Short film 'Socks' premieres in Worland April 6

The Washakie Museum and Cultural Center in Worland will have a free screening of the short film "Socks" at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 6.

"Socks" is a movie produced, written and directed by Patrick Mignano based on his father's dream and featuring local talent.

Mignano is a Los Angeles, California-based film location manager with over 40 years of experience in the industry. He grew up in Star Valley, graduated high school in 1980 and went on to get a film degree from Montana State University.

He is credited with location management for films such as "American Sniper" (2014), "King Richard" (2021), and "Starship Troopers" (1997).

He said, "I have been working for Clint Eastwood for the last 17 years, so I've done all his movies in that time. I do other projects too, some television, mostly feature films."

Mignano continued, "I went to Hollywood to make my own movies, but that didn't happen; I had to pay the rent ... Fourteen years ago, I made my first short film 'Absaroka' for the Wyoming Short Film Contest, and we won the contest. With that we won a $25,000 grant that we put towards the second movie, 'Absaroka Sins'."

Working on the first "Absaroka" film, Mignano met Worland native Clay Gibbons while filming in Cody. He said that this is how their friendship started, and how Gibbons came to star in his second film.

Mignano approached Gibbons about playing the role of his father, Victor "Vic" Mignano in this short film, and asked him for a recommendation for a local woman to play his mother, Shirley. Gibbons said that his first thought for the role was Margaret Shaw of Thermopolis, a prolific stage actor.

Shaw said, "It was my first time acting in a film, it was very exciting and it was fun, and these guys were so patient and wonderful to work with, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Of course, I wanted to honor Shirley. I'm very proud of it, and it was a lot of fun."

Gibbons and Shaw play lead rolls in the film, with credits for minor rolls given to Jackie Gibbons, Billy Greer, Duncan Vezain, Erika Little Scarlet and Samantha Jones.

Mignano said about the movie, "This was a passion thing for me. They're playing my mom and dad in a fictional universe. It's a slice of life set on a ranch in the Big Horn Basin centering around a horse, Socks; ultimately it's a story of love and loss that takes place over the course of three days ... I'm going to keep it nebulous so I don't give away the farm."

THE MAKING OF "SOCKS"

Mignano said that the idea for "Socks" came from a dream his father told him about. He recalled telling him after that it would be a good idea for a movie. He said, "I always wanted to make the movie ever since, and unfortunately my father passed away in October of 2022. I decided after that, the best way for me to deal with the loss and honor him was to turn that dream into a film, and that's how 'Socks' came about."

The film was shot during the winter of 2023, using Clay Gibbons' ranch outside of Worland for outside shots and Bill Greer's ranch in Hyattville for inside scenes. A scene was also filmed at a café in Thermopolis, and some summer-time shots were taken in Bridger, Montana.

Mignano said he chose this location because of his lifelong appreciation for Wyoming and his friendship with Gibbons. He said, "I have a house in Wapiti that I built 30 years ago, so I'm close. My friendship with Clay brought me here, I've gotten to know and love his family so I like spending time with them ... I just love Wyoming, and I love this area; it's a very different look creatively. We could have shot in my hometown of Star Valley, but it's a different vibe there. We shot in the winter, and there's a stark beauty in the Basin that lends itself to the film."

Shot in February of last year, Mignano said the coldest day of filming was -26 degrees. The crew got up early in the morning to film when the lighting was the best, and warmed up inside during the day until they shot again in the afternoon.

Mignano said that the production was a small one, with he and photography director Stefan Tarzan as the only experienced crew members present. He said, "It was fun, it was great. I really liked the familial approach, everybody got to know each other. It's a lot of work, the conditions were challenging, but it was fun."

Though filming wrapped up at the end of February, Mignano said that post-production has taken until three weeks ago to complete. A sound editor from Oklahoma City managed the sound, and Cody Gill, an American musician living in Berlin, Germany, provided the music score for the movie.

"There's just as much involved in the post-production of the film as there is in the filming," said Mignano.

He said that "Socks" borrows heavily from the style of music in Clint Eastwood films with its simple piano arrangements.

WHY?

Mignano said, "I made this movie for two people; my father, who will never see it, and myself, and I got help from my friends to bring it to life. I've gotten everything out of this movie that I need; now I just want people to see their work and see what they did. I hope a lot of people come, it's always great to meet the locals."

Mignano and other cast members will be available for a Question-and-Answer panel following the screening at the museum.

Afterwards, Mignano plans to make a visit to his mother. He said, "My mother is still with us, she's 95 years old living in Idaho Falls. I'm going to surprise her by showing her and my brothers this movie on my dad's birthday, April 10."