Take One with Jim Troutman
Story by CINDY REID
Photography by SUSAN DELOACH
Some people look so familiar but yet you just can’t place them. You know you have seen that face but where? In the case of Jim Troutman you may have seen him in Sleepy Hollow, a Belk’s commercial, Royal Pains, Army Wives, or perhaps in Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies. If you missed those, maybe you saw Jim in CBGB as a New York City Police officer, as a parent on Teen Wolf or as a NASCAR official on an ESPN commercial.
Chances are you have seen Jim Troutman in at least one of his many film and television background roles. Since his retirement from the USMC and after ten years as a defense contractor, Jim has been very busy building a lengthy film resume of work in front of and behind the camera.
Jim is originally from Louisville, Kentucky, but grew up in Falls of Rough, a small lake community on the Rough River, where he says, “I wouldn’t have traded growing up there for anything.” Jim joined the Marines in 1977 and his first duty was at Camp Lejeune, NC where he was a basic radio operator. As he recounts, “One day someone asked me ‘do you want to jump out of an airplane?’ and I said yes.”
“I was in the 2nd Force Recon for three years, went to jump school and Navy diver training, and I was deployed a lot.” He continues, “I did enjoy jumping and doing something different. But I always wanted to learn more and that lead me to electronics school.” Jim spent twenty five years in the Marines, specializing in electronics and communications, and has a Bachelor of Science in Business Management.
Jim and his wife Rhonda have called Beaufort home since 1999. Jim says, “The USMC brought me here again almost twenty two years after I went through boot camp on Parris Island. Never would I have thought I would retire here!”
Background Actor
So how does a military electronics and communications expert end up in the film business? Jim says, “Meeting Tom Berenger at the Marine Corps Ball back in 2001 and speaking with him sparked my interest in film. I first did some background work while still in the Marines for a Spielberg project named Semper Fi when they shot the pilot on Parris Island. It never got picked up but it aired as a NBC Sunday night movie. “
Background work, or being a background actor, is industry language for actors who used to be called “extras.” Essentially it is a non-speaking role and the actor appears in the background of a scene. For example, the people seen walking along a busy street scene in a film are all background actors. These roles require a level of skill to portray someone who is not yourself, as well as a professional level of reliability, punctuality and ability to take direction.
Jim continues, “Next I worked in Savannah on The Fugitive with Tim Daly. But then life and work got in the way of my pursuit of learning more about film. It was only after retiring from the Marines and while working as a defense contractor for ten years in Charleston, South Carolina that I got back into working in television and film. In 2009, I was offered to work on a film in North Carolina named One Last Sunset which reignited my interest and I have pursued learning about independent filmmaking ever since.”
He continues, “I have worked on shows such as Sleepy Hollow, Army Wives and the new upcoming CBS Drama Reckless which just finished shooting in Charleston and should air this summer.”
About working as background Jim says, “Doing background work, you never know if you’ll make the cut being seen at all, you might even be a blur. But working as background enabled me to gain access to sets and this was the best way to observe many of the ‘behind the camera’ aspects of filmmaking. I was able to gain an understanding of camera angles and lighting without going to film school.”
Jim says watching and learning from directors on the set has been very educational. He says, “I recently attended a great workshop called Directing Actors with director John Gray, writer and director of The Ghost Whisperer and now the new CBS drama Reckless airing this coming summer. While working on Reckless I was able to watch John directing on set. And I had the pleasure of observing Tyler Perry in action directing Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor while working as background for the production in Atlanta.”
Behind the Camera
As his experience in the film industry increased Jim, found himself turning more and more to the behind the scenes aspect of the productions. He is an Associate Producer for the film Untouched which was filmed in Savannah, which stars Simone Griffeth and Chip Lane. Untouched is the story of a Savannah attorney who must face the darkest event from his past in order to acquit a teenager accused of murder. It has been submitted to several film festivals and is currently in talks to pitch to the Lifetime Network.
Jim is also a Producer for Ticket to Ride, a short comedy film starring Danny Jones which was screened at the Charleston International Film Festival last year. Interested in learning every job in the business, he has helped crew for film projects in various positions including being the Assistant Camera for Accept Not, a SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Signatory film shot in Bluffton which has been submitted to the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in New York City as well as being Key Grip for a short film Sara Jane which was filmed and edited over one weekend for the Savannah 48 Hour Film project.
“I really love filmmaking because it reminds me of a military operation where planning is key to success.” Jim says, “I have seen great productions and some not so great ones. There is usually also a lot of camaraderie among the crews working towards a common goal. Everyone has a role and it all comes together.”
Jim has also helped crew as a Key Grip on shorts for First City Film’s Getting Reel classes which trains actors with the production of a short film which features and showcases the actors, giving them material for a Demo reel.
BIFF
As a member of the Beaufort Film Society, Jim has supported the Beaufort International Film Festival for years. A self professed “Big Movie Buff,” he has known Ron Tucker since before he retired from the Marines. Some of his favorite BIFF moments include “having the chance to meet Michael O’Keefe in Beaufort back in 2009.It was his first time back in Beaufort since filming The Great Santini which was being filmed while I was in boot camp. And I got to speak to him again at the 2010 BIFF.”
“One of my best moments at the BIFF was in 2012. It was prior to the Awards Night presentations and the lobby had gotten very warm and I decided to step out to get some air…and I ended up having a great conversation with Powers Boothe. This is one of the reasons I enjoy the BIFF- you never know who you might run in to.”
Jim is also a member of the Carolina Film Alliance and is involved with the South Carolina Film Commission, which he says “give great workshops in many aspects of filmmaking, free of charge. He has also been a Jurist for the 2012 Southern Appalachian International Film Festival (SOAPIFF).
When asked what his favorite movie is, Jim thinks a minute and then replies, “That would be The Shining, as my favorite horror movie but my favorite military movie is Full Metal Jacket, with the actor R. Lee Ermey who played Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. The first time I saw it I indeed knew that this guy had been there and done it so there was very little acting involved. He knew the real thing and was showing how it was done.”
What’s Next
Always busy, Jim has multiple projects and roles already in the pipeline for this year and will be working on various projects in Wilmington, NC, Atlanta, GA as well as Charlotte, NC and Savannah, GA.
He recently was Richard Dreyfuss ‘s stand in for the film Killing Winston Jones which should be released this year and he will soon be working on the film Midnight Rider, the Gregg Allman biopic, which will be filming in Savannah. In addition to his behind the scenes work Jim continues to audition for commercial as well as print work.
When he is not working, Jim enjoys photography, because as he smiles and says, “After all film is just moving pictures, right?”
For further information:
www.carolinafilm.com
www.savannahfilmmakers.org
www.filmsc.com
www.imdb.me/jamestroutman
