By Charlene Dean

First, Pahrump resident Linda Kass starts a film festival that has captured the attention of film makers from all over the world.
Now, Pahrump residents and film makers Jacob Blodgett and Tony Mendoza have started a virtual TV series called, “The Next Shot,” which will be filming tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. in K-7 Lounge on Hafen Ranch Road.
Jacob “J.G.” Blodgett is the creator, writer and producer for the series, and said the idea came from being bored with the normal film making process. “I wanted to do something that would yield almost instantaneous results, so I took my Kodak Playsport Zx5 and simply filmed a closeup shot of my eyeball.  Once I uploaded the footage I asked my brother what the next shot should be, and from there, it grew, went to the web, and is continuing to grow.
The idea has produced four episodes of the series which have been filmed in various locations here, mostly K-7 because the storyline is centered around a jazz club owner (Lynn Peterson) with local actor Dave Stout playing the male lead.
Blodgett said, “We are simply trying to develop our local talent, who are readily available and eager to do something creative and artistic.”
Mendoza said the talent has come from different places but he found Stout from footage shot during one of the historical skits performed by the Water Stone Bunch, a gunfighter and re-enactment group here.
Blodgett said, “Raja and Patty over at K-7 Pizza are huge supporters of ours, and have been from the beginning. They allowed me to premiere my short film, “A Test of Love,” at their outdoor theater and we have been great friends ever since.
The storyline is simple, after an episode is filmed, it’s uploaded to their website created by Michelle Phillips of Vivid Edge Graphics.
Blodgett said, “We offer voting polls for the audience so they can help shape the story, and then we film the next episode based on viewer suggestions and votes.”
The best place to view and vote on completed episodes is www.thenextshot.tv.
Blodgett said plans are in the works to show the full season’s footage, but no timeline was mentioned. The Next Shot is currently filming once per month and on the website, there is space for eight episodes, four are loaded.
Mendoza said the pace for filming is going to pick up soon as more and more people offer suggestions for the next episode.
“It’s great,” he said. “We’re reaching out to a growing community of writers, producers and other film makers to contribute their talent until we have reached our long-term goal.
“Think of it as a online TV network where others of like mind can start another series and another series until you’ll have something to watch every night.”
Marketing plans are shaping up as well. Mendoza said they are reaching out to role-playing groups, such as Dungeons & Dragons, as well.
As the need for cast members increases, Mendoza said LeeLee Erias of Xtreme Underground, who runs a talent agency in Las Vegas, will be providing actors for The Nezxt Shot.”

Male lead Dave StoutCreator, writer and producer of The Next Shot J.G. Blodgett