Interview: ‘The Canyon’ Director Richard Harrah

Director Richard Harrah couldn’t believe his good fortune when the forestry service gave him and his crew permission to shoot in the Grand Canyon for his first feature film, “The Canyon.” So Harrah began scouting locations for the film, which follows a pair of newlyweds (Eion Bailey, Yvonne Strahovski) who get lost within the grounds of the national landmark.

Two weeks before cameras were to roll, the service revoked all their permits. Harrah and crew scrambled for a Plan B, eventually settling on shooting mostly in Moab, Utah to capture the film’s naturalistic setting.

“It was so much better, with a better infrastructure [for filmmakers],” says Harrah, a native of Sun Valley, Idaho.

Harrah ended up shooting a few scenes, guerilla style, in the Grand Canyon.

(more…)

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Tags: "The Canyon", guerilla filmmaking, Richard Harrah, Will Patton
Posted Oct 29th 2009 at 8:37 am in Film, News | 2546546 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2009/10/29/interview-the-canyon-director-richard-harrah/Interview%3A+%27The+Canyon%27+Director+Richard+Harrah2009-10-29+15%3A37%3A36Christian+Toto

‘The Canyon’: Well-Directed Indie Delivers the Chills

The horror smash “Paranormal Activity” is scaring audiences silly without spilling so much as a spoonful of blood. “The Canyon,” in turn, delivers chills not with supernatural shocks but the very real dangers within the Grand Canyon. Who needs ghosts or goblins when Mother Nature starts acting up?

The new film, enjoying a brief theatrical release before jumping to DVD Nov. 17, doesn’t reinvent the wheel so much as spin said wheel as smoothly as possible for nearly two tense hours. Yuppie newlyweds Lori (Yvonne Strahovski) and Nick (Eion Bailey) want to see the Grand Canyon via mule, but they don’t have the permits necessary to make the trek.

Enter Henry (Will Patton), a grizzled local who promises he can secure two permits and guide them to some of the canyon’s lesser known sites. Nick can’t wait. He’s a city slicker at heart, and a rough and tumble trip through a tourist trap’s hidden side is an intoxicating challenge.

Henry knows the terrain, and has the scars to prove it, but even a savvy outdoors type can’t prepare for everything the canyon has to offer. Disaster soon strikes, leaving the newlyweds at the mercy of their surroundings. (more…)

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Tags: "The Canyon", 'Paranormal Activity', Eion Bailey, Richard Harrah, Steve Allrich
Posted Oct 26th 2009 at 3:10 pm in Reviews | 25307012 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2009/10/26/the-canyon-well-directed-indie-delivers-the-chills/%27The+Canyon%27%3A+Well-Directed+Indie+Delivers+the+Chills2009-10-26+22%3A10%3A13Christian+Toto