SAN ANGELO STANDARD TIMES - 08.04.00 Former San Angeloans' film debuts - Staff report "Radio Free Steve," an independent film with San Angelo ties, premiered last weekend in Austin. The film is the product of teamwork by four former Central High School students: Ryan Junell, Jules Beesley, Wade Beesley and Amy Raymond. The foursome formed their own production company, UGH films. The film, a music-filled romp of a road movie, draws on the experiences each of the filmmakers has had in the entertainment business. Jules Beesley has worked with various people in independent films and has worked in the film industry in Los Angeles. He now lives in San Francisco. Raymond has acted in independent films, along with acting for a time in England and Austin before moving to Los Angeles. Wade Beesley, who owns and operates Mojo's Daily Grind coffeehouse in Austin, handled the soundtrack for the film. Mojo's has made a few appearances on MTV. Junell is a Web designer in San Francisco. When he purchased a digital video camera, the journey began. "We're having a ball. We each have our talents and gifts," Wade Beesley said last year while the movie was being filmed. "Everyone concentrates on their own talents and we all feed off each other." "Radio Free Steve" was written and directed by Jules Beesley. Executive directors were Wade Beesley and the brothers' father, Hampton Beesley of San Angelo. Raymond produced the film and had an acting role. Junell is the lead character, and was touted by the rest of the group as a "very talented, improvisational actor." The film began in March 1999, when Jules Beesley visited Junell and the two of them shot a short Web design farce, in which Raymond acted, with Junell's digital video camera. The camera is a fairly new, relatively inexpensive way to shoot films. It helped the foursome keep production costs low and enabled them to edit the film on personal computers. Wade Beesley calls the new technology filmmaking for the masses. "Radio Free Steve" is an '80s post-apocalyptic road trip movie featuring an Austin radio deejay named Steve, who dreams of being a veejay. Steve heads for Los Angeles, doing a pirate radio broadcast out of his old van and shooting a movie along the way. Steve's movie is in part a poorly organized "Mad Max" ripoff and part a documentary of the spontaneous road trip. "Radio Free Steve" is actually the movie Steve set out to make when he and three friends raced off across the American Southwest, through West Texas, Sante Fe and the Nevada deserts. The filmmakers may have the movie make the rounds of film festivals next year, which would be the precursor of any distribution deal. In the meantime, more information about the film is available on the Internet at www.radiofreesteve.com. Raymond is the daughter of Jim and Julie Raymond, Junell is the son of State Rep. Rob and Beverly Junell, and Jules and Wade Beesley are the sons of W. Hampton and Bonnie Beesley. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unless otherwise stated, all material is copyright of the San Angelo Standard-Times. E-mail comments to standard@texaswest.com