When They Look at Suburbia, What They See Is America

Wasteland, backwater, philistines, yahoos--the epithets still fly when discussion turns to culture in Orange County. But filmmaker Mark Reber thinks that growing up in Santa Ana gave him an edge.

“I grew up in a suburb, which is a lot more like the rest of the States than L.A. is,” says Reber (who lives in Thousand Oaks now). “I think it’s a good background to have. When you’re making films, you make them for people who live in places like [Orange County].

“The big danger is that you can get too esoteric, surround yourself with other people from the industry and forget what appeals to people in the Midwest or outside the big cities. I want to be able to make the kinds of movies that, as a kid, I wanted to go see.”

Reber, 29, is one of a handful of filmmakers raised in or living in the county with work being shown at the second Newport Beach International Film Festival, continuing through Sunday.

His 30-minute “Secret Fears of Jake McDougal” satirizes the media hype that engulfs a 7-year-old boy who is hailed as an emerging Picasso when he exorcises his nightmarish fears on canvas with blood-red and ghost-white paints.

“I was a little bit of a fearful child,” Reber recalls, “and I knew a long time ago that the things that scared me would be a source I’d come back to when I made films.”

Also part of the 13-day, 80-film festival is “Sand Trap,” a quirky thriller by Harris and Erik Done, brothers from Anaheim who share Reber’s appreciation for O.C. (although Harris, too, has moved away and lives in Santa Monica now).

“In L.A.,” says Harris, “everyone’s life is all about film and movies, and you forget in a way about what real life is. That’s why you see so many TV shows based on people in the entertainment business, like ‘Home Improvement.’ ”

Harris says the characters in his film are based loosely on folks he met in and around Anaheim: a sleazebag lawyer, a murderously avaricious, two-timing wife, her conservative-psycho husband.

“There are whacked-out people everywhere. Look at ‘Fargo.’ ” says Harris, who directed and co-wrote “Sand Trap” with Jerry Rapp; brother Erik was co-producer.

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Harris, 33, liked to make Super-8 movies as a kid, studied art at Cal State Fullerton and graduated 10 years ago from USC film school. Since then, he has worked as a cameraman and director of photography for Columbia Pictures. He also has produced and directed music videos.

He wrote the first draft of “Sand Trap” in 1988. Screenwriting “is fun when you’re in a groove,” he says. “The characters just go off and do things on their own while you’re struggling to keep up on the keyboard.”

Reber, who shot most of his film at his own home, fell for the movies when he saw the original “Star Wars” in 1977. “I went immediately to Sears and bought a storage shed and called it my studio. I started right there making animation films. I was very interested in special effects, and my parents held a grand opening for my studio . . . and I showed some of my short films.”

His passion was encouraged at Santa Ana High School, where he helped produce a movie for students about staying in school. He got his film degree from the Pasadena Art Center.

Both Reber, who makes his living directing TV commercials, and Harris Done are making their film-writing and directing debuts at the festival. Their expectations differ. Reber wants to snag a film agent and to “reassure people that I can direct a script I’ve written.” The Done brothers, who already have a foreign distributor, hope to find a domestic one.

What are the odds? Harris, who has attended festivals for years, thinks it all will depend on luck, timing, the quality of their films and the strength of the festival itself.

“Filmmakers often judge a festival by whether they can get their movies sold there,” he says. “Why is Sundance so popular? Because all the agents, studio execs and distributors go with their checkbooks open to find out who is the next big deal.”

* The second Newport Beach International Film Festival runs daily through Sunday. “Secret Fears of Jake McDougal” screens Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Edwards Mesa, 1884 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa ([714] 646-5025) and Friday at 2 p.m. at Planet Hollywood, 1641 W. Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa ([714] 434-7827).

“Sand Trap” screens tonight at 10 at Edwards Mesa; Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. at the Port Theatre, 2905 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Corona del Mar ([714] 673-6260) and Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Captain Blood’s Village Theatre, 1140 N. Tustin Ave., Orange ([714] 538-3545).

Other films with Orange County ties: “Rainbow” (executive producer David L. Snyder, actress Terry Finn), screening Tuesday and Saturday at noon at Captain Blood’s Village Theatre; “Elena’s Redemption” (producer Ray Cuerdo), screening Thursday at 6 p.m. at Captain Blood’s Village Theatre.

Admission is $6.50 except at Planet Hollywood, where it’s free. Information: (714) 424-5320.