Written By Lisa Breslin
A local group of determined independent film buffs are in their fourth and hopefully soon-to-be-final year of production on a feature film–shot in 16 mm–about a newlywed who, still dressed in her wedding gown and in mid-argument with her brand new husband, gets dumped in the middle of nowhere.
“Nowhere” is northern Carroll County, where most of the scenes have been shot. But it doesn’t take the young protagonist long to realize that even though she has no husband, no cash, no credit cards and no cell phone, the quirky residents of a rural town are quite welcoming.
The film, which has the working title of “Cinder,” is the brainchild of Lineboro resident Jonathan Slade, an assistant professor of communication at McDaniel College and no stranger to independent films.
In 1998, Slade premiered “Forest for the Trees,” a 100-minute film about a stressed-out law student who takes a five-day bicycle trip through the woods of Western Maryland with his wife, his lover and his lover’s boyfriend. The film premiered at the Charles and the Senator in Baltimore and other theaters around the Mid-Atlantic region.
“’Forest for the Trees’ was a 16 mm film, too, that took three years to finish,” Slade said. “I didn’t want this film to take that long, but now we are on our fourth year. Every time I commit to a completion date, I miss it by a year.”
“People often think that once you have one film done, the next one will be easier,” said Slade. “That’s just not true.”
Unlike video production in which tape stock is relatively cheap –$5 for 60 minutes of video–shooting on 16mm film is expensive: about $1,000 for 60 minutes of film, Slade explained.
“Production is also time-consuming. It involves labor intensive lighting and color-balancing on location. It also takes a considerable time to develop and process negatives and work prints through the laboratory. This, perhaps, is why 16mm film production is fast becoming a lost art.”
In addition to exorbitant production costs, Slade acknowledged the difficulty of coordinating the chaotic schedules of more than 11 cast and crew members.
The project has survived because people from both the McDaniel and Carroll County communities have collaborated on it. A short-list of volunteers include Robert Sapora – cinematographer (professor emeritus); Gordon Masters – audio recordist (Westminster resident); Novia Campbell – lead actress (Lineboro resident and Slade’s wife); Naomi Bari – production assistant (student); Charles Crum – assistant director (alumnus); K.C. Delp – production assistant, talent (alumnus); Kenny Ditto – production assistant (alumnus); Robert Lemieux – camera assistant (faculty); Steve Lennox – camera assistant (alumnus);Gergely Horvath – production assistant (alumnus); Linda Kirkpatrick – catering (faculty); Ray Phillips – lead actor (professor emeritus); Brigid Seay – editing assistant (alumnus); Tom Shortridge – production assistant, talent (alumnus); and Deana Villani – camera assistant (alumnus, adjunct faculty).
Slade has also received support from the Lineboro Volunteer Fire Department, whose equipment and personnel have played an integral role in telling the story, as well as folks from Village Inn Tavern and Leone Springs.
“None of us are hoping to get rich and famous,” Slade said. “We love going out on beautiful days to capture slice of life stories that Hollywood can’t because they won’t pull in $250 million a pop.”
Once “Cinder” is complete, plans include distribution to independent theaters and eventually transfer to DVD. – L.M.B.
