Love, Money and a Talking Horse: 'Stroke of Luck' Wraps Up Filming in the Berkshires

Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, things don’t go smoothly, boy turns to talking horse for advice. “Stroke of Luck,” Berkshire County director Christian Frelinghuysen’s latest film, which wrapped on October 18, is a classic romantic-comedy… with a twist.

Although Frelinghuysen was raised in Tucson, Ariz. and attended film school in Los Angeles, he spent many childhood summers in his current home of Stockbridge, Mass., hanging out with his cousins and the horses at his uncle’s Orleton Farm. So when the idea for a new screenplay came to him while he was living in LA, Frelinghuysen knew just where he wanted to film it.

Luckily, his Aunt Mary and Uncle Harvey Waller were open to the idea, and the entire film was shot on the farm and in Lenox locations Betty's Pizza Shack, Bagel & Brew, the town square and other nearby haunts.

“Stroke of Luck” is a departure from Frelinghuysen’s last project, “The Ousting,” a dark comedy short which won entry into 20 film festivals and garnered an honorable mention at LA Indie Fest. Frelinghuysen credits comedy writer/producer Judd Apatow’s work (“Superbad,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Bridesmaids”) for inspiring the tone of his new project. “What I love is how Apatow stays true to his characters and his style throughout all of his films,” he said.

Frelinghuysen chose to make “Stroke of Luck” a full-length film instead of short because he believed the story demanded it. The film’s plot revolves around Nathan, a high school senior who gets expelled after he takes the fall for a prank gone wrong. He’s sent away to work on his father's horse farm in order pay for the damages the prank caused. But Nathan hates horses and his relationship with his father isn’t so great, either. Then he learns the family farm is in jeopardy. To that we add “the girl,” Sarah, and Fritz, a "talking” horse that only Nathan can hear. What we get is a comedic look at socio-economic divides and family relations, and a love story, with some “Superbad”-style plot twists. Frelinghuysen said his film professors always told him to keep it simple and focus on a few complicated characters, but that you also need to “push the limit with comedy and give it a little absurdity.” “I didn’t want it to be too structured and glossy,” he said.

Of course, with a larger project comes a bigger budget and a lot more work. The stakes become much higher. To realize his vision on a grander scale, Frelinghuysen turned to Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative’s Diane Pearlman, who introduced him to a seasoned Hollywood producer, director and writer living right here in the Berkshires.

Mark Farrell, former head of comedy development for the Oxygen Network, helped develop "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and has worked on specials for HBO, Comedy Central, MTV and Showtime with comedians Jim Carrey, Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, Richard Lewis, Bill Hader and many others. Farrell now lives in Monterey, Mass. and was eager to sign on as the film’s producer and assistant director once he spoke to Frelinghuysen on the phone.

“I’ve worked in comedy my whole life, so being on the set of a comedy is like home to me,” Farrell said. “The crew and cast know what they’re doing, they just needed a little glue. A producer is kind of like a wedding planner. Their job is to make sure everyone is happy and the wedding takes place, on time and on budget.”

The film’s co-producers were also locals. Elizabeth Aspenlieder and Michael Burnet of Shakespeare & Company served as the “boots on the ground” for the production, which included 10 principle actors and 21 crew members from Los Angeles and the Berkshires, and up to 30 local extras on any given day. The two were in charge of everything from props, wardrobe and catering to location scouting, publicity and using their Berkshire County connections to find last-minute items such as a pair of police uniforms or a convertible. Burnet also served as stunt coordinator.

“Our crew is much smaller [than a big budget film crew] so everyone wears a lot of hats,” said Farrell. “A $200,000 movie and $2 million dollar movie are still the same length. But when doing it this way, with a smaller budget, there’s a lot more teaching and a lot more learning for everybody.”

Frelinghuysen is thankful for his family and friends who allowed him to shoot on their properties, in their homes and even in their cars; to Shakespeare & Company for being so generous with their props and wardrobe; for his friends who traveled from LA to be a part of the cast and crew; and to the Berkshire County actors and businesses who were willing to help a young filmmaker realize his dream.  

Is the Berkshires slowly becoming a popular shooting location for the film industry, both big and small? We hope so.