By Shay Martin

Recently, Audrey and I attended the Best of The Boston 48-Hour Film Project 2015 screening and awards at the Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge, MA. It was a really great experience and we wanted to share it with you. For those of you who don't know what the 48-Hour Film Project is, you can visit their website here. It's a really cool project and worth checking out. 

The only way I can describe the Kendall Square Cinema is an alternative movie theater. In addition to standard new releases, it shows many films that you won't see at other theaters, including independent films, restored classics, and foreign films. It also hosts many local premieres, benefit screenings, and film festivals. But that's not the only way it's different. Your first clue that you are not in a standard movie theater is the menu: filled with all the theater classics like popcorn, candy, soda and water, it also goes further. Much further. It includes not only refreshments, but dinner items, and specialized food like vegan cookies and edamame. Very cool!

Exciting things are happening at FYP! First of all, we've organized a casual meet-up for teens interested in screenwriting to come learn, create, brainstorm, and have fun together. The YOUNG WRITERS MEETUP will take place at the Barnes & Noble Cafe in Walpole, MA on Wednesday May 20th at 6 pm. Bring your friends, a snack, and get ready to explore the movie script. We hope to see you there! 

Second, our short film DRAWING INSPIRATION will be premiering to the public online this Thursday (May 21st) at 8 pm. We'll be hosting a live stream Q&A discussion simultaneously so you can get your questions answered by the Directors (Audrey & Shay). We've worked hard the last few months to make this film the best it can be and we're so excited to share it with you! Check out the film's page to read about the cast and crew, and view exclusive behind-the-scenes photos from filming in our gallery. 

We have so many ideas for future events, programs, and films -- but we want to know what YOU want too! What film or acting opportunities are you looking for? What areas of film are you interested in? What resources are you looking for? Shoot us an email and let us know. Help us spread the word about FYP by sharing our website with friends and those who might be interested. 

Stay tuned... More events to come! 

By Audrey Larson

On Sunday, April 6th, I had a fantastic time at the “Mega-Awesome Adventure” author event presented by Wellesley Books and organized by Disney Hyperion. The event featured four super-cool and hugely successful authors: Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson), Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl), Jonathan Stroud (Bartimaeus Sequence), and Ridley Pearson (Kingdom Keepers). 

I arrived an hour early and a crowd had already lined at the Dana Hall School auditorium in Wellesley, MA. It was a beautiful day. I spotted excited kids in bright orange “Camp Halfblood” t-shirts (Percy Jackson fans). 

Author Ridley Pearson went down the line of people, shaking hands and taking photos with loyal fans of his Kingdom Keepers series. I overheard a girl shouting into her phone, “I just met Ridley Pearson!”

Once inside, volunteers threw candy at the waiting audience. Dance music blared. Anticipation filled the crowd. Finally, each author was introduced on stage and the audience cheered. Host Seale Ballenger (publicity director at Disney Publishing) introduced the authors and posed a few interesting questions. Mr. Ballenger asked the authors to describe their best moment as a writer. Rick Riordan told us about the time he got a call from his agent while in a car rental place in Las Vegas, sharing the news that Percy Jackson had made the New York times bestseller list. Rick said that he'd started dancing right there on the spot.

During the Q & A, Jonathan Stroud was asked what he’d tell his younger self. He answered: 

  “Enjoy it, keep going, don’t worry about what you’re actually doing; if it doesn’t actually work. I had endless projects that I started... and I used to think it was terrible; I’m never going to be a good writer. And slowly, all the time you’re getting better without realizing it.” 

As an aspiring writer, I have several unfinished novels, short stories, and screenplays saved on my computer. Jonathan Stroud’s words resonated with me. I realized that all those attempts were not failures. Each one had contributed to making me a better writer.

As for advice for other young writers? In the humorous words of Eoin Colfer: 

“Everybody’s got that funny friend, and they say something hilarious - and what happens to that thing? It usually just flies off like a butterfly or something, maybe it gets repeated by someone else once and mangled. But if you’re a writer, it’s up to you to collect all those things, write them down on your notepad, and then don’t pay anybody for them and keep all the money yourself. That is my literary advice.” 

Everyone left the event smiling - including me. I went home with a bagful of autographed books, the event t-shirt, and lots of inspiration to keep on writing. In other words, what a fantastic experience! 

By Audrey Larson and Shay Martin

This past Saturday night (Jan. 4th) we had the pleasure of attending the Milwood independent film premiere at the Arlington Regent Theater. Milwood, Produced by Roman Media and Directed by Jimmy Scanlon and Evan Goldman, is a mystery thriller about 11-year-old Nathan Perry (Christian Goodwin); an orphan who is assigned to the Milwood facility for young adults and becomes a victim of unforeseen terror and unusual behavior. Milwood first premiered last May at the renowned Festival de Cannes in France. 

We came just in time to see the cast arriving in a limo (pretty cool) to an applauding crowd. Cameras flashed as cast and crew posed on the red carpet in their sparkly gowns and tuxedos. The theater was packed and buzzing with people excited for the show to start.

We expected going to the premiere would be cool, but we did not expect it to be so touching. Before the movie started, the Producer, Michelle Romano, began speaking of Sierra Preveza, a 7-year-old girl who was suffering from cancer during the time they were filming Milwood. At the time, they had heard of her wish to be a movie star, and even though they were almost done filming, they created a part just for her. Romano then called up Sierra, (now cancer-free), to the stage and presented her with a check benefitting the organization Sierra started, Childhood Cancer Kids. Sierra spoke about her organization, generating many laughs from the audience when she began saying how she started Childhood Cancer Kids because she noticed that “breast cancer was more popular” and going on to say how all the money she saved up in her piggy bank she was donating to kids with cancer. Her words, though simple, made the audience both laugh and cry. By the time she was done speaking, the audience was on their feet clapping. It was amazing to see another kid, at only 7 years old, taking action and making a difference.

When the film began, we were impressed with the fabulous acting, the lighting and camera work, and how they used a low-budget to create such a professional look. We were particularly impressed by the main actor, 12-year-old newcomer to the industry, Christian Goodwin, a natural talent and joy to watch. Michelle Romano, who plays the character Judy, gave a stellar performance. It was also nice to see a large number of kids in the film. At the end, the plotline left us with many questions; we were hoping for a stronger resolution and more realism at certain moments.  

A question and answer session followed the film. We were able to identify with a lot Jimmy Scanlon (the Writer and Director) and Michelle Romano talked about. For example, both had central roles in the film in addition to their position as Producer and Director; this was something we had also juggled when filming Countdown (FYP’s debut film). 

Overall, kudos to Roman Media for it’s superb debut film. We’re so glad we had the opportunity to be guests at the premiere! 

To find out more about Milwood and watch the film's trailer visit their website, or become a fan on Facebook. 

Here we are posing on the red carpet!