Post Classifieds
BPAC home to premier of films
By Jennifer Waters
On September 19, 2012
After nervously greeting viewers and watching the seats fill, the lights flashed and Buffalo State
Television Film Arts major John Szablewski took the stage to introduce the writers, directors and
producers involved with the Night of Premiers.
"Thanks for your insincere applause," he said facetiously.
All three films shown Friday night at the Burchfield Penney Art Center were independently
created outside of the classroom, showing the dedication and talent of young filmmakers.
"Feeble Attraction" premiered first, written, directed and produced by Brandon Williams.
Rated R, the raunchy comedic film is based on an inspiration Williams said he had about a
poorly parked car, growing into a story about two guys who sought help in picking up girls from
a character named "The Ass Master."
After following some misguided advice from their mentor they realize their methods have turned
them into jerks.
Shot in three days at local restaurant Pearl Street Grill and Brewery, the work shows signs of
being written by a Buffalo student, with jokes about the Allentown neighborhood and hipster
culture.
"The film is based on the premise that young kids think all guys are the same and all girls are
the same but I wanted to show the differences," Williams said.
After brief technical delays, the second film to premier was "Speechless," written, directed and
produced by Joe Blodgett.
Rated PG, the short silent film masterfully uses musical compositions to create the story of an
artist and a photographer who fall in love in a park, but soon break up, emphasized by smashed
glass.
Told in reverse, the end allows viewers to see a glimmer of the story that could have unraveled
when the photographer sees another photographer across the park.
"It's about missed opportunities and chance, and that life can go anywhere and we can't predict
it," Blodgett said.
The film was scored by Joe Cronyn.
"I think this film can hold up in a festival so this is the one I'm going to show around," he said.
The final film to premiere was "Friends Without Benefits," co-written and directed by Kyle Mecca
and Szablewski.
Rated PG-13, the pair worked on the film for two years and involved many Buffalo State
students and faculty, along with Girl Scout troop 767 as extras in a scene.
FWOB stars Dan Danforth and Tim Joyce as retired characters "Hero" and "Sidekick" who need
to create crime in order to get their health insurance benefits back. The comedy takes a turn
when Sidekick decides to release the villains they had worked to capture.
While trying to brainstorm ways to create crime, Joyce's character is beaten up by Girl Scout
Troop 767.
Troop member Gabrielle Vasi, 10, said that the scene took about an hour to film, all the while
the girls jumped repeatedly on Joyce.
"I want to go into acting, I'm always looking for ways to perform," she said.
Fellow troop member Cameron Kowal, 10, said she agreed with Vasi and they all had a lot of
fun with the scene.
"This was my first time acting but I want to go into it now, too," Kowal said.
The filmmakers had experimented with the website Kickstarter to raise funds for the film but the
attempt failed overall.
"In order to get our names out there we need to send it out to festivals. That's the biggest
portion of it," Mecca said about the need for funding.
Regardless, they walked away with the confidence of having donors there to support them,
including people they hadn't met but who wanted to support the project, Szablewski said.
The film will show at the Buffalo International Film Festival on Sept. 28.
Jennifer Waters can be reached by email at waters.record@live.com.
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