From Grand Rapids to Duluth: The Journey of Minne Movies
Photo courtesy of Minne Movies
For UMD student Reid LaRoque, movies and filmmaking are an essential part of his life. The fourth-year psychology major and film studies minor is also one of the founding members of the group called Minne Movies. LaRoque and four of his high school friends started Minne Movies in 2015 in their hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
The group decided to make short films and comedic skits that are, as their YouTube channel states, “too extraordinary for an ordinary audience.” They continued creating content as they went off to college and as of right now have made around 7-8 short films that range from 10-40 minutes.
To get a sense of the types of stories they create, one of the first videos they made was titled “Billy and Margaret,” which is a redneck parody of “Romeo & Juliet.” They’ve worked with many different genres, but one storyline they’ve dedicated the most time to is the “Treat to Sweet” franchise. This Halloween-based trilogy of films started out with two short films: “Treat to Sweet” and its sequel titled “A Treat Even Sweeter.” The concluding chapter of the trilogy, “The Sweetest Treat,” came out in October of 2021 and was the group's first feature film, coming in at about an hour and 40 minutes. LaRoque summed up the film’s plot in a simple manner.
“Luke and Cody after years of failing to get a king-sized candy from an old man, journey to hell and back… going on an adventure to end the old man,” LaRoque said., What more could you ask for to get you in the Halloween spirit?
For LaRoque, making these films is a fun experience that allows him to get attached to the characters that he’s playing. It’s fun for him to look back at these films, and the group has even gained a cult following in their hometown of Grand Rapids. LaRoque enjoys this process because it helps to take his mind off of some of the nasty moments in life. It provides him with a distraction, as he can put himself into a short film and create something positive for other people to enjoy. It’s also been a great outlet for the group to work on during the uncertain times of the pandemic.
“I don’t like sitting dormant,” LaRoque said. The group doubled their number of videos last year due to classes being mainly online.
When talking about people interested in filmmaking, but maybe not sure how to start, LaRoque says: “There’s no right or wrong way to do things, Laroque said. “It doesn’t matter how small or large it is… as long as you have a vision, a camera and something to film, then you’re good.”
The next project on the docket for the group is called Timothy’s Eggs, which will be an eight episode collection of one-minute abstract pieces. The group was inspired by David Lynch’s unique style of filmmaking.
“I like being forced into the weird artistic phase,” LaRoque said.
The group has already started planning out elements of the stories and look to start filming in the next few weeks. All of the group’s other short films, movie reviews and skits can be viewed on their YouTube channel titled Minne Movies. They are always looking for other people that enjoy making films to help out with their projects or gain experience in filmmaking.
Minne Movies is something that LaRoque always wants to revisit, no matter where he’s at in his life.
“Whenever I get the spark to put something together, it’ll always continue… it’ll always come back,” LaRoque said.