To look at him, Jonathon Kimble just looks like he has his life in order. He relaxes while sitting, and speaks in a slow, measured drawl. Kimble, is a Toledo native and Maumee Valley graduate, and at just age 25, is one of the most accomplished filmmakers in Toledo, even though neither of his two feature-length films have received nationwide distribution. Kimble first directed Gibsonburg, an independent sports-drama, which was released on June 7 this year, and he has already finished his second feature, By Demons be Driven. A moody crime thriller that luxuriates in its own darkness, By Demons be Driven screens privately at Maumee Indoor Theater on July 17.
Kimble is a born film junkie, the kind of guy who will watch and rewatch a movie until it is memorized. "People can't even be in a car with me because I will listen to a song over and over. I want to know every nook and cranny," Kimble said. He knows, by his own estimation, almost every line of dialog in Jurassic Park, the film that whet his appetite for cinema. Artistic eyes and a technological mind run in his family—Jon’s father, Jeff, is the CEO of local Ad agency Communica. Jon recieved his first video camera at age 12. "Even when I was very young I was mindful of having great sensibilities. I am interested in intensity and high drama."
Kimble graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2011, and immediately drove to Columbus to work on Gibsonburg, a Hoosiers-style sports movie, as a cinematographer. "We came into this situation that was a nightmare." Kimble said. "I don't want to call it a mutiny, but a lot of people were wondering what they were doing and ready to leave this thing behind." Kimble assumed the director's chair and finished the film for around $120,000, small by Hollywood standards, but the largest sum Kimble had ever worked with. Still, he says he could have made the film for half that amount.
By Kimble's estimation, Gibsonburg "Asked no questions and pushed no buttons." He opted to do both with By Demons Be Driven, which he shot locally and in Columbus. Kimble said, "we wanted to do our small crime movie," the same sort of films that Christopher Nolan and Martin Scorsese started with. Kimble shot his film with surplus equipment from, and most of the same cast as, Gibsonburg. His actors worked for free—Kimble said "The only incentive I had was 'you're going to really like doing this'."
The result is a brash film, that feels like a major production, not something made for a shoestring budget or as a hobby. "I wanted to make something intense because this was us screaming for attention. You had to watch the first five minutes and then want to keep going. It couldn't be a slow burn, it had to come sprinting out of the gate, every aspect of it."
Visually, the film evokes film noir and horror classics—it's washed in deep blacks and brilliant reds. Kimble thinks shooting the film partially in Toledo added to its visual flair. "The best part about Toledo, which people don't take advantage of, is, no, you're not going to get a skyline shot of Chicago, but people are so excited by the idea of doing a film here." Toledoans make art happen, in other words. Kimble partnered successfully with several local businesses, such as the Registry Bistro, using them as sets. "They were so excited about accommodating that as long as we weren't taking away from their business," Kimble said. One of the takeaway scenes in By Demons be Driven was shot on the roof of The Blarney during fireworks display after a Mud Hens game at 5/3 Field.
After its private premiere, Kimble plans to shop By Demons Be Driven to film festivals across the country. “Being a film from Ohio makes that more challenging because you have to do more to prove that you have a following and legitimate support.” Kimble said. “The project really is meant to be more of an audition for us.” If all goes well, Kimble will screen the film in Toledo to wider audiences—hopefully after screening it at a festival. “Getting it shown at festivals where industry people are is our main goal right now,” Kimble said.
