Amy and Richard Janes, a powerhouse duo in the indie movie landscape, talk about their first visit to Oklahoma as though it’s a film they might shoot one day. Amy, who had been living in L.A. for many years, said, “It was April. And it was snowing. By the end of the week, we were sitting in acres of grass. More grass than I have ever seen. And it was 80 degrees.”
For Richard, it was the community: “It was the open arms of Oklahoma people. There was an interest in what we were doing, and many people asking how they could help. When we landed here, we were welcomed in a way that I would never have thought possible.”
By the end of their visit, the entire family had decided that Oklahoma felt like home, after passing on lovely places like Portland, Austin and several cities farther east. They felt deeply sure that Oklahoma was the place to build the production studio they had been dreaming about since their first date in L.A. 20 years earlier.
Today, Filmmakers Ranch, just 15 miles from Oklahoma City, is a reality. Spanning 12 acres and featuring 8,000 square feet of sound stages with greenscreen capabilities, the ranch is designed to accommodate large film and TV programs as well as smaller independent films.
The company has served Oklahoma’s production industry since 2011, providing equipment to clients filming on location, such as Killers of the Flower Moon, “Reservation Dogs” and Minari. In 2025, Green Day filmed their punk-rock adventure movie, New Year’s Rev, primarily here in Oklahoma, with post-production work done at Filmmakers Ranch.
Richard spoke about all the projects that have been filming recently: “We created the foundation, we created the community, we invested a lot of money in the space. Now we have post-production Dolby Atmos mixing rooms. You can show up here with a script and a computer, and we can assemble the team. In nine months, we can deliver a high-quality, finished movie that you can sell on the market.”
In 2025, Amy Janes became the Executive Director of deadCenter Film. She said, “This year, we have three short films that are Oscar qualifying. The quality of films we are seeing now at deadCenter is incredible. We’ve had 25 years of brilliant leadership, and that is why we are growing. We want to continue to uplift Oklahoma voices and stories.
“Oklahoma is becoming the center of indie film. Festivals are becoming very important again for indie films, and we want to help emerging filmmakers get to their first feature. We are inviting agents to the festival so they can see the talent. We want our filmmakers represented at a national level. And we also throw fantastic parties,” Amy smiled.
Richard added, “We want to give artists the opportunity to tell stories that Hollywood has shied away from in the past. We now have the foundation and the community, and soon we’ll have the financing as well. We are launching our own film fund to have more control over the films we are making and, when these films are successful, have the profits flow back to this state as well.”
Oklahoma has allowed Amy and Richard to find their niches in different segments of the same industry. Richard said, “It makes for easier dinners. Now we have conversations and ask, ‘What was your day like?’ whereas before we knew because we were in every single meeting together.” Amy laughed with him.
The Oklahoma film community needs a script about the love story of Richard and Amy Janes. As Richard said, “All it takes is one big movie to change everything.” Calling all script writers.
