|
Press And Journal Photo Rachel Swick YOUNG TALENT – The cast and crew for “The Back Lot,” which will be filmed in the Middletown area are, from left, Brennan Dickerson, 17, of Middletown; Justin Simonetti, 17, of Hershey; Zac Einhorn, 15, of Middletown; Max Einhorn, 19, of Middletown; Jordan Neidig, 18, of Indiana; Rachel Payne, 19, of Dillsburg; and Kyle Salvatore, 19, of Dillsburg.
Movie promises twists, turns and black humor
Fundraiser Saturday for "The Back Lot
by Rachel Swick
Press And Journal Staff
: 6/23/2009
The scene is a local diner where seven teenagers sit around a table drinking soda and coffee and discussing an upcoming film project.
But, this project is not for school. It is a feature film the teens are directing, producing and acting in.
The setting is a small town – like Middletown – where several friends decide to use their love of film to create a movie and enter a contest. Sounds a bit like Max Einhorn’s life, but in the film, the teenagers end up killing a rival director and then accidentally sending the ‘snuff’ film to contest judges.
The film promises to be full of twists, turns and black humor, said Max Einhorn, 19, of Middletown, who is directing the film.
He recently cast the film with local teenagers. He has known most of them for years. He and Dillsburg native Rachel Payne have been working on the script for “The Back Lot” since February.
A student at Temple University, Einhorn’s love of filmmaking started at a young age. Both of his parents have also been touched by the acting bug, but Einhorn found he was best suited behind the camera, directing.
“I was reading a book called ‘Story’ by Robert McKay and it said you are most qualified to tell the stories you know the most about,” said Einhorn. “So I remembered that and figured I’m most qualified to tell stories about filmmaking and teenage filmmakers because that is all I’ve known.”
Payne said the two worked on the script while both were attending college. Payne goes to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., but plans to transfer to Indiana Wesleyan University to study theater and writing.
Payne will play Peter, a teenage girl who just wants to get the job done, in the film.
“What really set me off was watching Donnie Darko and knowing that the director wrote it when he was 19 and directed it when he was 21,” said Payne. “It became a huge cult film and I just really liked that and wanted to do that too.”
Kyle Salvatore, 19, also of Dillsburg, went to high school with Payne and will serve as the second assistant director on “The Back Lot.”
Salvatore is currently a graphic design major at York College, where he also has a minor in film.
Brennen Dickerson, 17, of Middletown, will play the rival film director who ends up getting killed in “The Back Lot.” A June graduate of Middletown Area High School, Dickerson plans to attend Temple in the fall.
“When I was 4, my aunt sent me ‘Jurassic Park’ and I thought it was the coolest thing ever,” said Dickerson. “Every since I’ve wanted to be a director – even before I knew what a director was.”
Justin Simonetti, 17, of Hershey, will play Gordon, the teenage film director who masterminds the killing of a rival film director.
Simonetti previously attended MAHS with Einhorn, before moving to the Hershey area. He said he received a text message from Max about the film and decided he wanted to be a part of it.
“I thought it would be a great experience,” said Simonetti. “I had done some community stuff, but I wanted to act.”
Zac Einhorn, Max’s 15-year-old brother, will play what every 15-year-old brother should play – an annoying younger brother.
“Well I didn’t really have a choice (to be in the film or not),” said Zac. “But, I like to act.”
Jordan Neidig, 18, had to travel the farthest to participate in the film. He drove here from Indiana and will be staying in Dillsburg for the next two months for rehearsals and then filming.
He met Payne at college in Lynchburg. He also will be transferring to Indiana in order to pursue writing and theater next year.
“I’ve always wanted to act. Basically, I’ve been acting since I was 6,” said Neidig. “I will be playing Katz, the boom operator, who accidentally drops the microphone on the rival director’s head.”
The crew will be holding fundraisers to try to raise money to fund the film.
The first event will be “The Back Lot” barbecue on Saturday, June 27. It will be held at the Einhorn residence at 163 W. Main St., Middletown, beginning at 1 p.m.
“There will be free food and live music. People will have a chance to purchase tickets to future fundraisers and also have the opportunity to be extras in the film,” said Einhorn.
A fundraiser will also be held July 17 at the Middletown Area Arts Collective. This event requires a ticket and will feature improv acts and short films.
The cast and crew hope to raise $3,500 to make the film. The money goes toward feeding cast and crew, paying site fees, transportation and paying the ensemble cast.
For more information, visit www.indiegogo.com/backlot.
Contact Rachel Swick at 944-4628 or rachelswick@pressandjournal.com
Print this story
|
|
|
