Local

Rock Hill woman writes story about racism, ends up making movie

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Tabitha McCleod wanted to tell a story about racism.

"I wanted it to be from both sides, the white and black perspective," she said.

On Monday, part of Main Street in Rock Hill was shut down for six hours while she shot part of her movie, 'A Small Problem.'

Visitors to shops and restaurants downtown got to see a shootout in the middle of downtown, and a man covered in blood waving a gun around.

McCleod wrote the story in two months.  Now, she's seeing it through, hopefully to the big screen.

"I'm EP, director, producer.  I'm props, I'm location, I'm everything," she said with a laugh.

The plot is about a young girl, who loses her parents, then much more.

"Her parents are killed in a car accident. She has to go live with her African-American godparents. Well, her grandparents are not pleased because they're racist, so they don't want her over there. So they put a hit out on the godparents, to get their granddaughter back."

Joshua Bankey is one of the local South Carolina actors who saw a casting call for the movie online, and thought, why not?

"I follow a bunch of casting websites, and casting on Facebook, and I submitted for it, and they took me in," he said.

When Channel 9 interviewed him Monday he had a bloody shirt on, and a super realistic looking bullet hole in his forehead.

"It's a 40-minute make-up job.  Just gotta sit in a chair, and sit still," he said.

For McCleod, this movie project will hopefully allow her to raise money for her other passion.  She gives a needy teen a free prom each year in a project she calls' fairy tale prom.' If the new movie helps her help others, it’s enough.  At least for now.

Still, she said wants 'A Small Problem' to help heal a nation too often torn apart by racism.  She's also learning that making even a small movie, is no small effort.

"We were all over the place at first, but it's really coming together well now," McCleod said.

The movie is being shot in 18 days all around York County.  They plan to debut it in June of next year and hope to have a trailer ready in a few weeks. McCleod does have financial backers, and once it's edited, she'll spend some traveling and trying to get it into theaters.