America's Next Felon

America's Next Felon is a comedy film written and directed by Ron Johnson in Minneapolis and starring Scott Jorgenson, Heidi Fellner, Dan Quaile, Matt Franta, Paul von Stoetzel, Ray Beasley, Mike Udovich, and a guest appearance by Charles Hubbell. America's Next Felon is a spoof on reality television where a Dirty Cop and an ex-con hand-pick five law-abiding citizens to compete in a game show. The citizens are put through a series of tests and challenges where one contestant is paroled after each challenge.

The film is a fictional spoof on Reality Television AbOUT a show that has an Ex-Con and a Dirty Cop as judges and five law abiding citizens are contestants. The contestants compete against one another by breaking various laws in order to win a chance to participate in a major crime.

The film was screened at The Minneapolis Underground Film Festival on December 6, 2009.

Cast

Mike Udovich as The Dirty Cop

Paul von Stoetzel as The Ex-Con

Scott Jorgenson as Mitch

Heidi Fellner as Dora

Dan Quaile as Nick

Matt Franta as Steven

Ray Beasley as Tyrone

Charles Hubbell as The FBI Agent

Scott Carson as Car Jack Victim

Production

It was written and produced by Ron Johnson with Jon Springer hired on as the Director of Photography. It was decided that the project would be shot and edited on video in order to mimic a television show. Principal photography took place over four days in the fall of 2008, shot mainly in Minneapolis and Brooklyn Center. An early snowfall prevented the exterior bank shots to be filmed in Minnesota. The bank shots were picked over the winter in Orlando Florida in February of 2009 while Ron was on a family vacation. Ari Koinuma was hired on in the summer of 2009 to compose the music after the original composer failed to deliver the soundtrack.