By DONNA BALANCIA
A new documentary film called “The Ventures: Stars on Guitars,” has finally come to the big screen.
The documentary tells the story of one of the world’s most beloved bands, The Ventures, who made a significant contribution to the surf music genre.
The film is the pet project of writer-director Staci Layne Wilson, whose previous works include the horror-thriller genre films “The Night Plays Tricks,” “Psycho Therapy,” and “Cabaret of the Dead.”
“I’ve written and directed quite a few movies, but this is my first documentary and it is truly the hardest but — hopefully — the most rewarding thing I have ever done,” Wilson said. “Sorting through the maze of music rights alone is enough to turn Mother Theresa into the Tasmanian Devil.
“When making a narrative film, you have a script to follow and a fictional story that won’t step on anybody’s toes,” she said. “But documentaries are about real people. They grow and stretch and morph as they’re being filmed, always changing shape until the final edit.”
The doc has a special meaning to the writer-director. She is the daughter of Don Wilson, original member and co-founder of The Ventures.
“The Ventures: Stars On Guitars” features interviews with some music business heavy-hitters including Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin; Jeff “Skunk” Baxter of Steely Dan; Lalo Schifrin, the Academy Award-winning composer of the “Mission Impossible” theme; John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival; Billy Bob Thornton of The Boxmasters; Josie Cotton, Liz Brasher, The Surfrajettes, The Neptunas, and Ruiko of The Whys.
Others who contributed to the film include Seymour Duncan, premier pickup-maker, Del Casher, inventor of the wah-wah pedal, and Pleasant Gehman, the Surfing and Spying album cover model.
The film was to get its first screening over the weekend.
“This is my dad’s story and I am so proud to be able to bring it to the world as a filmmaker,” Wilson said.
