A Rip Ride Of A Motion Picture

Motorcycles, a young girl on a quest to find her father, and surfing are just some of the elements of a movie Andrew Bell hopes to make. He’s currently on the first step of that journey: getting the funding to move it along.

“This is sort of a new avenue for me to try to take on something like this,” he said.

Bell is directing and producing what is now dubbed “Rip Ride Motion Picture,” a film with regional locations slated for everywhere from State Pier to southern Rhode Island. He said he and his friends often ride motorcycles to this beach, and that he came up with the idea to base a story on what the life of one of the young women surfing might be like.

According to the project’s Facebook page, the film is set in the present day and follows Sommer, an 18-year-old surfer who sets out on a journey to find her biological father. Bell said the narrative will also trace the struggles of numerous other characters, including bikers Aaron, a veteran returning from Iraq, and Lucas, a street-smart loner.

“It’s a coming of age, seeking the American dream sort of movie,” said Bell.

Bell said about $50,000 has been pledged toward the film, and he hopes to raise about $350,000. He is currently putting out a call to action seeking sponsors, donations, cast and crew, local musicians for a soundtrack, and volunteers. The film is in pre-production, with the goal of finding cast members and raising money over the winter, with production taking place in the spring and wrapping up in time to submit to film festivals.

“A lot of the tough part is dealing with logistics, securing locations permits,” said Bell. “There’s a lot of process that goes in this.”

Bell said he will be shooting a trailer with local actors to lend a visual aspect to the project to aid in fundraising. He said the trailer will be shown at a formal dinner to raise funds, and a motorcycle poker run is also planned to help achieve the production goal.

Bell, an independent producer and director, has over 10 years in video work and is a member of the New London Film Commission, but this is his first attempt to make a full-length feature. He was also the creative director for the film festival at in January. Tom Deedy is writing the script. For more information, contact Bell at andrew@newlondonmedia.com or 860-961-6300.