The premiere of UCA’s first feature-length narrative film, “Table at Luigi’s”, is slated for Monday, April 12 at Reynolds Performance Hall.
The film is a collaboration between faculty and students from Digital Filmmaking, Theatre and Music departments.
“Our film program currently includes plenty of opportunities for students to work on short films with other students, but a feature film shooting for 24 days was an entirely different experience,” said Joe Dull, assistant professor of digital filmmaking and director/writer of the film. “Most student films shoot for a single weekend, and students only get a chance to wet their feet, barely getting comfortable in their positions before the shoot is finished. With a feature film, the students had to truly learn their craft, and got the opportunity to work side‐by‐side with their professors while doing so.”The completion of the feature-length narrative film adds UCA to a very short list of film schools that have undertaken such an enormous effort.
“Table at Luigi’s is a remarkable demonstration of the skill and talent at the university,” said John Gale, interim chair of the Department of Mass Communication and Theatre.”Joe Dull has assembled a remarkable pool of talent from the university and community. I am impressed by his talent and that of his team.
“I am quite proud of the support from the Conway community that has gone into this venture. Having seen an early cut of the film, I know the audience is in for an enjoyable and impressive evening,” he added.
The screening will begin at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis. VIPs will depart the limousines for the red carpet beginning at 6:45 p.m. in front of Reynolds.
“UCA, Conway, and Arkansas are looking forward to this historic evening,” said Dr. Rollin Potter, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication. “Planning, preparation and presentation of a first feature-length narrative film are all important accomplishments, and we will have much to be proud of on April 12.”
“Beyond the obvious effect of students learning from the filmmaking process and adding a feature film credit to their resume, having a feature shot as a part of UCA’s College of Fine Arts and Communication will raise the prestige of our Digital Filmmaking program and the university as a whole,” Potter said.
“Table at Luigi’s” is a modern fairy tale about David, a chef who creates living dreams for people through his cooking. When David meets Emily, a young woman who is not affected by his cooking, she forces him to realize that the dreams he’s been creating for others have only held him in his own dream world.
Frank Romeo, an actor from Los Angeles, plays the lead role of David, and local actress Rebecca Jones plays Emily, the female lead. Other cast members include Chris Fritzges, assistant professor of theatre as Stephen, and Bob May, visiting assistant professor of writing, as Donald. The cast is rounded out by other Arkansas talent, including students from theatre and music for a total of 15 actors and 34 extras.
The film crew is made up of 35 UCA students and five faculty members, including Director of Photography Mike Gunter (Digital Filmmaking), Costume Designer Shauna Meador (Theatre), Set Designer Scott Meador (Digital Filmmaking), Composer Paul Dickinson (Music) and Film Editors Jordan Anderson (undergraduate film student) and Jonathan Childs (graduate film student).
The 98-page script included 91 scenes that were shot in 13 locations, one of which was built from scratch in the UCA television studio. More than 1,400 shots were taken totaling more than 16 hours of footage. All this digital data filled 900 gigabytes of hard drive space.
Filming began during the 2009 summer academic session. Students who were enrolled in the summer course worked with faculty and graduate students. The shortened version of the schedule was a daunting 11 pages long stretching over 24 days. – Sean Simons
