Premiered on December 2nd of this year, The King’s Academy’s Studio 70’s second feature film, The Wreck of Echo 10-4, is a spectacular 4-episode mystery serial, which was produced by the students of The King’s Academy over the summer of 2022.
The name of this film was actually inspired by the Bible verse Ezra 10:4, which is a great summary of the theme of the story. This theme is also alluded to through a quote by Dan, Tre’s mentor, who said, “We got to this point together. Now you choose how far you can go.” The gist is that all of the characters find themselves in really difficult situations. Some of it is their fault, and some it is just circumstantial, but in either case, what the character needs to do – what we need to do – is to stop putting the blame on other people. Nothing is going to overcome our obstacles but our hard work and God’s grace. We have others around us to stand with us and provide support, but we must have the courage to face the challenges in our lives.
For the team working on this production, there were many challenges. Things went wrong, but they knew not to complain because they knew they had work to do and had each other for support. Among the students working on the series, this was one thing about the filming experience over the summer that stood out. As Mr. Parenti, the Director of Studio 70, said, “making a movie is kind of secondary to growing together as artists and believers.” The community and friendly environment that they created together through the hours they spent working on the project not only helped them to get through it but also brought them closer together as a team,
I think my favorite thing about the summer film experience was growing closer to the crew. We almost – not almost – we did become like a family through the production. We still talk every day, and it has created relationships. It is a lot of people I never would have known any other way with whom I have now created lifelong friendships.
— Chase Ritter
Now, as for the story itself, this action-packed mystery narrative centers around the idea of a Palm Beach millionaire pilot’s private plane mysteriously crashing. When this happens, Detective Marcus Bjornson, who is played by André Gordon, must interrogate three suspects, Tre, Stella, and Giuseppe to piece together their stories and uncover the truth about the death of the pilot Dan. Each successive episode follows a different character in their journey around the time of the plane crash, leaving the audience guessing at who might be guilty.
The first episode features the Tre, who is played by Kyle Martin. Tre is a young man with a history in crime that he regrets, and he is trying to put it behind him when Dan steps into his life and gives him a sense of purpose by teaching him to be a pilot. Unfortunately, though, it is found that he had more to gain from the death of his mentor than anyone when Dan’s will reveals that he wants Tre to inherit much of his wealth, leaving even his own wife out of the will, which raises the question of whether Tre might have killed his mentor for the money.
I remember it was one day when we were filming a day for episode 1, and my fellow director Ryan Cavanaugh was out, so I was director for the day and working as a grip as well, and it was humbling to get to do both roles at the same time. It taught me a lot in one day.
— Michael O'Leary
This idea, however, leads to the question presented in episode two of whether Dan’s wife, Stella, who is played by Estefany Gomez, might have killed her husband for revenge. It is made apparent that she has recently been unhappy with her husband because he is rarely home and has cut her off from accessing his money, but is this enough for her to resort to murder? It is certainly enough for her to go to some extremes such as stealing a school bus with her friend Diane, who is played by Larra Silva, but that doesn’t mean she would kill anyone, so anyone could still be guilty.
Finally, in the third episode, an Italian named Giuseppe, played by Nick Puya, is the final suspect to be questioned, and his history definitely raises suspicion. He is a father who is willing to do anything for his daughter, but his methods are often not ethical. Giuseppe even finds himself working with criminals to get the money he needs to support his family, which leads him to Stella as he pursues Dan because he crossed the organization Giuseppe works for. Unfortunately for Giuseppe, this causes him to find himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, making himself a suspect and ultimately the man who is found guilty, but is he really guilty?
If you haven’t already seen it, make sure to watch The Wreck of Echo 10-4 on YouTube now to find out what really happens in this thrilling mystery series created by the students of The King’s Academy this past summer!
