Do you think you can play a better Maximus than Russell Crowe? Think you have what it takes to play the part of Erin Brockovich like she was meant to be? You are just lacking the connections, right? Perhaps, now is the time to get your foot in the door.

Dan Mundt, professor in electronic media studies with the Greenlee School of Journalism, will spend the summer in Ames directing what he calls the “bad movie.” Journalism grad student Andy Langager had the idea for the project and is directing a “mockumentary” based on the “bad movie.”

Sounds confusing? Good, that’s the point.

“We’re looking for lots of people who are going to be characters in the movie,” Mundt says. “The actors in the bad movie are going to be characters in the documentary.”

The group has been developing the concept for the past two months and will begin shooting this summer. The crew for the film is set with a group of students from ISU9. All that is lacking now are the actors, but with tryouts coming up Sunday and Wednesday, Mundt and Langager hope to have those spots filled up as well.

“We’re looking for people who have an interest in doing some acting for a movie,” Mundt says. “People who are just interested in doing this kind of entertainment. The mockumentary will be a comedy, along the lines of Spinal Tap.”

Making films is actually nothing new to the veteran Mundt. He worked on a project last summer in Ames called “Escape Velocity,” which he describes as an “Indiana Jones-ish kind of adventure,” except without the archaeology and with a woman as the main character.

The film featured a crew of seven members and a cast of 60-70 actors, including extras. And although most of the film was done here in Ames, scenes featuring a B-17 bomber were filmed at the airport in Lincoln, Neb.

Right now the crew is putting the finishing editing and special effects touches on the film. “It’s very special effects intensive,” Mundt says. “We realized not too long ago that [the effects] had to look professional as opposed to OK.”

After that the crew plans to show “Escape Velocity” at film festivals. “It’s always hard to market an independent film,” Mundt says. “We have contacts here and there. I have some contacts at Warner Brothers but a contact never really means anything.”

Mundt stresses the fact these projects were not even his ideas. Last summer Mundt was motivated by a student to get the project going. He eventually gave into the idea and sold his car to help finance the project.

“We had to purchase costumes that didn’t exist locally,” Mundt explains. “And we bought some pretty expensive props too.”

However, Mundt credits the idea of this summer’s project to Langager.

“I definitely don’t want to take any credit away from Andy or anyone else,” Mundt says. “There are three or four of us who have been helping with these projects from the start.”

Mundt hopes to be done with the mockumentary and movie by this fall as opposed to the sixteen months it has taken for “Escape Velocity.”

“This project may run four to six months,” Mundt estimates. “I’ll be shooting a documentary and not a narrative film so it shouldn’t take as long.”

“I’m actually having an awful lot of fun making films,” he adds. ” We don’t have huge budgets and we aren’t pressed for time to get things done. There’s a great level of comfort having a real job and having the extra time for this passion.”

Tryouts for this summer’s project will be held in room 2 of Hamilton Hall Sunday and Wednesday at 8 p.m.