Filmmaker shoots a filmmaker's crime
First foray into filmmaking covers true story of woman's murder
Sunday, August 07, 2005
By Li Wang, The Associated Press
ENOLA, Pa. AP -- Cracking into the movie business often requires taking big risks.

Sean Gaston, of Ephrata, has taken his fair share.

The filmmaker appeared in a movie produced by someone who would later be convicted of murder. Then he tried to approach the victim's family for interviews to make his own documentary about the case.

The documentary, "Rough Cut," a collaborative effort by co-writer Gaston, director/writer/producer Todd Klick and cinematographer Jim Hollenbaugh, focuses on the circumstances that led to the Jan. 10, 2003, murder of East Pennsboro Township's Randi Trimble. It premiered July 23 at the Allen Theatre in Annville.

The documentary chronicles the murder of Trimble, who was stabbed to death in a hit set up by her husband, Brian, and his friend Blaine Norris. The men were upset with her for interfering with their plans to make a horror film; both are serving life terms.

According to testimony, the idea was to kill Randi Trimble and use the money from her life insurance policy to fund Norris' movie project. Norris stabbed Randi Trimble 27 times while Brian Trimble tried to establish an alibi by dining in Elizabethtown.

Promotional materials for the film say "'Rough Cut' explores the twisted tale of two young filmmakers who had the dream of making a horror movie ... and the bizarre events that followed."

The filmmakers insist that the film serves as a reminder of the tragedy and does not glorify the killers. The documentary includes interviews, police evidence, photographs, re-enactments and key past footage -- behind-the-scenes video of the making of Norris' horror project "Through Hike: A Ghost Story."

"Right when I read about the story, I thought to myself, 'Someone should document this,' " Klick, of Mount Gretna, said in a recent interview. "As soon as I knew I had Sean aboard, I knew we had a film that could be made."

Klick believes the Trimble murder would have received more public attention if the media had not been fixated on the Laci Peterson story. The only national outlet to cover the Trimble case was Court TV, he said.

Fortunately for Klick, also joining the production team were experienced filmmaker Chad Haberstroh, who edited "Rough Cut;" and Hollenbaugh, who was able to use equipment belonging to SR Productions, of Lancaster, where he works as director of photography and editor. Lawyer Todd Shill, Midtown Cinema co-founder, worked as a co-producer and did the legal work.

"Rough Cut" has been entered in the Independent Feature Project convention, a platform for filmmakers to connect with buyers, and the team plans to enter it in the major film festivals.

"I had always been intrigued by the case," Hollenbaugh said. "But as I started filming these interviews I realized how intense and devastating the situation is. It was hard to stay composed and pay attention to getting the right shot."

Earning the cooperation of Randi Trimble's mother, Nancy Chavez, and the rest of her family was the key to making the documentary. The filmmakers met with family members for 2 1/2 hours at the Sierra Madre Saloon in Hampden on June 28, 2004.

They grilled Gaston on his involvement with Norris' project but became convinced that the production team had good intentions for their project, Klick said. Chavez's involvement in the film persuaded others, such as lead detectives Lester Freehling and Kurt Voggenreiter, as well as Cumberland County District Attorney Skip Ebert, to grant interviews.

The 90-minute film, which took about a year and half to make, was edited from more than 3,200 minutes of footage and was especially difficult because members of the principal team all have full-time jobs.

The result was worth the effort, Gaston said., who added, "After hearing the detectives talk about what happened during the night of the crime, and then hearing Nancy and [Randi Trimble's uncle] Mike [Wilson] describe the events as if someone had dropped a nuclear bomb in the middle of their family, you really see the real story unfold in the film."

First published on August 7, 2005 at 12:00 am
Li Wang writes for The (Harrisburg) Patriot-News.