The
executive
in charge of production for the Disney movie "HOLES", Michael
Sammaciccia, left Walden Media to return to his hometown of Drexel
Hill, Pennsylvania to make "ALWAYS WILL", his first feature-length
film.
With script
in hand, Sammaciccia approached
long-time
friends and
fellow Upper Darby High School graduates, Matthew Petrilla and Chip
Schofield, to ask for their help in bringing his idea to reality.
Windermere
Pictures was born.
The production’s
first task was to secure school board
permission to
cast and film "ALWAYS WILL" in and around two local schools.
Principal
photography began in late September and ran throughout the school year,
accurately capturing all the typical activities of a high school year.
Enter Film Club:
Sammaciccia and Petrilla devised and
oversaw an
after-school club for students interested in working on the
movie. Film Club allowed students to get to know the
inner-workings of
filmmaking, both in front of and behind the camera.
Film Club would
mobilize whenever shooting took place
to prepare for
some of the more complex shoots. Whether to fill the background
of a
party scene, set up lights in a classroom or dress up in tuxedoes and
graduation gowns, Film Club lent credibility and depth to many key
scenes in the film.
In addition to
their contribution behind the camera
and as background extras in larger scenes, Film Club was also where all
principal and supporting roles were cast.
Committed to an
all-student enterprise, Sammaciccia
was adamant about
using real elementary and high school students for his feature.
The
entire cast was chosen from the large and diverse student body at Upper
Darby High School and Hillcrest Elementary School. With no formal
training and, in many cases, no prior acting experience at all, the
cast of "ALWAYS WILL" was compromised of students, ages 6 - 17,
which added much credibility to roles so often played by actors older
than their characters.
Working
with a single
camera, basic lighting kit and "Film Club-made" track and
dolly rig, Windermere Pictures completed every scene of the
family-oriented film just one month before the end of the school year.
Editing on the fly
in his parents’ basement,
Sammaciccia had a rough
cut of the film completed by June, just nine months after he
had returned home with a dream and a drive.
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