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Bill Ross is convinced his brother Turner Ross tricked him into picking Magdalena as the location for their seventh official feature, but he’s not mad about it.
“He wanted to give me options to make it seem like it was a decision.” Bill said with a grin.
Turner, who began visiting Magdalena over twenty years ago on his trips between New Orleans and Los Angeles, described the village as a safe haven that he kept returning to in his mind.
When the film-making brothers decided to embark on their next independent film, they toured a dozen small towns in New Mexico in search of a location, but Bill knew he was being set up by Turner.
Turner admitted that Magdalena was the location where the story started to live in his imagination; however, he wasn’t sure how the village had fared post-COVID-19.
Bill remembers coming into town around 11 a.m., and Turner suggested they see if the Golden Spur was open.
“So I open the door, and Camille and Mary Jean are in there, and they’re the most welcoming people,” Bill said.
He was struck by how friendly and talkative everyone they met that day was. He noticed that everyone hugged when they entered the Spur.
“I was sold from the beginning,” Bill said.
The brothers agreed that the village’s unique character—its mix of people, their interactions, and the sense of community—perfectly matched the story they wanted to tell, particularly how everyone seemed to connect regardless of their differences.
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“(Turner) always thought this place was incredible, and so when we started thinking about this story, he was like, this feels like it wants to take place here,” Bill said.
Not Hollywood
The brothers described their newest film project as a fictional, contemporary story set in a small town named Edge City. It follows multiple characters’ intertwining lives leading up to a big event—a patriotic train stop. The film explores themes of community, external promises, and how people respond to potential “renewal” and outside influences.
“This is not Hollywood, this is an independent film, very low profile. We’re interested in engaging with the community and incorporating as much of that as possible,” Turner said.” It’s a bunch of intertwining lives and stories in a small town on the edge of the desert leading up to a big event.”
They said their film is not a documentary or a fictional movie about Magdalena, it’s not a period piece or a political piece, but the narrative aims to show how people choose community and find meaning in their existing connections.
“It’s really a story about people, from a little girl to an older woman who runs a saloon and the end of a marriage, the beginning of a love. There are two friends who are oddballs, who belong together, who love each other very much,” Turner said, “in the end, most everyone chooses community. We don’t need somebody else to make us important. Like, we have everything we need here. And that’s the revelation for the majority.”
Bill said that like most of their movies, he doesn’t feel the synopsis ever does justice to the final production.
The duo have created a structure in their filming process that allows for communal creativity.
“What is on page is usually the least interesting thing that happens, and the best stuff always comes unscripted,” Turner said.
With a focus on regional talent and diversity, the brothers selected many first-time actors from Roswell, Albuquerque, the Navajo reservation, Kentucky and California. Turner’s own daughter will also be in the film.
The two also emphasized their excitement about collaborating with local businesses and spending their film budget in the village. They hope to meet Matt Middleton, who produced the “Way Out There” documentary in Magdalena, calling themselves fanboys of the film.
A call for locals
The brothers are hoping to gather around 100 people for a Fourth of July-themed scene at the Magdalena Rodeo Grounds on Saturday, June 28th, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. They encourage everyone to come out and be part of the scene.
The filming will take place during Magdalena’s Frontier Festival and they expect 50 crew and cast members to be in the village by that time.
They said the scene will include a “train” but warned that it might appear underwhelming. They will have a flatbed trailer with a cut-out train silhouette casting a shadow of a train, complete with a smoke machine.
“So it’ll look silly if you see it. People coming down might be like, 'What?'” Bill said. “Then when they see the film, they’ll be like ‘Aha’.”
Bill and Tuner said they are grateful to be in Magdalena for this project and have enjoyed the continued support and relationships they’ve made.
“We’re just really happy to be here,” Turner said.
Bill and Turner Ross, known as The Ross Bros, originally from Ohio but have made their home in New Orleans have been making films together for over thirty years.
To access some of their past films visit rossbros.net
For those interested involunteering in the movie background:
When: June 28th, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Where: Magdalena Rodeo Grounds
Dress: Fourth of July theme (not required)
