Дети из Миннесоты сняли вестерн в исторических зданиях Западного Фарго

WEST FARGO — Who says you have to go to Hollywood to make a western? For a group of young actors, all it took was a trip to West Fargo — and a summer's worth of work. ADVERTISEMENT Summer break has looked a little more like a movie set for these kids. A group from Merry Melody Academy out of Lake Park, Minnesota, is putting the finishing touches on its latest film, "The Nickel Creek Caper," as part of its movie camp at Bonanzaville. The western-inspired mystery centers on a small-town string of thefts and one elusive bandit. "Someone begins robbing the bank of all of its pennies, and it leads into a bigger mystery after that," said Teagan Wing, one of the actors. The cast is learning the movie business the hard way, that making a scene takes a whole lot of trying. "Probably the retakes. It takes a lot, a long time for just like one scene and then moving on," actor Dravyn Stock said. And again. "It's a little hard because we have to mess up on lines and then do it a lot of times," added actor Mason Utecht. ADVERTISEMENT But that's kind of the point, they're learning what it actually takes to make a movie, not just what it takes to star in one. They help with lighting, sound, and all the work behind the scenes. "They may want to be a costumer or an assistant director, and they don't know until they try," said Leah Knight, owner, Merry Melody Music Academy, and the movie director. And the Bonanzaville backdrop gives them something even a Hollywood budget would have trouble recreating. Real historic buildings, becoming real movie sets. "We've been filming in so many old places that are so old," said actor Lem Knight. The cameras have now stopped rolling, but there's still plenty of editing, sound work and music to score ahead before the cast gets to see the finished product. ADVERTISEMENT And after a summer of early mornings, hard nights, and retake after retake, these kids may have learned that making movie magic takes a little persistence, too. "Sometimes we learn it the hard way. But I wouldn't want to learn it with anybody else besides these kids," Knight said.