West Newsmagazine 12-16-20

32 I SCHOOLS I
December 16, 2020
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
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ROCKWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT
Mark your calendar for KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
on TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, or WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13
FIND OUT MORE:
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Call our elementary education office: (636) 733-2105.
Children must be 5 years old before Aug. 1, 2021,
to be eligible to begin kindergarten in the fall.
Rockwood Mission: We do whatever it takes to ensure all students
realize their potential.
Academic Achievement: Our 34 school buildings and supporting
programs make up one of the highest performing districts
in the country.
High Quality Educators: Rockwood teachers have
an average of more than 14 years in the classroom,
and more than 80 percent have earned a master’s
degree or higher.
By RACHAEL NARSH
Much has been reported lately about the
effect that COVID-19 has had on youth
sports, but many other activities have been
affected as well. The drama department of
Westminster Christian Academy knew that
its annual theatrical production could not
be a live performance this school year, so
they made a film instead.
Drama teacher Jim Butz’s idea became
“The Spoon River Project.” The movie was
based on the 1915 book “The Spoon River
Anthology” by Edgar Lee Masters.
“Mr. Butz knew we had some film kids
and knew we could do it,” said senior and
film producer Ian Gilbert.
“The Spoon River Anthology” is a collection
of free-verse poems that tell the stories
of the deceased residents of fictional
town Spoon River.
According to Gilbert, “The Spoon River
Anthology” was chosen for its monologue
nature and repetition, which would make
an easier transition to a movie. The actors
would not have much interaction, and as
a result, shots would be simpler to set up
and social distancing would be easier to
achieve.
Gilbert and his classmates formed
the Buy a Toaster Studios team, which
included director Matteo Zavaglia, and
Logan Mann, and Abby Johler, as cinematographers.
A reference to the 1990
Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen movie
“The Rookie,” Buy A Toaster Studios was
formed by the four young filmmakers in
November 2019. They have made several
short films for fun and competitions, but
“Spoon River” is the team’s first full-length
@WESTNEWSMAG
WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
Westminster student team
launches premiere feature film
A scene from “The Spoon River Project”
(Source: WCA)
feature film. The 71-minute movie was
presented on the streaming service Broadway
on Demand from Dec. 3-6.
Discussions began over the summer
to make plans for a film. “When school
started, we jumped in,” said Johler.
The opening scene had to be ready by
Oct. 15, with Oct. 31 as the deadline for
the entire production to be filmed.
The editing process followed and took all
the way up until the Dec. 2 deadline for the
Dec. 3-6 airing.
The students were involved in all aspects
from pre-production to editing. And though
they had big titles and responsibilities, they
wore many hats throughout the process,
even tackling elements like sound design
and creative direction.
Butz met with the actors and handled
scripts and read-throughs, allowing the
four students to focus on production.
“I trusted that they would know their
lines,” said Zavaglia. “I’m glad I didn’t
have to worry about that.”
Gilbert said the biggest challenge for
him was the scope of the project.
“I had to keep up with the actors, the
microphones, the lenses … pretty much
everything,” he said. “I got a free Masterclass
(in movie production). I was new to
this level of professionalism.”
“His job was making sure the movie got
made,” Mann said.
Zavaglia said the pressure and expectations
weighed heavy on him.
“It was all in our hands,” he said.
Johler felt the number of people
involved proved to a big learning curve for
her. There were 20-plus actors and chorus
members, along with several other teachers
and audio/visual people to coordinate
and manage.
During the process, many lessons were
learned by the student team.
“Planning is important, and organization
really helps,” said Johler.
Zavaglia said he learned the importance
of chemistry. “Figuring out how we
work together, where people shine …” he
explained.
Mann and Gilbert agreed that good communication
is key.
Johler estimates that she logged more
than 300 hours working on the film.
“We don’t need to worry about senior
service hours!” joked Zavaglia.
He said many students thanked them
for providing the opportunity to perform
despite the pandemic.
“Everyone worked so hard and was so
respectful,” said Gilbert. “We are blessed
with the resources that we have at Westminster.”