Filmmaker accesses Hollywood

Lauren Masters

Four years ago, Bryan Goldsworthy took a look at his life as an

assistant at “Access Hollywood” and decided to change it.

The La Crescenta native wanted to make a movie -- not a

revolutionary idea in Hollywood, he knows -- but unlike so many

others, the freshman director and producer finished his project. It

wasn’t easy, though. He had to take almost a year off between

filming the first and second halves of the movie.

“Searching for Wooden Watermelons,” a story set in rural Texas

about a woman torn between a commitment to herself versus her family,

hit Blockbuster stores last week in Glendale.

“It’s been four years of ups and downs, just a roller coaster,”

Goldsworthy said. “This movie is a follow-your-dreams movie and

that’s what we did. We followed our dreams and now we hope it pays

off.”

His journey started when he met Wendy English at “Access

Hollywood.”

He and the Texas native also happened to live at the same

apartment complex in Burbank, and one night they sat outside

together, discussing their careers and comparing them to people they

admired.

“We were discussing careers we aspire to, people who really made a

name for themselves by following their own dreams and making their

own fate,” Goldsworthy said. “Hollywood doesn’t give you a job unless

you prove yourself. Wendy had a script so we said, ‘Why don’t we go

out and shoot it? Let’s give it a try and do it.’ We set a date, and

we just did it.”

English’s script told the story of Jude Farnie, a 25-year-old

woman who embodies many of English’s own characteristics. Part

personal, part fiction, the story follows Jude as she tries to leave

her hometown while keeping those ties intact.

“I wanted to write a story to inspire people to follow their

dreams and not be afraid,” English said. “It’s based on my struggle

to leave my hometown. I took a leap of faith and it worked out fine.

I want to inspire people to follow whatever they want to do.”

After cashing in two savings bonds, taking out a loan for $20,000,

maxing out credit cards and selling English’s wedding ring,

Goldsworthy and English had $40,000 and began filming in Texas.

Taking two weeks of vacation from “Access Hollywood,” Goldsworthy

shot the first half of the movie. Vacation days gone, he waited

another year before rounding up the cast in La Crescenta and

finishing the film.

A year later, after editing, Goldsworthy sent the film off to film

festivals before selling the home-video rights.

At the 2003 Method Fest film festival in Burbank, “Searching for

Wooden Watermelons” took the Audience Award for Best Feature.

“We did a movie that does well in middle America,” Goldsworthy

said. “A lot of outlets have tried to show independent films with

edgy stuff, but we wanted to prove there was a place for family

fare.”

The success of the film has left Goldsworthy ready for more.

“Wendy’s writing a script right now, and the next one we hope is

more Sundance [Film Festival] material,” he said. “This was our first

film. Then you go out and shoot the second film better and the second

film opens the door. Hopefully, next year we’ll have a film, and if

not, maybe the year after that.”