Film students to film in Monticello this weekend!

Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.

You may have noticed a group of young adults wandering around Monticello over the past week or so, heavy cameras in hand, scoping out our most iconic buildings and businesses. These curious visitors are not tourists, but a group of film students that belong to the FSU College of Motion Picture Arts (FSU CMPA). This group is comprised of six juniors and nine seniors in the program, and each student is working on a thesis film as a part of their Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees.
So far in this thesis production cycle, four short films have been shot in local Monticello locations, including a house located on Pearl Street, the garage owned by Curtis Morgan, and the well-known Monticello Opera House.
For their current film project, these 15 students are shooting a film titled, “Make Them Laugh,” about a vaudeville variety show featuring Georgie, a clown who doubles as a classically-trained theater actor. When Georgie finds himself with the misfortune of making people laugh at his own expense, he must muster up the courage to put his foot down and rebel against his boss, Bertram.
Producer Hollis Rosenkranz says that the community of Monticello is a prime filming location, not just for the beauty and history associated with the town, but also because of how welcoming the residents and businesses are to the film crews.
“Monticello has so many unique buildings and architecture,” says Rosenkranz, “and because each corner of the town is steeped in history, no matter which way we point the camera, the frame looks beautiful! In addition to its inherent beauty, the community of Monticello has been so welcoming to us students. It is very hard, finding small businesses to film; as college film students, we are not able to provide compensation. But the City of Monticello and those who own businesses there have been so kind, trusting and generous. We truly could not make films here at FSU without the help of the Monticello and Tallahassee communities.”
Even considering the charm of the local architecture available for filming, there is more to think about than aesthetics when it comes to picking a location that will be suitable for filming. Rosenkranz says that a film crew must consider a wide array of other factors when selecting a location. Factors like driving distance, animal hazards, water hazards, access to electricity, proximity to bathrooms and safety of the crew are all weighed when undergoing the selection process. A crew of 15 is likely to be at a filming location for around 13 hours, and each location must be able to accommodate a crew of that size as they work, without jeopardizing their health or safety.
“Location scouting takes a lot of time and diligence,” says Rosenkranz. “One thing we learn in film school is that sometimes on the outside, a location is gorgeous, but can have a slew of logistical problems beneath what may look beautiful on the outside.”
If you have seen the film crew making their way around town, toting film equipment, that's exactly what they are doing. The crew has been hard at work this week, scouting out the perfect location to film parts of their project. And they seem to have found what they are looking for, as they will be set to film this weekend, Nov. 12-14, at the Monticello Opera House.
While this group of students is working on this project as a part of their college course, these students are passionate artists, dedicated to the delicate nature of quality filmmaking. They know that a good film doesn't start with a great camera or even the perfect setting, but must begin with a story.
“The FSU Film School prides itself on being built on story,” says Rosenkranz. “As students, we are taught, first and foremost, to look for stories anywhere and everywhere. Ultimately, that is what is most important about the art of film making: telling stories. Filmmaking incorporates almost every other art form into its finished product. Movies allow for so many unheard or under-represented stories to be spread and told worldwide, and allows for collaboration between artists across states, countries and the world.”
All of the students who are currently working in this film crew are majoring in film production, most of them hoping to enter the film industry upon graduation. This means that some of the students you may have spotted this week as they scope out the best filming locations might just be the next major film producer, director or editor. While we all easily recognize names like Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino and M. Night Shyamalan, all of these house-hold names were once unfamiliar and brand new. Here are the names of the current film crew that will be filming this weekend; keep an eye out for their names on the big screen- who knows what the future holds for them!
The "Make Them Laugh" FSU Thesis Film Crew:
• Hollis Rosenkranz, Producer (Senior)
• Landon Watford, Director (Senior)
• Tristan Owen, Director of Photography (Senior)
• Beatriz Arrocha-Lanzas, Production Designer (Senior)
• Thomas McDonald, First Assistant Director (Senior)
• Sam, Second Assistant Director(Junior)
• Ryan, Art Director (Junior)
• Thomas, Script Supervisor (Junior)
• Omar, 1st Assistant Camera (Senior)
• Maci, 2nd Assistant Camera (Junior)
• Ryan, Key Grip (Senior)
• Kendall, Best Grip (Junior)
• Valerie, Gaffer (Senior)
• Luca, Sound Mixer (Senior)
• Amal, Boom Operator (Junior)
“Films,” reflects Rosenkranz, “whether the audience fully knows the blood, sweat, tears and cups of coffee that went into the finished product, bring people together behind the camera, on-screen and in the audience. The innate ability film has to bring people together is not usually the first thing to cross most movie-goers' or enthusiasts' minds. However, as film students, it is this significance that brought us all together in the first place. It is, in the purest sense, an example of people from all over the country and world being brought together through film.”
The movie magic is all set to happen this weekend, and after filming is complete, the editing process will begin. The thesis films will be edited during the spring semester, and will be completed just in time to screen before graduation in May. After screening, the films will be run in a film festival, which usually is completed after about two years. After the films are run in the film festival, they may be released to be publicly streamed and watched via platforms like YouTube and Vimeo.
The “Make Them Laugh” FSU Thesis Film Crew would like to thank the community for their support and accommodation during their scouting and filming process.
“Thank you to the Monticello Community for all of your help with our projects over the years,” says Rosenkranz on behalf of the crew. “Your dedication to helping us growing filmmakers produce our products is a gift that we don't take for granted, and is why we find ourselves coming back to your city project after project. Thank you.”
The film crew is always looking for extras to be in their films, as well as like-minded individuals who are honing or masters of their craft. This includes musicians who are looking to write music for films, or even make-up artists who are thinking of getting into movie makeup. The crew is excited to work with people in and around Tallahassee on their projects. If anyone is interested in being an extra during the filming on Nov. 12-14, contact Hollis at hlr19a@fsu.edu.