After more than a year in production, “Island of Lost Things,” is set to premiere Friday night at the Gish Theater.
Students enrolled in the THFM 4880 class collaborated with director Thomas Castillo, assistant professor in the Department of Theatre and Film, to produce the film. This was to get hands-on experience of what it’s like to work on a professional level.
Castillo wrote the film after basing the storyline from a family who lost their home during the economic crisis of 2010. He said the story is essentially based from landscapes in Ohio after he moved to the area from Arizona.
“I was pretty interested in the surrounding of the rivers and I wanted to incorporate some of that element into the film,” Castillo said. “It’s ultimately about a man facing financial difficulties and sort of how he encounters these items that bring back certain memories.”
While the production of the film took longer than a year, students working on the film were able to get experience they needed.
Junior Desiree Holton had a role to make sure all of the props and costumes stayed consistent throughout each scene. She said it wasn’t difficult to stay focused during the making of the film because she got to see the film “get off the ground.”
“It’s nice to know the project you’re working on is something the department is excited to see,” Holton said. “Your work is being valued and that means a lot. It gives you hope for your project because you see all of the hard work going on.”
But the film doesn’t only serve as something for an audience to view.
Castillo said the production of the film and role each student had during the process will serve as a piece of work they can show to potential employers and will boost their resumes.
“Students sort of find what they are good at,” Castillo said. “They will be credited and they will absolutely be able to put this on their resume. This is going on IMDB and submitted to film festivals so it will have an audience outside of the classroom.”
Senior Courtney Hutton worked as the assistant film director for “Island of Lost Things” and her role was to make sure everything was on schedule while producing the film. She said it was important for her to show the younger students working on the film skills they could use in the future.
“I wanted to pass on what I knew about assistant directing to other students,” Hutton said.
The premiere of the film is Friday, starting at 7 p.m. at the Gish Theater.
