2008 Woodie Awards
Controversial short film shot in town by film student
By: Adam Louis
Issue date: 3/28/08 Section: Campus
Junior Film Student Gregor Schmidinger has seen movie-making potential in Bowling Green as he prepares to submit his short film to several film festivals.
The concept of a film about a male prostitute, a father and a son may be alarming to some viewers, but Schmidinger takes a potentially controversial image and turns it into a story of friendship.
"The Boy Next Door" tells the story of a growing bond between 10-year-old Justin and male prostitute Mark, who is being played by Michael Ellison of "Law and Order, Criminal Intent".
In the film, Justin and his father, Mr. Brown, are staying at a hotel. Justin wakes from a nightmare and goes to his father's room and discovers his father is gone, Mark is in his place.
"The main idea was the idea of two people running into each other who usually don't see each other," Schmidinger said. "I [built] the idea around that very awkward moment."
The story continues as a dialogue between Justin and Mark, both of whom confide in each other their own insecurities.
Mark suffers from an anxiety disorder and depends on pills, while Justin wrestles with his parent's recent divorce and the sense of abandonment that came with it, Miller said.
"[Mark and Justin] just needed someone to be their friend, not wanting anything beyond that," said Christopher Miller, film professor and script advisor for the film.
What made Schmidinger's film rare was the fact that it was a complete story told in seven pages of script, Miller said. Most short films express an idea without a complete storyline, he said.
The storyline and film, however, were not created overnight.
According to his production blog, http://theboynextdoorfilm.blogspot.com, Schmidinger was to write a short-film script over winter break, finishing the outline while at home in Austria on New Year's Day and finishing the first draft of the script a few days later.
He posted his unfinished script on backstage.com and the print edition had received 100 applications in two weeks. He then narrowed the applicants to 30 and met with them in New York City for auditions.
The film, presently in its final editing stages, was shot last weekend at the Best Western on Wooster Street. It was shot on a budget of about $1,300, according to the film's blog.
Schmidinger said he is unsure whether or not he will show the film at the University, but plans to have the film completed by the end of April.
"The idea of [the] film is more controversial than finished product," Photography Director Sophia Woodward said. "[Viewers] won't be too threatened by it when they hear about the general storyline. When you see the film, you will get the real meaning and be entertained."
"[The film's message is] there are more important things than money or a job, and you might find friends in strangest places," Schmidinger said.
Schmidinger said he plans to submit the film to 20 to 30 film festivals. More information about Schmidinger's work can be found at www.gregor-schmidinger.com.
The concept of a film about a male prostitute, a father and a son may be alarming to some viewers, but Schmidinger takes a potentially controversial image and turns it into a story of friendship.
"The Boy Next Door" tells the story of a growing bond between 10-year-old Justin and male prostitute Mark, who is being played by Michael Ellison of "Law and Order, Criminal Intent".
In the film, Justin and his father, Mr. Brown, are staying at a hotel. Justin wakes from a nightmare and goes to his father's room and discovers his father is gone, Mark is in his place.
"The main idea was the idea of two people running into each other who usually don't see each other," Schmidinger said. "I [built] the idea around that very awkward moment."
The story continues as a dialogue between Justin and Mark, both of whom confide in each other their own insecurities.
Mark suffers from an anxiety disorder and depends on pills, while Justin wrestles with his parent's recent divorce and the sense of abandonment that came with it, Miller said.
"[Mark and Justin] just needed someone to be their friend, not wanting anything beyond that," said Christopher Miller, film professor and script advisor for the film.
What made Schmidinger's film rare was the fact that it was a complete story told in seven pages of script, Miller said. Most short films express an idea without a complete storyline, he said.
The storyline and film, however, were not created overnight.
According to his production blog, http://theboynextdoorfilm.blogspot.com, Schmidinger was to write a short-film script over winter break, finishing the outline while at home in Austria on New Year's Day and finishing the first draft of the script a few days later.
He posted his unfinished script on backstage.com and the print edition had received 100 applications in two weeks. He then narrowed the applicants to 30 and met with them in New York City for auditions.
The film, presently in its final editing stages, was shot last weekend at the Best Western on Wooster Street. It was shot on a budget of about $1,300, according to the film's blog.
Schmidinger said he is unsure whether or not he will show the film at the University, but plans to have the film completed by the end of April.
"The idea of [the] film is more controversial than finished product," Photography Director Sophia Woodward said. "[Viewers] won't be too threatened by it when they hear about the general storyline. When you see the film, you will get the real meaning and be entertained."
"[The film's message is] there are more important things than money or a job, and you might find friends in strangest places," Schmidinger said.
Schmidinger said he plans to submit the film to 20 to 30 film festivals. More information about Schmidinger's work can be found at www.gregor-schmidinger.com.
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