What does Auburn have in common with Cannes, France, and Sundance, Colo.?
Jennifer Meyers / The Citizen
Making movies
Making movies
Aside from the beautiful scenery, a film festival. And while the aforementioned events have become star-clogged schmooze-fests, Auburn's Theodore Case Film Festival celebrates achievements in moviemaking by citizens from its own area.
This Saturday, the Auburn Public Theater will show 23 of the finest short films by amateurs of all ages. The number was narrowed down from 53 submissions.
“The quality of work was better this year; we got some really good things to choose from,” said Eileen McHugh, director of the Cayuga Museum of History and Art.
The first half of the festival will focus on movies made by teenagers and the second half will show the films of college students and adult directors.
Among the teenage entrants is Nick Cramer, who will exhibit his seven-minute horror movie, “Mallorie.”
The film features Cramer and cousins, Lindsey Lopiccolo and Ally Berry, as teenagers in the woods. Berry, as the title character, drowns in a river while reaching for a doll she dropped in the water.
When Cramer and Lopiccolo find the doll weeks later, their lives are threatened by Berry's vengeful ghost.
“Mallorie” resulted from months of planning by Cramer and Lopiccolo, who shared filmmaking responsibilities. They shot it in two days and edited the movie on a home computer.
“We've been making movies for our own fun, learning new camera skills and trying different things,” said Cramer, a sophomore at Auburn High School.
Cramer and Lopiccolo made the film especially for the festival and were excited to hear of its acceptance, but Cramer is hesitant to say how many more movies they will make.
“We don't even know if it's really what we want to do; we're just having fun with it,” Cramer said.
Unlike Cramer, fellow entrant Jeff Newell is set on a career in film. His seven-minute comedy, “Locust Man,” will show during the festival's college and adult filmmaker segment.
“Locust Man” is a more mundane superhero film than the big screen movies this summer.
The titled crusader leads a life of lethargy, just like the bug he sees sitting in trees all day. His sidekick, Algae...Thing (Jason Eldridge), has a similar significance to his name.
“He does nothing but sit there - that's his superpower,” Newell said.
The film was planned as the first of a trilogy of shorts about the hero. The movie that will show at the Auburn Public Theater will feature Locust Man! sucking the evil out of his foes with a straw and battling his archenemy, Big Bad Chad (Colin Wilson), who chops down trees bearing locusts in its branches.
The unusual characters wear similarly unusual costumes pieced together from objects found
by Newell and his friends in the cast.
Newell, a Cayuga Community College video production major, will transfer to Ithaca College this fall to continue his education. He plans to move to California once he completes his degree.
“I'm planning to go to Hollywood and take my chances out there,” he said.
Newell's passion for film will actually prevent him from seeing his movie play before the festival audience.
He will be filming a wedding that day instead of walking the sidewalk carpet to the Auburn Public Theater.
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
If you go
What: Theodore Case Film Festival
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Auburn Public Theater, 108 Genesee St., Auburn
For details: Call 253-8051
This Saturday, the Auburn Public Theater will show 23 of the finest short films by amateurs of all ages. The number was narrowed down from 53 submissions.
“The quality of work was better this year; we got some really good things to choose from,” said Eileen McHugh, director of the Cayuga Museum of History and Art.
The first half of the festival will focus on movies made by teenagers and the second half will show the films of college students and adult directors.
Among the teenage entrants is Nick Cramer, who will exhibit his seven-minute horror movie, “Mallorie.”
The film features Cramer and cousins, Lindsey Lopiccolo and Ally Berry, as teenagers in the woods. Berry, as the title character, drowns in a river while reaching for a doll she dropped in the water.
When Cramer and Lopiccolo find the doll weeks later, their lives are threatened by Berry's vengeful ghost.
“Mallorie” resulted from months of planning by Cramer and Lopiccolo, who shared filmmaking responsibilities. They shot it in two days and edited the movie on a home computer.
“We've been making movies for our own fun, learning new camera skills and trying different things,” said Cramer, a sophomore at Auburn High School.
Cramer and Lopiccolo made the film especially for the festival and were excited to hear of its acceptance, but Cramer is hesitant to say how many more movies they will make.
“We don't even know if it's really what we want to do; we're just having fun with it,” Cramer said.
Unlike Cramer, fellow entrant Jeff Newell is set on a career in film. His seven-minute comedy, “Locust Man,” will show during the festival's college and adult filmmaker segment.
“Locust Man” is a more mundane superhero film than the big screen movies this summer.
The titled crusader leads a life of lethargy, just like the bug he sees sitting in trees all day. His sidekick, Algae...Thing (Jason Eldridge), has a similar significance to his name.
“He does nothing but sit there - that's his superpower,” Newell said.
The film was planned as the first of a trilogy of shorts about the hero. The movie that will show at the Auburn Public Theater will feature Locust Man! sucking the evil out of his foes with a straw and battling his archenemy, Big Bad Chad (Colin Wilson), who chops down trees bearing locusts in its branches.
The unusual characters wear similarly unusual costumes pieced together from objects found
by Newell and his friends in the cast.
Newell, a Cayuga Community College video production major, will transfer to Ithaca College this fall to continue his education. He plans to move to California once he completes his degree.
“I'm planning to go to Hollywood and take my chances out there,” he said.
Newell's passion for film will actually prevent him from seeing his movie play before the festival audience.
He will be filming a wedding that day instead of walking the sidewalk carpet to the Auburn Public Theater.
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
If you go
What: Theodore Case Film Festival
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Auburn Public Theater, 108 Genesee St., Auburn
For details: Call 253-8051
The Citizens' Say
There are No comments posted.