UVM staff member Tom Connelly is screening his first feature film, Strangers in the Night, on May 4 at 7 p.m. in Billings Campus Center Theater, a prospect that he doesnt mind admitting makes him nervous. The candor is fitting. Connellys film production companys motto, after all, is to make honest films.
The film starts off in a very atmospheric mode, says Connelly, who works in a support role in Career Services. Theres about 30 minutes at the beginning of the film where theres a lot of dialogue, but when youre watching it, you feel theres a lot of unspoken tension, a lot of avoidance.
In an era of blockbusters, that slow unwinding isn't going to be to everyone's taste. But the story of three couples struggling with their relationships across the arc of one tumultuous night explores themes of alienation and disconnection, and its deliberate pacing echoes some of Connellys cinematic inspirations: John Cassavetes, Jean-Luc Godard and Michelangelo Antonioni. The film is a long way from high-concept Hollywood, which suits Connelly, who went to film school at Long Island Universitys C.W. Post Campus, just fine. After all, going his own way was the point of launching into the daunting project of writing, directing, producing, editing and performing the soundtrack of his own film.
I had written two screenplays beforehand that I tried to get read by agents, which was a really frustrating process. When digital started taking off with films coming out on digital that looked really good, I started thinking that I could probably do a feature on my own. When I started writing, I had it in my mind that I would shoot it, so I was writing it to be filmed and I decided not to follow any conventional formats, Connelly says.
With help from a coterie of friends, film-school classmates and a dedicated group of local actors, Connelly shot the drama on digital video last summer on a shoestring budget over four intense weekends. The director was pleased with the results, especially a few telling, carefully edited scenes of improvisation.
I love how that happens, the way actors sort of take the shape of the character and these spontaneous moments occur, he says.
After shooting, Connelly spent months editing the film on a desktop computer with Adobe Premiere and is now in the process of submitting it to festivals. As he waits to gauge the reaction to Strangers in the Night, this summer hell shoot another feature, 80 Percent Inside, with his production partner Paul Biagiotti.
Tonights screening of Strangers in the Night is free and open to the public.
[ Comment, Edit or Article Submission ]
