Potrykus kept details about the film sparse, but said it is about
some teens auditioning a bass player in a field. "The audition
involves a crossbow and the arrow does not strike its target," he said.
The teen actors came from Michigan, Georgia and Wisconsin, Potrykus
said. Industry professionals and students worked on the crew.
A recent Grand Valley graduate served as producer and set herself
apart as highly focused, organized and responsive, Potrykus said. In
fact, Breana Malloy, '21, had tended so well to every detail before
the shoot that she actually found herself with time on her hands
during filming, Potrykus said.
"I told her that a bored producer is a good producer,"
Potrykus said. "She prepared everything so well she could kick
back and wait for problems to arise, and they didn’t."
Malloy, who received a degree in film and video production, said
after her recent graduation she went from working as a professional
producer in the Summer Film Project to now working with a West
Michigan video production company.
She said she loves being involved in every aspect of film production.
She said she had background working in business, which she grouped
with her organizational skills and emphasis on connecting with people
to have success on the set.
"A lot of it is just interpersonal relationships and making sure
people know they matter on set," Malloy said. "As a producer
you absorb everyone's stress and learn how to deal with it. Knowing
what people can handle is important -- where to push and where to step back."
Now that the film is in post-production, Potrykus said he wanted to
be hands-off so someone with fresh perspective can finish off the
film. That work falls to Suzanne Zack and her post-practicum class.
Zack, affiliate professor for film and video production, said the
students work as a group to edit the summer film, giving them a deep
understanding of editing.
"The most fun is when they see how much the story evolved from
their first edit at the beginning of the semester to the end, when
their last version feels like a film," Zack said. "They get
a visceral sense of the way each stage of production and post
production adds to the film, transforming it from an idea to a moving
experience for audiences."
