"Madison Baker Was Here" movie has several Folsom ties

You might not know it but a movie was released last month that's common theme is Folsom. The movie was written, directed and filmed by Folsom resident Matt Gray; it was filmed entirely in Folsom, and at the time of filming, which was the summer of 2019, the cast featured predominantly Folsom residents. The movie is "Madison Baker Was Here," and it's about a shy teenage girl (Madison), who on her last night in town before moving far away sneaks out with her best friends to throw caution to the wind and confess her feelings to her longtime crush. The cast features four main characters: Baker and her three friends, Cassie Gordon, Blaire Beckett and Nina Gates. Baker is played by Madeline L'Engle, currently an Oak Ridge High School junior, who at the time of filming was about to enter her freshman year. "I think it's a super cool story about teenage friendship and those friendships are something everyone goes through," L'Engle said. "It's a story about one last night out on the town with your friends." Jacey Schaper and Sophie Jenkins play Cassie Gordon and Blaire Beckett, respectively, friends of Baker. Schaper and Jenkins are St. Francis High School graduates. Schaper is now attending college in Dublin, Ireland. Izzy Weaver, who plays Baker's friend Nina Gates, graduated from Visions in Education. She's currently working on some writing projects and is an advocate for disability education and disability awareness. All four girls lived in Folsom at the time of filming. Gray met them while working with St. John Notre Dame School where the girls attended school. Emma Halloran and Sydney L'Engle have smaller roles in the film.Halloran plays a girl named "Joslyn," Baker's neighborhood bully, while L'Engle is the real life sister of Madeline L'Engle, and she plays Madison's younger sister, Paige, in the movie. She's currently an Oak Ridge High freshman, while Halloran now attends Xavier University and is majoring in musical theatre and marketing. Joe Getty, co-host of the Armstrong & Getty radio show, also appears in the movie as Madison's and Paige's dad. Getty created the original song, "Ends of the Earth," for the movie and provided the score with guitarist Richard Austin. The movie was filmed in several different locations in Folsom, including Livermore Community Park, Humbug Willow Creek Trail bridge crossing E. Bidwell Street, Willow Springs Reservoir, Marsh Hawk Dr., Tobrurry Way overlooking the Broadstone area, and Hazel McFarland Park. The movie was filmed in 22 days over a four-month span in 2019. A large majority of the movie was shot at night, which made for long days for the cast and crew. "I'm so grateful that the girls stayed on for the project for three years of development and endured production," Gray said. "They're great kids." Added L'Engle, "It was awesome to see the completed movie and the culmination of all of our work. It was fun to remember all the goofy off-screen stuff we did. We had a great time during filming, despite all the late nights." Why should people watch the movie? "At its core, 'Madison Baker Was Here' is about the impact of friendship," Gray said. "Essentially, how our friends can make greater contributions to our lives without them knowing it or us realizing it. Madison regrets not doing more with her time in town. She felt diminutive and was filled with self-doubt. So it's also about overcoming your fears and building a confidence to pursue the things you want. "It's really about loss. Losing those you love, the foundations of your reality and finding ways to heal those wounds. Madison lost her mother; Cassie almost lost hers and believes she's losing her best friend. Nina has lost her innocence. Blaire has lost her identity inside of social media. They all return in the morning with a stronger bond and each on a path to healing. "I believe people should watch because of those relatable issues the characters are dealing with. People should also watch because the actors are great and they did this all out of their love for the story." The website for the movie is madisonbakerwasheremovie.com. Anyone interested in watching the movie can buy or rent it at Amazon Prime Video. Gray is a media producer for Weightless4Life (Folsom) and Twin Dragons Baking Co. (Orangevale). He's also a freelance videographer (mostly for corporate or school district projects) via Gray Family Films, as well as a filmmaker via the Mentality Films brand. Gray made "BULLDOGS: the series," a docu-series covering the 2010 State Championship football team at Folsom High and "Tear The Whole Thing Down," a feature length documentary about Joe Getty & the Dead Flowers (also partially filmed in Folsom at The Powerhouse Pub). Gray is currently writing several screenplays and in development for his next feature film. To reach Gray, email him at Matt@grayfamilyfilms.com.