Bryce Gray
The Communicator
A local film director turns a story from his childhood into and award winning film.
Lyle Hatcher was once a boy in spokane diagnosed with what is now known as A.D.D. with his Friend David Dahlke plagued with muscular Dystrophy.
“Different Drummers is an inspirational family movie, a true story from 1965, about an unusual spiritual journey and unlikely friendship: David, wheelchair-bound by muscular dystrophy, is growing progressively weaker, while his friend, Lyle, has a problem with an ever-increasing energy level.
David informs Lyle that their teacher is about to die and claims that God told him. When their teacher does die, a doubtful and confused Lyle convinces David that he can teach him to run, secretly viewing this as a way to test the existence of God.
When Lyle begins to twist the rules in a desperate attempt to give his friend some of his own excess energy, they come face to face with life’s most transcendent and painful truths – and Lyle’s questions are ultimately answered, in a way he never could have imagined” Said Don Caron Writer and co-director of Different Drummers.
This film was shot entirely in Spokane using spokane actors and props bought in spokane
“I knew we would need two things on the micro budget of 1.5 million. First we needed all the help that our home town could offer. Second we knew that we would have our first audience ready to see their cities story” Said Lyle Hatcher who not only played a role in the real life story but also was the writer and co-director for this screen play.
This film won Several Awards from multiple film festivals. At worldfest Huston in 2007 it won the Grand Award for screenplay and then won the Platinum Award in 2013 for the film itself. It also won the Jury award at San Fernando Valley International Film Festival in 2013 and the award of Merit at the Accolade Competition in 2013.
“We began pre-production on September 3, 2012. Principal photography began on October 5, 2012 and was completed on November 24, 2012. We usually shot three or four days a week because the majority of the actors and extras were children and our lead actors needed the long weekends to prepare their lines and rehearse for the next weeks scenes.This was probably one of the smoothest, calmest, best organized movie shoots ever conducted in the history of movie making. Our crew was handpicked from seasoned veterans already in the area, and Lyle Hatcher and I (co-directors) had a very close working relationship with the producer we hired, Marc Dahlstrom” Said Caron.
“Different Drummers is a once in a generation movie. A true story with a real hero. Not a cartoon. Not a comic book.When 200 cast and crew put everything they have into something that inspires to this degree…anything is possible. Different Drummers will make you want to live life with everything you’ve got. Now go do it” Said Hatcher.