Local scene : 'Lightbulb' will be on in Phoenix

The 63-year-old University of Arizona grad teaches English and government at Aztec Middle College, an alternative school within the Tucson Unified School District.

He's also moonlighted for decades as a location manager.

"I think Tucson has a bit of a stereotype as just a place to shoot Westerns," Flood said. "But we're a metropolis with a diversity of locations, with Downtown barrios, golf courses and desert."

Flood found the locations for "Lightbulb," which was filmed here in early 2007 and will compete at the Phoenix Film Festival this weekend.

The ninth annual festival, which is Phoenix's answer to Sundance, hosts Virginia Madsen and Bill Engvall, who will appear with films.

Flood will be there, cheering on the movie he says is a showcase for Tucson's beauty. The soundtrack is by Tucson music icon Howe Gelb.

"Lightbulb," directed by Jeff Balsmeyer ("Danny Deckchair"), is a quirky comedy about an inventor and a salesman who come up with a doodad that brings them fame. It screens at the Harkins Cine Capri in Phoenix at 7 p.m. Friday, 11:45 a.m. Saturday and 11:25 a.m. Sunday.

Flood has dabbled in the industry since the 1970s. He was a production assistant on small projects in the Los Angeles area before he became a teacher and moved to Tucson in 1984.

"I got burned out on the L.A. scene and wanted something more stable," Flood said. He and wife, Tryshe, have three grown sons.

Flood said he learned the craft by hanging out on various sets and observing what location managers did. Once he had a working knowledge of the business, he said, "I started putting myself out there."

Flood gets called by movie producers, commercial directors and still photographers. He breaks down scripts, storyboards and shot lists, then travels Southern Arizona to take pictures of places he thinks might work. With "Lightbulb," he also tracked down the property owners, coordinated shooting schedules and worked out contracts.

Flood has scouted locations for "The Sopranos" and "Three Kings" and commercials for Mercedes, McDonald's, Chevy and Tommy Hilfiger.

Flood says he wants to retire from teaching in three or four years to devote his time to writing and filmmaking. He plans to work on a film with Mike Cram, who wrote and produced "Lightbulb."

Last year, Flood self-published his first book, a collection of short stories called "Dreams of a Ball in Flight: Stories From the Bottom of the Cup." He promotes his book and solicits work through his Web site, dreamsofaballinflight.com.

How do you find film work?

"Like a lot of teachers, I subsidize my income with moonlighting on weekends and summers. I advertise myself through the Tucson Film Commission and the Arizona Production Association."

How did you get hired on "Lightbulb?"

"Mike (Cram) got my name from the APA and called me August three years ago. He told me he was making this movie and he needed to find a place to shoot it. The story was set in the Pacific Northwest but he didn't want to shoot it there for a variety of reasons and thought Tucson might have a good look. . . . I really encouraged him that Tucson was the right place to shoot the movie. He came down and fell in love with Tucson, so we put together the locations and matched them to the script."

What was the shoot like?

"We had 26 locations in a 24-day shoot. After we nailed down all the contracts — a couple of the locations were public — we shot the movie and I was in charge of other big aspects, the logistics. Each day of the shoot I had to make sure there was parking for 30 vehicles, five big trucks, cops and security at night."

What do you think of the movie?

"It's a neat little film and I'm a fan of it. It's also a really good showcase for Tucson."

What parts of town will we recognize in the film?

"The desert west of Tucson stands out. The Downtown highrise — the Bank of America building — there's a scene shot in an office way up high that makes Tucson look really great out the window. There are a shots from a mountain of Downtown. We also shot at (Casino Del Sol), the Tucson Greyhound Park . . . Bay Horse Tavern, Hacienda del Sol and the Skyline Country Club."

Is "Lightbulb" one of the best projects you've worked on?

"In a sense. It's an independent film, and I love independent film. It's not in any way sponsored by the big boys. I really enjoyed working on this, taking (Cram's) vision and turning it into reality. Almost everything else I've worked on involved a larger corporate entity one way or another. I'm really enamored with true independent film projects."

When will Tucsonans get to see the movie?

"Mike still hasn't sold it. He made it into 10 festivals this spring, which is a really good sign for him. Hopefully, we have the chance to see it in theaters by fall."

• What: Phoenix Film Festival, with 140 films fro 14 countries

• When: Today through April 9.

• Where: Harkins Cine Capri, 7000 E. Mayo Blvd., at Scottsdale Road and the Loop 101.

• Admission: $10 individual screenings; $40 for opening night event; $150 festival passes.

• Online: phoenixfilmfestival.org/pages