Shooting El Morro

‘It’s the whole lifestyle here. You didn’t have to be a millionaire to live by the beach,’ says the director of a film about the residential village.A producer and a director trade thoughts about their storyboard inside trailer No. 180. (That’s an address, not a Hollywood dressing room.)

They step onto a porch and look down the hillside, discussing ways to raise money for their film.

“Look at the view,” said Ron Pastucha, quickly transitioning into nostalgia mode. “It’s the whole lifestyle here. You didn’t have to be a millionaire to live by the beach.

“The American landscape is changing,” Pastucha said. “If Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda rode their bikes, this is the only place around here they’d stop.”

Pastucha, 42, has lived in El Morro Village for less than a year. During that time, the drama playing out between residents and the state has been fit for a made-for-television movie.

But Pastucha has loftier aspirations. He is interested in capturing the spirit of El Morro in a 45-minute documentary under the working title, “The End of Summer: The Last Days of El Morro.”

“It’s the end of summer for people here,” said Pastucha, who plans to stay in the village until he and others are kicked out in March. “The end of a unique place.”

He and friend Lynn Hackman, co-founders of Upwardly Mobile Productions, are in the beginning stages of shooting the film. Hackman, who is the producer, said she hopes to have it ready in time for the Newport Beach Film Festival.

The first step is finding interview subjects. Hackman and Pastucha have distributed fliers around the village and at nearby centers in search of El Morro residents, both past and present, interested in sharing their stories.

Pastucha, the film’s director, said that, for visual effect, he is planning to shoot each interview in front of a trailer or empty lot around sunset. Filming is scheduled for Dec. 8 to 11 and 15 to 18. He said he hopes to wrap on-camera work by the end of the month.

For most of his career, Pastucha has been a painter. The Canadian native previously lived in Laguna Beach as an artist in residence at Seven-Degrees studio.

An injury to his painting hand forced Pastucha into intensive care for two weeks in April. He decided to take a break from painting and get back to film -- he was a set designer for the movie “Titanic” and has worked on other short projects.

Both Pastucha and Hackman decided early on that they didn’t want the film to have political undertones.

“What’s done is done,” Hackman said. “We want to stay focused on the stories.”

While recuperating from his injury, Pastucha is living as a guest of the Valdez family, which owns Seven-Degrees as well as two trailers in El Morro.

Pastucha said in his short time as a resident, he has discovered the nuances and charms of the village. He said what connected many residents was a love of surf and an interest in community.

The film will feature prominently Rob Brennan, who moved out of the village five years ago after 18 years of El Morro residency.

The 41-year-old avid surfer became famous for photographs taken of him atop his roof as he watched the 1993 fires that destroyed El Morro homes. Both Time Magazine and Newsweek featured the photos.

Brennan said when he left El Morro, he had no house keys to turn in because he never locked his doors.

“It’s probably one of the most unique places in the United States,” Brennan said. “This will never be recreated again. I’m glad someone is documenting it.”

Added former El Morro resident Brandy Valdez: “It’s too bad someone like Ron hadn’t been there before to show how life is.”

Pastucha said he is saddened every time he sees an empty lot in the village.

“The trailers are gone and soon too will be the story,” he said. “It’s the passing of a romantic ideal of what California used to be.”

Those interested in contacting the filmmakers should call (949) 723-1352 or e-mail lhackman@adelphia.net. 20051209iqsoa0knDON LEACH / COASTLINE PILOT(LA)Ron Pastucha and Lynn Hackmann look at a storyboard of still photographs for their documentary on El Morro Village.