Student filmmakers, actors film in assistant director's backyard, dream big with 'Storymaker'
BY ROB EARNSHAW
Times Correspondent | Sunday, March 29, 2009
Valparaiso is well-represented in a movie produced by students from a new film school in Chicago. "Storymaker" is a short film written by Susan Sinkiewicz, assistant-directed by Phil Cagen, produced by Sam Carmichael and starring Maddie Blaney. All of whom live in Valparaiso.
The film also was shot at Cagen's Manchester Meadows house and the surrounding woods.
"It was an interesting experience, because a lot of the time you're on a movie set in a closed location," Cagen said. "But with this one, I had my whole family as well as nine other crew members living in my house a couple days."
Cagen, Carmichael and Sinkiewicz are all first-year students at Chicago's Flashpoint Academy of Media Arts and Sciences. They received their assignment a month ago -- here's your crew and your screenplay -- you have three weeks to figure something out."
"It takes place in a house in the woods, so I said 'OK, that's my house,' " Cagen said.
Maddie, an 11-year-old Emmanuel Lutheran School student, auditioned for the film and won the leading role of Emma, a girl who doesn't get much attention from her father.
"Her cousin Charlie and she go into the woods, because she wants to hide from her dad so she can get more attention," Maddie said.
Then things get scary when a "monster" attacks.
"It's not really clear if it's Emma's imagination or if it's real," Maddie said.
Maddie, who's a big fan of the Harry Potter movies and actor Will Ferrell, said starring in her first film was fun, even if she spent part of it covered with fake scratch marks and blood.
"It was really scary, and I looked scary," she said. "It was really fun and I'd love to do it again. It was a good experience for me."
Maddie said it was sad when filming ended, but she can't wait to get back on the stage or screen. The character of Emma grows up to be an author because of her "big imagination." Maddie may grow up to be an actress.
"I'm not shy at all," she said. "My favorite thing I guess is you get to be a different character. I'd like to try something different every time."
When Cagen was a little older than Maddie is now, he got the directing bug by shooting videos of skateboarding. The Wheeler High School graduate hopes to become a full-fledged director someday.
"Everybody loves watching movies," he said. "This is what I want to do."
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