Bishop steps to The Other Side
Atlanta action film "Slams" into Utah

By Martin Kelley
Editor-In-Chief

Gregg Bishop began his filmmaking journey with his father's 8mm camera at age seven, trying to film his own versions of the epic movies of his youth, the ones that made so many of us interested in making our own movies: Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the like.

Director Gregg Bishop (left) and producer Chad Eikhoff (right) party with the reapers. (photo: Stephen Caudill)

But something else attracted him to filmmaking, too.

"The moment I realized that movies could play with people's emotions—that they could make you laugh, cry, or cheer—that's what sealed the deal," said Bishop. "I knew what I wanted to do the rest of my life."

Bishop wrote and directed The Other Side, which brought him, producer Chad Eikoff, and a host of Atlanta talent and crew to the Slamdance Film Festival for the world premiere of this action/horror film.

This was the second trip to Slamdance for Bishop, who won the Global Anarchy Audience Award at Slamdance in 2000 for his short film Voodoo, which went on to air on the Sci-Fi Channel and provided the funding for his first feature. "Award-winning filmmaker" and " USC Film School grad" seem like foreign titles for a young man who grew up around Atlanta .

About his academic experience, Bishop said, "USC film school became a great training ground to experiment, make mistakes and hone the craft.

"So I not only learned a lot from the teachers, I also learned a lot from my classmates as well. I figured a great way to make myself better at what I do was to surround myself with the best."

Which is likely why you'll find an A-list of Atlanta talent both in front of and behind the camera of The Other Side.

Nathan Mobley stars as Samuel North in The Other Side. (photo: Gregg Bishop)

The Other Side is a supernatural thriller about Samuel North, who's been murdered and sent to Hell. Through a daring jailbreak he escapes to find the person who murdered him...and to be reunited with the love of his life. But a team of Reapers, literally bounty hunters from Hell, is sent to bring him back. Along the way, Samuel is aided by two other escapees who help him out in hopes of finding their own redemption and thereby earning their way out of the Pit as well.

The film was cast mostly in Atlanta and shot on Super 16mm around Georgia at a breakneck pace for an action movie of this scale

"Most movies on this scale are made in the studio system with large budgets and long schedules," Bishop said. "We had neither, so we had to work ten times harder than the guys who did."

That hard work shows up on the screen. The Other Side features action, superb stunt-work, and creature effects that aren't usually attempted in indie films of similar budgets. However, Bishop, Eikoff and company handle it all extremely well. The stunts themselves remind one of Robert Rodriguez, one of Bishop's major filmmaking influences. The audience at the screening that I attended was aflutter with gasps and cheers at some of the kinetic action sequences.

Bishop clearly shows a deft hand at directing action and he put together a very good cast to carry the ambitious storyline through to fruition. Local actors Poncho Hodges, Stephen Caudill and Chris Burns shine as they join lead actor Nathan Mobley and Cory Rouse—who also starred in Voodoo—for the wild ride.

Bishop plans to make many more films in Georgia, including, tentatively, a sequel (or two) to The Other Side. But his next project also keeps him in the horror fold.

"I'm attached to direct a cool horror-adventure film called Dance of the Dead, which was written by Joe Ballarini (The Blob)," Bishop said.

Martin Kelley is a local screenwriter and filmmaker. He is a co-founder and co-president of the Atlanta Screenwriters Group. Martin's screenwriting credits include "Loaded Dice," "Behind the Nine" (Echelon Entertainment) and "Vicious" (M.T.I. Home Entertainment).

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Actors Stephen Caudill and Samantha Worthen look for another place to promote The Other Side in Park City. (photo: Dan Slemons)

Cory Rouse, who stars as Mally, bundles up in the cold Utah air. (photo: Dan Slemons)

Poncho Hodges and Chris Burns do an interview for Starz. (photo: Dan Slemons)

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