Local Filmmaker Brings New Flick to the Big Screen

While making movies may be a dream for some, a local Salisbury couple is turning their passion into reality.

Thursday will mark a milestone for David Wharton and his wife, Barbara, – a private premiere of their second movie, “Death Tales.” The duo started their production company, Dolphin Pictures, in 2004 with the dawn of its first feature film, “Backyard.” According to Wharton, at the time of publication, “Backyard” has not yet been finished.

“’Death Tales’ is a series of eight short films, with several fake trailers interspersed throughout,” Wharton said, adding that he served as producer, writer, director and videographer for the movie. Wharton and Barbara, along with their son, David, all have acting roles as well.

Managing all aspects of the independent Dolphin Pictures, the Whartons hope that one day it will “be a fully established film production company.”

Wharton moved to Westbury from Trinidad and Tobago in 1979 and Barbara is a lifelong Westbury resident. Deeply tied to the local area, all of Wharton’s films are “entirely shot on and around Long Island.”

“Barbara is a second generation alumni, and now our son, David, also attends ,” Wharton added.

Wharton said he drew inspiration for “Death Tales” from the 2007 Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino film “Grindhouse.”

“A bunch of filmmaker friends and I went to see Grindhouse and afterwards I pitched the idea for everyone to collaborate on a project of our own paying homage to the Grindhouse genre,” he said.

The project began in September 2007, but the “initial conversation never came to fruition.” After that, Wharton decided to pursue the project on his own “completely independent.”

He said he loves everything about making movies, specifically “watching it all come together, hearing people speak the words that you wrote, the actions, and, most important, providing the audience with a chance to escape…It is all very rewarding.” 

Wharton said that his “goal is to bring excitement back to the movies,” which, as he said, “is sorely lacking today.”

“Going to the movies in the 1970s was an event,” he continued. “There are no movie events in this era. Today’s audiences sit in the theaters on their cell phones, twittering away as the movie plays. Why? Because there is no excitement in the movies anymore. I want to bring this back for the theaters, the filmmakers, the audiences, and bring the arts alive on Long Island.”

“Death Tales” will be premiering at Merrick Cinemas on Thursday in a private showing.