Moviemaking, Reston Style

Imagine if the black plague hit Northern Virginia in 2011, with germ warfare and people running and screaming and fighting for their lives.

It's a plot that Ruben Najera has been thinking about for 15 years. He is turning it into a web series titled Anubis, which he hopes to begin airing this fall.

Najera, a producer at Comcast Cable's Reston studio, is the producer, director, writer, editor and financier of Anubis (named for the Egyptian god of death).

Najera's crew has shot scenes at the On Monday night, they also took over Market Street at to shoot scenes.

"I did a lot of research about the black plague," said Najera. "What would happen if there was an outbreak here? In many movies like this, they tell you to stay in your homes. In this case, that is the worst thing you can do."

Since the characters have to flee their homes, they hide out in the woods, said Najera. Reston's green space provided ideal shooting spots.

"Reston has a lot of trees and wildlife," he said.

Najera is working on a very limited budget - about $7,000 - and has raised capital from friends and family. He says the Reston community has been very supportive providing crew meals and locations free of charge.

The actors are working gratis too. In May, Najera shot scenes featuring Kristian Nairn, the 6-foot-11 actor who plays Hodor in Game of Thrones.

"I had this idea that originally this would be an iPhone movie," says Najera. "But it had too much of a Blair Witch Project quality to it. So far, the community has been great, letting us shoot. Town Center was very supportive. They just wanted to make sure we didn't blow up the street."

Are you a local business that wants to help the Anubis project in some way? Contact Ruben Najera at Ruben_Najera@cable.comcast.com