Community Corner
NU Student Filmmakers Bring Community Together (BONFIRE, Pt. 3)
"It felt like we knew what we were doing…even if we were faking it." --Screenwriter/Director Jon Oliver, Northwestern University ('14)
I’m always curious what Northwestern students think about life in Evanston. They offer a consistently fresh perspective and help me to appreciate what I might overlook after living here for sixteen years. Recently, I heard several of their opinions while spending time on the set of the NU student film, BONFIRE, written and directed by senior Jon Oliver.
While interviewing as many members of the BONFIRE crew as possible, I learned they came to Evanston from everywhere – Massachusetts, the Bay Area, Michigan, New York, Pasadena, even Romania – and spent nearly 60 hours together shooting this short film during over two freezing weekends. While writer/director Jon Oliver is the only one who’ll earn academic credit for the project, it’s not unusual for film students at NU to spend most of their weekends helping each other to produce their projects. Their collaborative spirit inspired me. There was no yelling, except to call “Action!” or “Cut!” Not a diva anywhere. No egos or one-upmanship. Just everyone working toward the same goal of producing a short film about three middle school boys who accidentally TP their teacher’s house and try to lie their way out of it. It made me want to go back to college and be a film major…
On Toilet Paper
I asked Oliver how he got the idea for the screenplay in the first place.
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“Well, I really liked the idea,” he said. “The story had to be self-contained with a beginning, middle and an end. I guess I liked the idea of exploring how kids that age will do dumb things and not think about it. There’s a lot of adult posturing at that time in their lives,” he said, “and I wanted to se kids try to explain themselves.”
“And did you ever TP a house growing up?” I asked?
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“Oh yeah!” Oliver laughed. “A few times! I just made sure to pick my marks.”
On Wrangling Kids
Producer Bryana Schoen says, “It’s been an awesome project overall. All the people we’ve worked with have been great. I’ve worked with Jon [Oliver] and Tim [Reilly, Director of Photography] before, so everything was very cohesive.”
She confesses to thinking that working with kids might be stressful, “…but that wasn’t the case. We were all blown away by their confidence,” she says. “They were very professional.”
Casting Director Sam Freedman seconded Schoen’s sentiment. “The casting process for BONFIRE was a blast,” he says. “We were extremely impressed by the talent and enthusiasm of the young actors who auditioned.”
Oliver adds, “I have to praise the young actors -- they were wise beyond their years. We were all impressed by how they carried themselves; we forgot they were in middle school. We had fun teasing them…and it was like a time machine for us. The crew loved them.” He points to the friendly teasing that took place on set between the kids and crew: ‘What cartoons did you watch growing up?’ ‘You got a cell phone when you were how old?’ ‘You never watched [insert TV show] growing up?!’ We all kept saying to each other, “That’s CRAZY!!”
On Restaurants
NU students don’t hesitate naming their favorite restaurants when asked. Flat Top Grill, Bravo and Found top the list. Ironically, despite living above Gigio’s Pizzeria on Davis Street, Jon Oliver’s favorite restaurant is Lou Malnatti’s. “I think when I realized Northwestern’s campus has a Lou’s nearby, the deal was sealed.”
Schoen also acknowledged the generous donations from Evanston-area restaurants: “Mt. Everest, Siam Splendour, Pita Inn, Cheesie's, and Einstein's. There are so many more that donated to this set, but those ones especially give to most sets and we are so grateful for their consistent generosity.”
On Trader Joe's
"We're super geeked about TJ's," Oliver tells me.
I had to make sure I heard him right. "Did you say 'geeked'?"
"Yes I did," he says.
After he and Schoen describe how affordable and unique the store's offerings are, particularly the craft beer selection, I pause in cautious contemplation. "It's okay," Oliver says, "we're seniors."
On Violence in Evanston
When asked, most of the crew said they were not aware of the gun violence going on around Evanston Township High School. While I’m somewhat relieved that their college experience isn’t dominated by the alleged firearms battle between two feuding families, I want more NU students to know about -- and take part in -- the solution to end our community’s ongoing struggle with shootings near the intersection of Church and Dodge.
On Community
Asked how it felt to bring so many people together – from NU, from the community and beyond -- Oliver says, “It’s humbling and flattering. It’s a really cool feeling and I try not to take it for granted.”
And I’m grateful for such an unobstructed peek into the lives of students as they worked toward their dreams. Evasnton’s a beautiful, complicated, well-rounded community of interesting people, and it’s times like this I have no doubt there’s more good in the world than evil.
BONFIRE CREW
Jon Oliver (senior) - Director
Roberto Drilea (sophomore) - First assistant director
Cameron Smith (freshman) - Second assistant director, grip
Sam Freedman (sophomore) - Casting director
Lauren Fan (freshman) - Photo documentarian, script supervisor, assistant editor
Bryana Schoen (senior) - Producer
Antonio Cavazos (senior) - Associate producer
Haley King (freshman) - Production assistant, script supervisor
Tim Reilly (senior) - Director of photography
Terence Yoon (sophomore) - First assistant camera
Morgan Monahan (senior) - Second assistant camera (also in the senior directing program & making her own film this year)
Mike Schultz (senior) - Assistant camera, grip (also in the senior directing program and making his own film)
Ryan Alva (sophomore) - Gaffer (responsible for the lighting design)
Emma Horn (freshman) - Grip
Elliott Siu (freshman) - Grip
Jim Alrutz (sophomore) - Sound recordist
Samuel Spahn (sophomore) - Sound recordist
Ben Bass (freshman) - Boom operator, grip
Gina Lupica (freshman) - Boom operator, grip, assistant editor
Jesse Itskowitz (sophomore/junior - class of 2015) - Production Designer (did a little bit of everything on set…from grip, to assistant camera, to production assistant)
Mario Soto, Jr. (sophomore) - Art crew
Robbie Stern (senior) - Editor (also in the senior directing program & making his own film)
Andrea Schmitz (senior) - Sound designer
Click here for more Patch links about the BONFIRE shoot:
The TP’d house at 1815 Wesley Avenue
To donate to the Kickstarter Page created by the filmmakers – which includes a short, promotional video of BONFIRE – click here.
