Lights, Camera, Action – Friendship Village Movie

Friendship Village residents go ‘Hollywood’

Since October residents have been in the process of making their own movie under the guidance and direction of Director, Producer and Casting Manager, Rebecca Tulloch.

Tulloch said, “I played the role of the queen at King Richard’s Renaissance Faire in May. And I was really impressed with Friendship Village. The residents were very friendly and the location was great for a short film. I thought making a film with the residents would be a great experience for both of us.” And thus, a collaboration was formed.

From the beginning the residents have been inspired by the project which began with an informative meeting on the aspects of film making on location. At the first meeting, residents enjoyed movie clips and heard all about the adventure into the land of movie production.

The first call was for writers. We had the director, but we needed a script.
Aspiring writers tried their hand developing scripts. There were some wonderful stories, but the script that was most workable was the one entitled “Let’s Dance” by resident Dan Zelazek. “I didn’t even know I could write,” said Zelazek. “I totally amazed myself,” he continued. “I wrote about something that I really enjoy which is what probably made it work.”
Zelazek’s script was transformed into a screenplay. “Let’s Dance” is a fabulously funny comedy based on a Hollywood wannabe dance instructor who could never quite make it to the ‘big time.’

The next call was for a production team. A production team or film crew consisted of behind the scenes or the mechanics of propelling the film from the start to its final production. The production team consisted of the director, assistant director, second assistant director, props, wardrobe, hair, makeup, grips, prop master, camera assistant and craft services. Residents showed up to this meeting with eagerness – not knowing what to expect, but were intrigued with the idea of being part of producing a movie. Everyone who showed up to the meeting received a job. Santina Deneen headed up makeup, wardrobe and hair. Dot Gondek also worked hand-in-hand with Santina. Lowana Friar took on the challenge of Assistant Director as well as a small part in the film. John Lynch handleed props and grips with the assistance of handyman Joe Gondek. The main job of the ‘grip’ is to help move props. Geraldine Wuester and Marion Bohm made and purchased props for the film. Marion was also in charge of the slate or the clapboard – ‘take one, scene two’ assisted by second-second assistant director Maryjane Holmes. And finally, Velma Robinson helped out everyone and made sure the doors on the production days stayed closed.

Next, there was a roundup of all the resident actors at Friendship Village. From the production team, a casting committee was formed to choose the residents who would best fit the roles for the different acting parts. The stars of “Let’s Dance” include: Dan Zelazek, Lavonne Verkade, Tony Dini, Jean Sargent, Frank Dawson, Valerie Dawson, Virginia Wietrecki, Tony Placz, Ruth Atkins, Lowana Friar, Jim Merrill and a cameo appearance by Donna Brown.

Rehearsals began in January with the assistance and guidance of director Rebecca Tulloch and choreographer David von Ehrlicher. Von Ehrlicher is an accomplished dancer who has performed in numerous musicals and ballets. He used his expertise to guide the footsteps of our Friendship Village actors. Another artist needing mention is the very talented composer and sound technician Matt Mickelsen. His talent of composing music includes variations of a Tango, ChaCha and Rumba. His vision of music completed the film.

Resident actress Lavonne Verkade said, “Being part of this movie has been one of the most interesting things I have ever done in my life. Just learning about the whole movie making process has been a wonderful experience. And having a part in the movie has been one of my favorite things I’ve done so far at Friendship Village.”