Getting the movie Cowboy & Lucky up on the big screen took Red C Entertainment filmmakers Russell Clay and Chris Cox lots of time, local talent and hours behind the camera and editing console.

But work? Nah. “I don’t consider a dream work,” said Clay, the man in the director’s chair for the film that makes its theatrical debut Wednesday night at the Waco Hippodrome Theatre.

The pair’s fifth feature film is the first to be produced and shot in Waco. As such, it’s a big step forward in their plan to turn Red C Entertainment into a Waco filmmaking hub.

“Cowboy & Lucky” screenings

When, where: 7:15 p.m. Wednesday through Oct. 25 at the Waco Hippodrome Theatre, 724 Austin Ave.

Tickets: $10. Advance tickets available online at http://cowboyandlucky.com.

Red C Entertainment filmmakers Chris Cox (left) and Russell Clay can't wait for next week's premiere of their feature film Cowboy & Lucky at the Waco Hippodrome Theatre.

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The action-filled story, which they describe tongue-in-cheek as “a hillbilly version of Bad Boys,” stars the two men as mismatched brothers trying to make a go of their late father’s investigation business. It’s not rocket science, but the sort of fast-moving action film they’d watch on their own.

As Cowboy & Lucky’s posters suggest, “If you liked Bad Boys, Rush Hour and Harley-Davidson and the Marlboro Man, you’ll friggin’ love Cowboy & Lucky.”

“Somebody asked if I was going to the Oscars with this. I told them if I do, it’ll be as a guest,” said the good-natured, bearded and tattoed Clay. “This movie ain’t going to the Oscars.”

The 94-minute movie takes Red C’s video series “Cowboy & Lucky,” carried on Red C’s Web site, to a higher level. “It’s totally different, from style to camera settings. Even the people we used for the film are different. There’s a totally different look to it,” Clay said.

For Cox, who handles more of the business end of things for Red C, Cowboy & Lucky represents the proof to investors, businessmen and fans that Red C is delivering on its promise to create films made in Waco. In fact, the filmmakers intend to start work this month on their next film, a teenage vampire movie titled Hamlet’s Cove and shot in high-definition video.

Cox and Clay moved back to Waco two years ago after forming Red C Entertainment in Phoenix, Ariz., in 2001. While their company produced four low-budget movies and a local TV series “The Unjust,” the cost of doing business in Arizona and Southern California caused them to return to the area.

They started their own online presence with their Red C Television Web site, which offered programming through streaming video, and built their traffic from a handful of followers to more than 300,000 monthly. At that point, they decided it was time to test the waters for a local film.

Waco not only proved much less expensive in shooting film and video, but deep in local talent, Clay said. More than 200 local residents took part in the film, with locations such as Austin’s on the Avenue, the Woodway Police Department and the Brazos River, the latter used for an airboat chase scene.

In addition, the Red C team assembled a crew of about 15 who handled camera operation, lighting and other technical aspects of shooting.

“We couldn’t have made this in L.A. or Phoenix,” Clay said. Cox, the money man, noted it took less than its budgeted $150,000 to make. “It’s a very good movie for a very low amount of money,” he said.

Cowboy & Lucky will have a five-night run at the Waco Hippodrome, beginning with the red carpet premiere. Then the two will take it to the American Film Market on Nov. 4-11 in Santa Monica, Calif. They hope to find more places to screen their film, but will attend the market largely to develop relationships that will lead to future distribution of Red C movies.

The two intend on continuing their use of local talent — their Red C Web site features more than a dozen video programming channels — and aim to cast much of Hamlet’s Cove with teenagers. With one Waco film under their belt, movie No. 2 should be easier, although Cox said shooting in HD will bring a new set of challenges.

First, though, the two will finally see how a live audience reacts to their celluloid dream.

Cox said if fan response is like his, Cowboy & Lucky should be a local hit.

“We screened it at the Hippodrome to see if there’d be any problem in projecting it,” he said. “I had to go to the bathroom, but I couldn’t leave. I wanted to see what happened next — and I knew what was coming up.”

choover@wacotrib.com

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