By Judy Taylor Cramer
Managing Editor, Florida State Times
For FSU filmmakers, it's a fantasy straight out of Paul McCall.
Fantasy sequence, scene one: A thesis film, Paul McCall, about a young boy
with a vivid imagination, wins first prize in comedy at the annual "Student
Emmy" competition of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in
Hollywood.
Fantasy sequence, scene two: The film's director and producer fly
out to Los Angeles and accept the award during a black-tie affair at the
North Hollywood Theater.
It's no fantasy for Paul McCall producer Rick Swartzwelder and director
Ben Hershleder. They picked up their Emmy March 10, the fourth time in five
years that the FSU Film School has won top prizes at the "Student Emmy"
competition.
Taking second prize in the music category was The Pit, a film about
slam dancing, made by the same graduate class.
Swartzwelder, now working as an independent producer in Takoma Park, Md.,
said he believed in the Paul McCall project from the beginning.
"From the first time I read the original script, I thought the film
had a good heart," he said. "I thought it was a gem of a movie.
Fortunately, I wasn't the only one."
Subtitled "A tale of a boy and his note," Paul McCall is
the story of a shy second grader whose teacher pins a note for his mother
to his shirt. Afraid he's in trouble but determined to do the right thing,
Paul heads for home and into the path of the class bullies. What follows
is a chase that weaves in and out of reality, as Paul imagines himself as
a famous race car driver and a swashbuckling pirate.
Part of the film's appeal is that it's appropriate for all ages. "It's
a film I can take my children to, take my grandma to, take my younger brother
who's 19 to," said Swartzwelder.
Hershleder, also a freelance filmmaker, agreed. "Adults can identify
with it ... and kids like it because it's goofy, it's crazy, it's fun."
It was also fun to make. A pyrotechnic expert from Miami staged a huge explosion.
Cameras were rigged on cars. Even a 400-lb. Bengal tiger made a cameo appearance
only to end up on the cutting-room floor.
"The FSU film program gives you the tools and the knowledge and then
the freedom," said Swartz-welder. "I think it's a good short film
without the term 'student.' That was always our desire. Not to make a good
student film but to make a good film."
Jed Kaleko, now stage manager for the film school, worked on both award-winning
films. He was writer and director of The Pit, and director of photography
on Paul McCall. "I was blessed to have gotten those three positions,"
said Kaleko, who also attended the awards ceremony in Los Angeles.
The Pit showcases the popular craze "slam dancing" through
the eyes of its participants. "It was an idea I kicked around before
I began grad school," said Kaleko. "When I originally conceived
the idea, I saw it as a no-dialogue film where the music told the story."
Although he eventually added dialogue to the film, the music - much of it
performed by local alternative bands - remains the star.
Both films are now on the festival circuit, and that could mean even more
awards for the filmmakers and the film school.
Paul McCall
Director: Benjamin Hershleder
Producer: Rick Swartzwelder
Screenplay: Benjamin Hershleder , Ron Friedman, Craig Cobb
Director, photography: Jed Kaleko
Sound designer: Derek Herr
Production designer: W. Alex Korp
Art director: John Klepper
Editor: John Lynn
The Pit
Writer and director: Jed Kaleko
Producer: Francis Lombard
Director, photography: Matt Faw
Production designer: Dana Schmalenberg
Art director: Keyth Scales
Editor: Nicole Benjamin
Sound designer: William Redman