‘LETTERS HOME’ IS ON PRIME VIDEO, OTHER STREAMING SERVICES
Scott Roberts can barely fathom that the movie he created nearly three decades ago will soon be available to viewers worldwide on streaming channels. But he’s most excited about celebrating his work with what he calls his “most important market”—his hometown of Platte City.
After all, the professional writer and director shot “Letters Home” on location in Platte City where local landmarks and other features are readily recognizable, and local people are the actors who literally bring the piece to life.
Hollywood distributor Buffalo 8 recently picked up the film, securing its release to be on Friday, Jan. 17, on several streaming channels including Prime Video, Fandango at Home and Plex, according to a press release about the film.
Roberts, a 1989 Platte County High School graduate had this reaction: “I can hardly process it,” he said during a telephone interview from his home in New York.
“They (Hollywood distributors) don’t take most…” he said of the competitive field in which Buffalo 8 acts as a “full-service film and media company focused on production, post-production, design and finance” according to the press release. “They’re the real deal,” he said of the company.
The 82-minute comedy-drama follows nine-year-old Scott Singleton as he adjusts to his family’s move to a sleepy Midwestern small town (Platte City) and shows the progression of the nerdy outsider, who had hoped for a warm welcome, but instead is greeted by “suspicious stares,” the release states.
Making matters worse, the main character’s parents are “blissfully oblivious to their son’s angst, his teacher runs her classroom like a drill sergeant, and gym class is a cruel exercise in survival of the fittest,” according to the release.
However, Singleton eventually makes friends and discovers himself after becoming involved in his life’s passion–theatre.
The movie stars Carol Geesey, Penny Porter and Logan Smith, all of Platte City; Mark Vollrath, Greg Kirsch, Victor Hentzen, Hillary Clemens and Chris Arnone.
Classroom scenes feature extras who mostly are Platte City residents, including Logan Smith’s real-life brother, Lee Smith, Roberts said.
Platte City Mayor Steve Hoeger said the film, which he watched via a link supplied by Roberts, described the film as “a great showcase for Platte City,” adding that the film will increase the city’s name recognition in a positive way. “We still have that small town feel,” he said.
Roberts said because the film features buildings and people from the past, it offers “a time capsule effect.”
The original work sat in climate-controlled storage before he resurrected it and cleared several “hoops” in proving its readiness for mass viewing. As The Landmark has previously reported, the film was accepted to be shown in a series of independent film festivals in 2023 and 2024, which required audiences to purchase tickets and, in the vein of movie theatre shows, even offered snacks for sale.
The events were well-attended, which Roberts said boosted his confidence and gave his work recognition. The showings also allowed Roberts to chat with other independent filmmakers, who made suggestions for how his work could be improved. Those conversations prompted him to add narration, using his own voice, which he compared to The Wonder Years, a popular television show (1988 to 1993) which also was narrated.
Like the TV show, he used a “freeze frame” approach by stopping the action and elaborating or giving background to the scenes, often making comical remarks, he said.
Roberts, who was born in Independence and raised in Platte City, co-produced the film with his brother, Paul Roberts through Scott’s production company, Miehana Pictures. The brothers recorded their work on 40 rolls of 16 mm film, which gives the piece a “true vintage look.”
By waiting, Roberts made use of modern technology not available when he first created the film, such as sound mixing and color, which would have required costly equipment, but today are available via computer technology. Roberts estimates he spent about $100,000 creating the film, using his own savings and money he solicited from family and friends.
“I pored every last cent and then some into this film,” he said. That amount is considered “low-budget” in Hollywood terms.
“Hollywood would have made that same film, called it low-budget and spent $10 million,” he said.
Early work on the film took place following college (he earned a Bachelor of Arts in theatre from the University of California in Los Angeles.)
Hollywood rarely takes a chance on independent films which usually are packed with touching, funny stories, said Roberts. He recommends attending area film festivals to support local film makers and to watch quality pieces, most of which never will be available in theatres.
His past projects include The Raven and the Gypsy, which has been available on Amazon for the past 10 years and a music video, Heaven, which is available on YouTube. Instead, Hollywood- produced movies tend to be “safe bets,” such as sequels of earlier movie successes.
When asked about the best-case scenario for the film, Roberts said it would be great if it could become a classic like The Blair Witch Project, another independent film festival piece now famous, which was first shown in 1999. He can only hope and dream that algorithms used to track the number of views his film gets prove it’s popular with viewers.
At least for now, like all independent filmmakers, Roberts said he supports his creative ventures by working a day job in informational technology. He said the idea that creatives make “money doing their art is a myth.” But “any well-made film has that (Blair Witch Project) potential, “ he said. “All it takes is luck and heart and people talking about it.”
