Lights, camera, action.
For three local high school students those three clichEd words became a reality as they participated in a unique experience to teach them the real-life consequences of driving while under the influence of alcohol.
The experience involved the filming, acting and supervising of a television spot and feature of a realistic scene that could occur in the event of a drunk-driving accident. The segments, filmed in October, will be aired this spring, in time for proms and graduations.
It’s an anti-drunk driving spot, for students by students, said Lewis Noble, 17, of Loudonville.
Noble, a Shaker High School senior, said he first learned of the opportunity to be on the set of the anti-drunk driving commercial through his father, who was helping him find a job, keeping his son’s interest in film in mind.
Noble said he has been planning to go to college to major in film, most likely at Florida State University.
`My dad had heard about this and he told me,` said Noble, explaining that he was eager to get involved in such an exciting job. He worked as the key grip on the film crew.
According to Joe Bashant, producer and director for Reel Productions, the film’s production company, wanted to have students both behind and in front of the camera to recreate the situation as authentically as possible for students their age to be able to relate.
`It’s youth-based,` Bashant said. `We are definitely trying to reach out to that audience.`
Bashant said all who were involved in the project, including the students and their parents, were asked to sign a waiver promising to not disclose the plot of the TV spot and documentary, as he promises there are a few `plot twists` and cliff hangers.
`We’re being kind of tight-lipped about it,` he said.
But what Bashant did say about the film is that is dramatic, it is `a very realistic situation,` and that it is not based on a true story of a specific person.
`It presents the material in a way that allows the [viewer] to encourage young people not to drink and drive,` he said.
Bashant said that Reel Productions has never been involved in productions of this nature, and that he was inspired to create a TVspot and film encouraging young people not to drink and drive after noticing the negative influences in mainstream media.
`In many movies, reckless behavior with expensive machinery is glamorized,` Bashant said. `We’ve made a valiant effort to encourage the opposite type of behavior.`
Bashant also said that while Reel Productions has not yet made more TV spots or documentaries about drunk driving, the company plans to produce more in a series.
`It is so important to produce these on a regular basis to constantly be dynamic,` he said.
Each production takes a great deal of commitment, Bashant said. During the tapings, several outside organizations contributed their time and materials, including Colonie EMS; Empire Ambulance Service; Inferno Pizzeria; Hot Tomatoes in Pittsfield, Mass.; St. Mary’s Hospital in Troy; Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Mass.; and Albany Regional Eye Surgery Center in Latham.
Noble said he worked for two days on the last production, the first day working from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. the next morning. But for Noble, the experience working in film was worth the time.
For other students involved, the experience was worth even more than just being around cameras.
Sixteen-year-old Michael DeRuscio Jr., who worked as a grip on the crew, said that for him, the experience was so rewarding because of the people he met while working on the project.
`I really liked working with everyone because I got to meet a lot of new people,` said DeRuscio. `It was fun to actually work on a commercial and see what goes into making a commercial.`
When asked if film is an area he would like to pursue in his future, DeRuscio said, `Not really, it’s just a hobby. I don’t really want to make it my profession or anything.`
DeRuscio said he heard about the opportunity through his mother, an employee at Albany Regional Eye Surgery Center, one of the locations used for taping.
Melissa Boucher, 17, a senior at Hoosick Valley High School, said she got involved in the project through her mother, also an employee of Albany Regional Eye Surgery Center.
`It would be definitely something after doing it that I would gladly do again,` she said.
Boucher also said that film was not a career she had considered pursuing before participating in the film, and that she learned a great deal about it through her experience.
`I learned that there was a lot more detail than I had ever known that had gone into film,` she said.
The students would not talk in detail about the films, but DeRuscio said, `It’s a commercial about the effects of drinking and driving, what they do to a person, and the people around them.`
Bashant said he is hoping to have the TV spot and documentary reach national audiences as to spread the message even further. However, he does think the films would be appropriate and effective for showings at school district assemblies or on local television stations.
Bashant asks that if anyone is interested in airing the film spots or contributing to future films, they contact him at 465-REEL (7335), or visit Reel Productions’ Web site at www.reelproductions.us.“