The episodic, online-only film introduces a new form of audience participation by letting viewers write the script.

A drone buzzes by waist-high weeds and dilapidated brick buildings. A teenage boy with dark, shoulder-length hair traps it.

It is a post-apocalyptic world, after all, and the drone’s power source is valuable.

“People have to survive, and these drones are still flying empty missions,” said Chad Kapper, who is directing and producing “Rotor DR1” in and around Canton.

But it’s far from your usual science fiction fare. The episodic, online-only film introduces a new form of audience participation by letting viewers write the script.

NEW MEDIA

The story has a beginning — but no end.

“It’s a blind way of filmmaking, but it’s exciting,” producer Thomas Nicholson said. “It’s terrifying and exciting at the same time.”

Nicholson, who lives in California, has directed more than 45 feature films and worked with Kapper on the 2009 Christian movie, “Sarah’s Choice.” In 11 years of filmmaking, he said “Rotor DR1” is the most unique.

He described it as a mix of “Stand by Me” and “Batteries Not Included” in the style of “Choose Your Own Adventure” books.

“We really don’t know what the audience has in store for us,” Nicholson said.

The low-budget film is expected to cost between $100,000 and $150,000 and is privately funded by StoneKap Productions in Jackson Township. The 16-year-old company, of which Kapper is president, started with video marketing but began to focus on “new media” four years ago with “Flite Test,” an online show reviewing radio-controlled aircraft.

Kapper defines new media as digital content accessible any time or place. The material involves a special interest and audience feedback.

“I think making this move into developing entertainment is kind of a big deal for us,” he said.

BASIC FRAMEWORK

Kapper, who’s been interested in filmmaking for as long as he can recall, wanted to do a film about his aircraft hobby that starred his son.

That became a story of a boy searching for his father with the help of a drone companion. Add audience participation and you get “Rotor DR1.”

Rotor is the self-explanatory part of the name, and “DR1” becomes “drone” when spelled out.

Producers supplied a post-apocalyptic scenario and the audience commented on the film’s Facebook and website pages to choose the lead actress from two candidates, supply a voice-over for the trailer and provide names, character development and storylines.

Megan Ryberg, who calls herself the “forum encyclopedia,” monitors the online suggestions with Steven Moses to create a coherent storyline. They’ve both worked for StoneKap Productions on separate projects.

“We’re mostly just compiling those ideas together and then making it into something that resembles a script,” Ryberg said.

REAL PEOPLE

Moses, who began work on the film as a behind-the-scenes computer programmer, is now an on-screen black market dealer.

“They were needing a villain that kind of was sort of like a crafty salesman type,” he said. “And a lot of my background actually is in sales.”

With no prior acting experience, Moses fits right in. Neither he or Ryberg have ever written a script. The film’s lead stars, Kapper’s son, Christian, and Natalie Welch, have the most on-screen experience. Christian Kapper said he’s acted in a few local productions and commercials but “nothing as big as this.”

Welch also has performed locally and took the lead in the 2010 Players Guild’s production of “Annie.”

Chad Kapper said he prefers working with people who are comfortable on camera but bring authenticity to a set.

“I like to work with real people that seem to be characters themselves,” he said.

END SCENE

On the last Thursday in September, the team filmed scenes from the first episode for a third and final day.

Prop skeletons and drones sat in the back of vans at the former Hercules Engine Factory in south Canton where Kitch, the character played by Kapper’s son, presented his newly acquired power supply. Hashtag, played by Moses, bartered with the boy in the overgrown lot.

As a local resident, Kapper said he wanted to keep the film local, too. The area’s mix of urban and rural settings fit the film’s need, and the first episode was shot between downtown Canton, the former Hercules Engine Factory and an arcade in Navarre.

“Canton would be a great playground for a lot of independent filmmakers,” said James Waters, the film’s unit production manager and director of the Canton Film Festival.

Waters said the crew received suggestions by word of mouth, and the variety of locations has made each week different.

Episodes will advance with audience input from the previous, and the crew will flim for about 20 days to produce a roughly 100-minute film. It will be released in 10 episodes almost every week, beginning Oct. 6 at www.rotordr1.com.

Reach Kelly at 330-580-8323

On Twitter: @kbyerREP

NEW PROJECTS

Chad Kapper, president of StoneKap Productions, said the company is interested in developing new projects as it focuses on new media. Proposals can be submitted through a contact form at www.stonekap.com.