WFAFO 13 NEWS | leadballoon | RP: Documentary Crew Begins Filming In San Andreas

By WFAFO 13 News | leadballoon | RP – Dec. 1, 2025

SANDY SHORES, SA — A documentary film crew has begun production on a feature focusing on Tater Biscuit, the long-time Blaine County resident whose personal story has become tied to the state’s recent resurgence. The project aims to chronicle his recollection of a time when San Andreas was nearly empty — abandoned highways, shuttered storefronts, and entire towns fading into the desert sun — and the unexpected return to life that followed.

According to producers, the documentary centers on the period Tater describes as “the quiet years,” when population decline, lost industry, and aging infrastructure left parts of the state in visible decline. His story traces the moment he noticed the shift: new noise in the streets, unfamiliar lights on the horizon, and the slow reappearance of construction crews across the county.

The Arrival of leadballoon

Filmmakers say a major portion of the documentary explores the impact of leadballoon, a private development entity credited with reviving large sections of the state. Records show that leadballoon funded infrastructure upgrades, reopened shuttered facilities, and initiated a wave of new construction projects across Los Santos, Sandy Shores, and Paleto Bay.

For residents who lived through the decline, the turnaround felt abrupt. For Tater Biscuit, producers say, it was “like someone flipped the lights back on.”

Drone footage captured by the film crew shows recent development in areas once considered dormant: reinforced roads, new municipal buildings, expanded utility grids, and the early stages of residential restoration. Interviews will examine how these changes reshaped the social and economic landscape of the region.

A Community Before the Crowd

Sources involved in the production described Tater as one of the few individuals who witnessed both extremes — the near-silent state San Andreas had become and the accelerated rebuild that followed. His perspective, they say, provides a personal anchor for a story that spans government, private industry, and community resilience.

The documentary is expected to feature:

• Archival aerial footage of Blaine County during population decline

• On-site interviews in Sandy Shores and Grapeseed

• Construction timelines and development records

• First-person accounts of early leadballoon activity

• Tater Biscuit’s narration of the state’s transition

  
  

Producers stated that while Tater’s personality and folklore are part of his identity, the documentary aims to focus on the historical and economic shift — not embellishment or myth.

Release Details

The documentary does not yet have an official title or release date, but filming is expected to continue. A preliminary cut is planned for early Dec. 2025, with a full release dependent on post-production interviews currently being scheduled.

“We’re telling the story of a man who stayed when others left,” a member of the production team told WFAFO 13 News. “And the story of a company that rebuilt what everyone else had written off. Together, they explain how San Andreas found its pulse again.”

WFAFO 13 News will continue to follow production updates as filming progresses.