It was lights, camera, action Feb. 6 for the locally produced and directed film “Larry and the Monsters.”

The short film premiered at the Historic Homestake Opera House in Lead, SD and was followed with a question-and-answer session with the crew of the movie’s production company, Magic-Time Films.

The 30-minute movie is about a down-on-his-luck bachelor named Larry, who was cursed to live with second-rate monsters. The roommates included a vampire, a wolf-man, and a mummy. The premiere was a prelude to an all-new web series of the same name that is set to air on You Tube, Magic-Time Films, and the website www.larrytheseries.com.

Magic-Time Films is a small production company run by two people — Director Ryan Brewer of Spearfish — who also played the role of Larry, producer Keith Melcher of Deadwood. Larry and the Monsters was filmed by cinematographer Shaun Oa�� Connell of Laybrinth Films based out of Aberdeen.

“Larry and the Monsters” was a project they’d had in the works for five years. It was originally titled “Vampire Short,” and had just five episodes at the beginning. “Larry and the Monsters” was forgotten until recently, when the guys decided to be rewrite and recreate it as a web series.

All the actors and the film crew were locally sourced. In fact, the only thing that wasn’t local was the music — it was produced in Minnesota.

Brewer hopes that, as more people see the show and get invested in “Larry and the Monsters,” they can get more sponsors and publicity, and a larger budget. Brewer said he would like the opportunity to reach more people with different storylines. He wants more filmmakers in the Black Hills area try their hand at creating films.

Magic-Time Films is always looking for young filmmakers to help create films. Brewer said they always have a need for actors and boom operators to help them out during the filming process. “The first step to becoming a filmmaker is to create and to get out there and try it,” said Brewer.

Brewer said the main lesson he wants to teach young filmmakers is that going somewhere like Los Angeles to pursue your dream is always a good thing, but getting started right where you are isn’t bad either.

“Why go to a bigger city? Why not do what I love right here?” said Brewer.

He said that if someone has a dream and an idea, they should go after it — create it, revise it, and repeat. There is no rule book on how to become successful. Very nicely written. Great story, inspirational.