Truck with movie equipment found in Franklin after it was stolen in Hearne

HEARNE, Texas (KBTX) – A film crew working on a movie in Robertson County has recovered their stolen truck that was filled with thousands of dollars worth of film equipment.

Brandon James, who is the owner of the truck and equipment, is shooting an indie film between Hearne and Calvert with his fiance Vanessa Herbruger. For the film, James serves as the director of photography while Vanessa is the assistant camera.

“It’s a film that has to do a little bit about community and family, I don’t want to say too much because it’s a pretty big project for all those involved,” James said.

At 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, James and Vanessa told KBTX that the truck had been found around 6 p.m. by a sheriff’s deputy at a location in Franklin. Herbruger said it appears some of the equipment was stolen, but most of the gear, including the gear essential to the film was still inside. She said they will fully examine the vehicle and its contents on Wednesday.

At this time, it’s unclear who took it and no arrests have been made.

James said his 2004 Ford E350 was stolen from their hotel’s parking lot sometime between 10 p.m. on Sunday and when discovered it missing 12 hours later Monday morning.

“It was one of those situation where you are just kinda in disbelief,” James said. “Me and my fiance worked for years to build up to that. The truck wasn’t just a transport or a rental or anything. That’s equipment, time, and effort that we built up over the last few years, that’s pretty much everything that we had to make our living.”

In total James and Herbruger said the truck and the equipment come out to be worth $85,000. It included lights, stands, doorway dollies, cameras, tripods, and more.

“Definitely beyond heartbroken,” Herbruger said prior to the recovery of the truck. “At the end of the day, it’s material items. It’s not so much that it’s gone but it’s our whole lives. Brandon my fiance started with a camera from the pawn shop. A photo camera taking pictures here and there and he went from that to being a director of photography,”

Herbruger said if the gear wasn’t recovered it would have been difficult for them to find work in the future with the expectations of the industry.

“A lot of people expect us to have the equipment, they expect us to have all the tools to create something so that being gone we’re out of work pretty much,” Herbruger said.

The theft caused a slight setback for the film, and the non-profit called the Healing Initiative, which hopes to provide survivors of sexual assault domestic abuse, and human trafficking a chance to heal.

“We hire and employ survivors through the arts to actually make these films, but then when the film comes out there’s this sense of hope,” Erica El DuBois, film producer, and co-founder of Twisted Crown Foundation said. “Our hope is that people in these situations, people that need hope will see this and it will give them hope.”

El DuBois, who is also the Co-CEO of So&So Production said the goal is to give survivors the experience of making a film and a creative outlet that won’t create triggers.

“That’s what this film was,” El DuBois said. “It doesn’t deal with domestic violence, sexual assault or anything like that, but it does tell the story of community, family, strangers who are willing to come out and help and how human kindness, and understand and sometimes you make a judgment call about someone and realize it was wrong.”

For the film’s director, writer, and Co-CEO of So&So Production, John Matysiak, Brandon, and Vanessa have become like family as they worked on the film together.

“It’s just devastated me, I went looking for hours yesterday with him,” Matysiak said. “When I say this horrible thing couldn’t have happened to a better person I am being sincere about that and that is why I am willing to do whatever I can to help him.”

Since the truck was stolen Brandon, Vanessa, and the rest of the film crew said they’ve seen an outpouring of support from the community.

“We are super grateful, so grateful for all the support, all the help, all the sharing and posting, talking about it,” Herbruger said.

Prior to the truck and equipment recovery, a $5,000 reward was donated by an anonymous citizen.

“It’s something I never thought would happen,” James said. “Sometimes when these things do happen you’re kind of like stuck, but I’ve never seen this much help from a town like this, so I really appreciate it.”

A gofundme had been set up which would have raised money to replace the equipment, however, Herbruger said they will either decrease the amount or completely take it down.