freemasons. There’s no black and white moral story here.”
Plan B for the production is to seek grants, and plan C – “We’ll circle the wagons, figure out what we can do to make this happen. As of right now, we can’t realize the series as it needs to be. We’d rather regroup and recuperate than to put out something that isn’t high quality. If that happens, we’ve promised to refund the backers of Mason,” Barracchini said.
“There are some great incentive perks for donating, too,” Rorer said, “like at the $150 level, you can be an extra in one of the episodes; hang out with us on set, see stuff behind the scenes, and who knows, maybe launch a career.”
Rorer has appeared in movies such as “Foxcatcher,” “Out of the Furnace” and “The Dark Knight.” He plays a bodyguard in an upcoming movie with John Travolta called “Criminal Activities,” slated for a June 1 release. He’s tight-lipped about a History Channel series called “American Geniuses,” which will focus on early-20th century thinkers and inventors and is scheduled to premiere this summer.
The pilot episode and Indiegogo campaign for Mason are listed at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mason-season-1.