Basin Electric and Dakota Gas employees have connection to North Dakota film

Basin Electric has several connections to a new film, End of the Rope. The film, which will be playing in theaters across the state, was shot in North Dakota, where several Basin Electric employees and family members were involved. 

The film is a western thriller that tells the true story of the infamous Charles Bannon case of 1931, when a family mysteriously disappeared from the town of Schafer, North Dakota. 

Micheal Farley, Basin Electric senior fleet administrator, participated in the film with his two antique cars. 

"I think the very first news of the film was a call on Facebook by the film's director, Dan Bielinski, looking for antique vehicles," says Farley. "Soon afterward, I believe our local car club (Pioneer Auto Club) was contacted by Dan and asked us to help out. The scenes I did were shot in August 2021."

Farley's 1929 Model A Tudor Sedan was used in a scene shot outside Watford City, North Dakota. The scene depicts townspeople breaking into a jail site.

"My 1928 Model A Coupe was used on a farm set north of Bismarck," says Farley. "I am driving the car, and an actor portraying a reporter is riding along with me. There is one additional shot with the farm scene where I was standing next to my car while parked at the fence line. It is the best chance to see my face in the movie, but I don't know if the shot made the final cut or not." 

Other connections include Basin Electric retiree Steve Ellefson, who also had cars featured in the movie, and the wife and son of Scott Letteer, Dakota Gasification Company mechanical maintenance field technician, who are extras in the film. 

Not many people get the chance to be involved on a movie set, and Farley says it takes patience.

"It was a fun experience, but there was a lot of waiting around. With the farm scene, I think I drove the car back and forth from the fence line around half a dozen takes. They wanted to get different camera angles of the car arriving and the reporter getting out," he says. "For the other scene, we received a police escort from the headquarters hotel to the shooting location. There was a lot of waiting around while the crew would wait for the sunlight or clouds to be correct, adjust camera angles, and move microphones."

The film premieres in Bismarck on April 21. Watch the trailer and buy tickets to see End of the Rope.