Brett Eichenberger of Portland, who has filmed here before, plans to shoot scenes Aug. 3-5 for his latest project

An independent feature film starts filming in Baker City in August.

Portland director Brett Eichenberger has used Baker City in several

of his films. The most recent was a production called “What It Means To

Be A Cowboy” and featured local carriage driver Ron Colton.

Another of Eichenberger’s films, called “Leeward Tide,” was filmed at the Leo Adler House on Main Street.

“Leeward Tide” is a turn-of-the-century set independent film which

played at several film festivals and won several awards around the

world.

“One reason we come to the area is that the people have been very

welcoming. This has been our home-away-from-home,” Eichenberger said.

Which is why he chose to film his next production, “Light of Mine,” in Baker City and utilize many local stores as a backdrop.

The story is about a photographer who, after he begins to lose his

sight, decides to take one last trip to Yellowstone National Forest.

Jill Remensnyder, also of Portland and the film’s producer and

writer, said the story is about a race against time for the

photographer and was inspired by thousands of jobs lost during the

recession.

“The story brings out the character. People can relate to this on so many levels,” she said. “When everything is at its worst, people can really endure.”

Eichenberger said the story is a modern day story of perseverance.

“It’s about triumph of will; enduring spirit,” he said. “It’s kind of an experiment to a certain extent, it’s non-traditional film making.”

What makes the filming different from most productions is that the concept of what they were planning to film was open-ended.

Remensnyder said Baker City offers so much in the way of backdrops that different film locations should not be overlooked.

“We’re taking a different approach. If something catches our eye we will look into that for filming,” she said.

The film will star Rebecca Sanborn and Ji Tanzer, a pair of Portland musicians who have performed around the world

In addition to filming here (and in Portland), the producer and director are looking to Baker County for actors and actresses to play other roles.

“We would like some people who have some experience acting in theater, radio or TV,” Remensnyder said.

She also said they are searching for locations. She is interested in locally owned pawn shops or thrift stores, diners, mini-marts, cafes or coffee shops and a gas station.

One specific location Eichenberger said he would like to use is the Oregon Trail Restaurant.

Anyone interested in acting or who would like their business to be in the film can e-mail Jill Remensnyder at jill.lightofmine@gmail.com.

Filming will begin in Portland at the end of July. The crew will be in Baker City on Aug. 2 and filming will start on Aug. 3 and continue through Aug. 5.