Some people may think filmmaking is all glitz and glamor. But Mark Crump would be the first to tell anyone that there’s more to it than that.
Behind the scenes, there’s hard work, long hours and sometimes hazards.
“There are 17 and 18-hour days,” said Crump, an Augustan who has held key behind-the-scenes roles in multiple films shot in the area as well as other locations.
While filming a family-friendly romance in Puerto Rico recently, one of his jobs was to ensure the actors’ safety. During a water scene, Crump was on a paddleboard while the actors were kayaking.
“We heard them say, ‘OK, come back in,’” he said. “They seemed a little frantic as we came back in.”
Once safely back to shore, Crump said another crew member asked him “Didn’t you see that big fin?”
He had not.
The idyllic bay where the scene was shot was also home to sharks.
He also recalls a movie where an ill-trained hair stylist almost caused a lice infestation on set, and there was the time the driver of the truck containing the portable toilets got stuck and when the driver tried to jack knife the truck, they cracked, unleashing a flood of black water that Crump and crew had to clean up.
Crump got his start behind a camera as a journalist. He worked for Morris Communications and its HorseCity.com division for several years. From there, he transitioned to work for a local video company.
Feature filmmaking came into his life when Barbara Zagrodnik of Aiken called him to produce “Drivers’ Ed: Tales from the Street” in 2015. Zagrodnik wrote and directed the piece. Crump’s credits on that film included producer, cinematographer and film editor.
One of his next projects was the 2016 film “Siren,” a horror flick about a bachelor party that “becomes a savage fight for survival when the groomsmen unwittingly unleash a fabled predator,” according to IMDB.com.
“They needed day players,” he said. “I jumped on as an electrician.”
That job was one he wouldn’t want to do again, but he was glad to have had any part of it.
“I had been bitten by it (filmmaking). I wanted to stay in because this is fun,” he said.
He’s had various types of roles — associate producer, line producer and location manager — on multiple films.
“In 2019, I worked on six features,” he said.
One project he assisted with was “The Suicide Squad,” which filmed a few scenes at the former Richmond County Law Enforcement Center on Walton Way.
In 2020, he worked on the film “Awaken,” before the film industry ground to a halt due to the pandemic. Earlier this year, things started getting off the ground again with the filming of “Agent Game” in Augusta. That flick brought Mel Gibson and Dermot Mulroney to the area for shooting.
Crump served as the supervising location manager for that project. He’s also worked on some Netflix programming as the production supervisor for “Escape The Undertaker,” which premiered on streaming network Oct. 5. Another film released this year that Crump worked locations on was “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.”
He returned from New York a couple of weeks ago. There, he worked on a film with actor Billy Zane.
Crump is currently scouting locations in Georgia for another film later this year.
Over the past six years, Augusta’s film industry hasn’t been solely based on one person. Crump said there are a lot of talented and hardworking behind-the-scenes people who make movie magic happen in the area.
When filmmakers come to the area, they need a team already on the ground to make the production happen.
Crump said he owes some thanks to people like Brad Owens, who believed in Augusta film in the beginning, Indie Grip and Amy Bailey, who has produced films in the area. Jennifer Bowen of Film Augusta at the Augusta Convention and Visitors Bureau and Robbie Bennett with the Development Authority of Columbia County have all played key roles.
And Crump has paid it forward, training many people who’ve gone on to get permanent jobs in the television and film industry in Atlanta.
With years of movie experience under his belt, he now gets projects based on his reputation, he said.
Recently, he was contracted for a film because he was recommended to a filmmaker. Crump said he’s never met the person who recommended him for the film.
“It’s all about somebody who knows somebody,” he said.
There aren’t enough projects in Augusta to keep people permanently employed. Some people call the area their home base but travel to the work when nothing’s going on here. Others relocate after being bitten by the film bug, he said.
One thing that would change that would be a soundstage and studio, but no one has come forward with that type of investment.
As for Crump, he doesn’t plan to change much about his career although he said he does have projects of his own he’d like to work on.
“I love it. There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing,” he said.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
