PORTLAND, Maine — CJ Howey, a 27-year-old filmmaker from Portland, recently put the final touches on his first full-length movie, an action thriller called “Under the Hood.” It’s about a well-known actor who goes to prison for a crime he didn’t commit and then struggles to get by after being released.
Howey wrote, produced, directed, acted in, and edited the film, all of which was shot in Maine on the tiniest of budgets—a mere $3,000. It’s not fair to compare the two, but just to give you a little perspective: the budget for the fourth season of the TV show “Stranger Things” was reportedly $30 million per episode. With that kind of money, Howey could make 10,000 films. (By the way, full disclosure: Howey is the brother of NEWS CENTER Maine’s Samantha York).
Casting is one area where Howey came up with a way to get the job done for no money.
“This was the first time ever I actually did one of those Google documents where people kind of go on and tell me who they are,” he said. “I would go through [as] they started sending in auditions and that’s really how we got it going.”
Joshua Johnson, a musician who lives in Sanford, was cast in a significant role. Even though he has virtually no acting experience, he projects an unforced menace on screen, a don’t-mess-with-this-dude vibe.
“I guess I just don’t overthink it,” Johnson said of what he brought to the movie. “I go all in. And I love to entertain.”
“Under the Hood” will premiere July 12 at Smitty’s Cinema in Sanford (the show is sold out) and will be screened there again the following day. After that, the hope is the film will be picked up by Amazon.
No matter what happens, the experience of making the movie—and wearing so many hats—has left an indelible imprint on Howey.
“I’m never going back to anything else,” Howey said. “This is what I want to do.”