A Toledo filmmaker and his equally talented accomplice are in lockstep as they embark on the heavy lifting needed to bring a creative vision to the screen.
And this isn’t simply a side project designed to sate the creative urges of a few bored artists. The documentary-style film, Along the Road: The Life and Times of Fulton Williams, is engineered to tell a compelling tale of hope, loss, regret and song.
Toledo creatives Michael Cullen and Ryan Roth are collaborating to shoot and produce the film. It tells the story of an accomplished Toledo musician on the cusp of national recognition before he suddenly and oddly disappears and is presumed dead. Cullen directs while Roth, an accomplished musician and writer, acts.
Genesis
The story is based on Roth and his father, Britt, who passed away in 2000. Britt Roth used the name Fulton Williams in his writing and musical career, a pseudonym that combines the county names of Fulton and Williams, an area Britt called home.
According to Cullen, the film picks up 20 years after Fulton Williams’ disappearance.
“The main idea is to tell the story of a man bound for greatness who never made it, and to tell how much each of us matters in the lives of those around us,” Cullen said. “Kind of like how we see what George Bailey meant to his friends and family in It’s A Wonderful Life.
“I just think this is something we can all relate to. What will we leave behind, and how did our life, and us being there, matter to others?” he said.
Down Along The Road began as a short film project more than 10 years ago, when Cullen attended the University of Toledo.
Mothballed over the years, it was recently resurrected when Cullen and Roth reconnected to tackle the film.
Funding
Cullen recently capped a crowdfunding campaign that earned $1,394 of the project’s $2,500 goal.
Passion projects like this take planning, money and time—and they also rely on community involvement to become reality. Cullen said he estimates that upward of 40 actors will be needed to complete the cast, many of whom will be local musicians and artists.
For Cullen, the film is the ideal vehicle to not only tell this multi-layered, compelling story, but to showcase the work of area artists.
“I hope that this film will help the world see the great local music scene we have in the Glass City,” Cullen said.
“I hope it gives the musicians involved some exposure out of Toledo, as well as to wake up more Toledoans to the great entertainment they have right in their backyard.”
Cullen and Roth are currently seeking talent for “Down Along the Road: The Life and Times of
Fulton Williams.” Interested parties can contact Cullen at facebook.com/DownAlongTheRoad.
